Abroad

The city is swallowing me whole
Biting its way through my mind
Chewing my tenderness
To bitter fragility

The city is swallowing me whole
I forget to call my mother
I am racing time, only time isn’t fair
and I am running in circles
even when I’m still

The city is swallowing me whole
I have become just another speed-walking
angry-talking New York City pedestrian
No longer stroll-taking nature-admiring
stop-for-the-music person

The city is swallowing me whole
I forget to breathe
I must commute cook clean study
Even sleeping isn’t restful
It is simply what happens when my body gives out

The city is swallowing me whole
I have not seen my mother in three months I will not see my mother till June
I will spend my birthday away from her
I am spending my years away from her
Being swallowed and chewed and spit out dry

The city is swallowing me whole
I wish I could go back to my mother’s arms
Where the world doesn’t spin
And I’m a happy little child
Stroll-taking nature-admiring stop-for-the-music child

The city is swallowing me whole
I am here
I must commute cook clean study
While mama has corona
And I am half the world away.

Longing

November winds are cold on my face
Colder than my father,
Than the absence of my mother.
I ache for the springtime
when the weather is kind,
And my father loves me.

Liberation

Away from the mainland I swing above the ocean
The motion of my legs takes me to the furthest end.
Last night a stranger turned to a friend
And I, in foreignness, am finally true to myself.
They said it’s dangerous, but I am more afraid
Of the passage of time and leading a passive life
Who was I, if I was, in a past life?
I found my white horse on a shore across the globe
Could it be that I am the knight?
The stars are scattered across the night,
The bay lights up beneath my feet,
I close my eyes as I finally
Breathe.