Tag: Poetry

Core

RalphLeave a comment

I think I know you.

The part of you that you buried.

I used to fear, admire, and love … it.

When I saw you again, I thought it was gone.

But on the crosswalk, albeit briefly,

I glimpsed the smile; mysterious, conniving, and carefree.

I knew then that the part of you was alive.

It’s amusingly agonizing how long it has taken me to realize this notion.

I suspect I was afraid to look back, because the pain, I could not bear it again.

This is not the end of the story. This is the beginning of both the understanding and the renewed story.

6.10.2025

Rational

RalphLeave a comment

To know the difference between

when to dream and when to calculate

you needed much more clarity and courage.

The fear makes you flinch, to save your skin.

Remember, that’s when you need to be brave.

Keep your mind and body busy.

When the storm hits, it will keep you grounded.

Keep yourself under pressure.

Better to crumble now than to take to your knee

when you are needed the most.

6.7.2025

S

RalphLeave a comment

It’s been awhile.

I don’t even know what to tell you.

The world we knew drifted apart so long ago.

Ah — well, you see, I had a soul-searching journey recently,

and I discovered the song that we listened to then

was still in my memory.

It was in my upstream of consciousness,

trickling down with a cascade of effects

on my view of the world, directions of my actions, and the values I navigated the world with.

Thanks for the memory.

I wouldn’t change a single thing about it.

I hope you are having a blast too.

See you around sometime.

6.6.2025

Contrite

RalphLeave a comment

When things that you do hidden from the public view

are pulled out into the broad daylight,

it hurts so much, like the wound after scabs have been peeled off.

Woe is the careless, the one who is reckless by the omission of details.

So the takeaway, if there ever is one, may be this:

do not attempt to appear righteous, virtuous, or proud.

In particular, fear and refrain from judging others.

For not only will it harbor resentment,

but it will also snag your ankle as you seek what your heart yearns for.

Let go of your fake seriousness, sorrow, and whimpiness.

Make light of things, but be kind and sensitive to others’ sentiments.

Be bold and face the world. Face their ridicule, cajoling, and finger-pointing.

Let them resent you for your faults. Understand and forgive them, and heed their advice.

Forgive yourself for foolishness and recklessness and vow to fix your trajectory.

Smile, and rise again when the need arises. A brighter day awaits us.

6.5.2025

Patio

RalphLeave a comment

An old couple on a small patio,

cramped together with a small coffee table in between them,

in front of a wooden balcony door wide open,

as the world waltz onwards.

I wondered if either of them would have ventured

out onto the patio by themselves

had their partner not been there.

“Are you ready to dance?”

May be a question we ought to ask ourselves, I thought.

5.30.2025