As Friends

We laugh at things casually

like they were mundane exchanges

but we know that 

every crease in the smile is a tear left unshed

every kind word we exchange is a longing for deep conversations

every handshake draws a sigh for a tighter embrace

There is too much space between us

in this strange room 

they call 

friendship

we know this space is not

friendly 

to us. 

Some days I wish we never said goodbye

so we don't meet again

as friends.

Haunted

I made a promise

To never again write about you

Nor for you

But here I am writing you an

“I miss you”

It makes me a promise breaker

But then, 

so are you

-venusspeaks 

3-18-16

source

The Pause

Noisy Space

Where Do I Begin

Years

The Sea and You

A Long Poem

Puppy Love

Phone Problems

When You Found Her

Untitled.

Maybe

So I told you about him

And how he made me feel

Enchanted

And I told you

How enchanting it was

To be wanted

But under that tree

Where books and battles

Were littered around us

I paused to tell myself

Maybe

This here

Is what I needed

©mariajabeza

photo from "The Mirror Has Two Faces"

The Problem with Me

It is not what you said

But how it made me feel

That alarms me

Not your words

But what they may mean

That bothers me

I wish I believed in impossibility

Lines would just be statements

And words just words.

But I am a poet

And impossibility

Is never part of my vocabulary

SOURCE

Days

“There’ll be days like this”

I hear myself repeating

Like a pledge, or a line

From a broken song

Whose beginning and end I could not

Remember

Unlike our story

Whose beginning I can paint like a picture

And our end like a bleeding poem

But everything in between

I could not

remember

Breathe.Now.

source

Breathe

There is no better time to be alive than now

Take in

Whatever you can

But never forget

To make room for sunshine

Or moonshine

Or whatever it is that makes you

Shine

Breathe

There is no better time

To believe in the impossible than now

Strive

Work

Hustle

But don’t forget to make room for rest

Or laughter

Or whatever it is that makes you

Smile

Breathe

There is no better time to be alive than now

No better way to live 

than to love

now. 

for you. 

Synonym

Leave me to my thoughts

I can sort them out

one by one,

like peeling onions

Let me cry

not for you

but for this misfortune

of being in love with you

and being quiet about it

Leave me to my words

until I find the right

synonym 

for love

without having to break down

this safe haven 

we have called 

friendship

--------------------

It is disastrous how 

in our fear of losing what we have

we kill

that thing that keeps us alive.

for you, yes you. 

photo source:here

Believe in Love

Source

Believe in love

The kind that will wake you up every morning

And tell you “You’re worth it”

Because it means he paid a price to be where he was

Right there beside you

Because you’re worth something

Maybe not someone’s everything

But

You are surely worth that 3-minute phone call everyday

Or those two minutes for every 5 hours

Or those 30 seconds of each hour

Just to find out how you are

You’re  worth those 10 steps of agony he walked towards your front door

Or that 6-hour tiresome bus-ride

Or those ten thousand miles across the oceans

Just to be with you

You’re worth those 5 more years of bachelorhood he had to cut short

Or those 265 Friday night he won’t be showing up at the bar

Or those lazy Saturday plans he had to give up to help you with the laundry

For. The. Rest. Of. His. Life.

You’re worth every book he had to close every night

Every fight he needs to concede from

And every ounce of pride he needs to swallow

And maybe, you will need to wait a little longer

Or maybe, each one who’ll come along will tell you

your expectations are absurd

And maybe at one point you will believe them

But believe otherwise

Because  this I know:

"There many mediocre things in life to deal with 

and love should not be one of them."

Believe in love

The kind that will wake you up in the morning and tell you

“You’re worth it”

But also, hold on to it

enough

for you to say

“No, YOU are worth it!”

 For Hanako



Note: Quote from Tiffanie De Bartolo 

Strangers

Hello, Stranger
what brings you here?

the baggage
the duffle luggage
and your dusty feet

the crease
the unease
and the frown in your face

Hello, Stranger
you must have come a long way

you hummed
a melancholic song
with words strong

you talked in haste
you said you don't waste
words you draw with grace

Hello, Stranger
You make me interested

you offered your hand
in the street we danced
while the music played inside our head

i saw you smile
i stared at your eyes
while clouds of dust enveloped us

Hello,
Stranger you are no longer

but the swirling led me to fear
and the staring
to tears

and the music died
still, we danced in strides
till i saw your luggage piled

Hello, Stranger
You must be going somewhere

so i complained about my foot
so this dance
won't take root

i stared into the sky
not your eyes
so i won't cry

Hello...
Stranger dragged his foot and his luggage
put back his frown and hum melancholics
then, walked East

Stranger,

at least
remember
my name

He walked farther, i stood still
to each other we remained
nameless
Strangers



*sometime in 2010

Waiting for the Sun

SOURCE

So tell me, where do dreams sleep?
I want to evade it.
Tell me, who wakes imaginations to reality?
I want to seek an audience.
Tell me, where does the sun rest?
I want to lie there.
Tell me, who gives the moon her job.
I want to have a word with him.

Because these nights are long

And I am running out of songs

These words are meaningless

And I can’t say what I mean

My heart races to escape

The vine traps

The owls that mock me

The sleepless ants

And the cold moon

So tell me, can I find dreams

while I rest in your chest

And wake to the reality

That I no longer have to chase the sun
And that the moon would just be a fixture