the Chaplin effect...

face so white, so glum, so pale...
he squints, he fidgets...his funny walks...
frame so slim, so sleek, so frail...
he stares, he twitches...he never talks.

made you smile, made you laugh...
wide eyes speak more than what you see.
he cut your bitterness in half...
underneath his heart screams silently.

laughter drowns his soul’s real meaning...
as he twirls his cane and bids goodbye...
in return you’re entertained and gleaming...
he’s never asked how, he’s never asked why...

while you swallow some blades and walk the tight ropes...
don’t compromise too much and keep your high hopes...
guard your identity, value your spirit, by all means, protect...
when you’re blessed and cursed with… the Chaplin effect.

no more...

You squint your eyes trying to remember…
Spirit tired and spent, like it’s been forever…
The sudden stops and starts your heart makes
Remind you of all your tears…your heartaches…

But now…today…since it’s been awhile
You suddenly feel too numb to even smile
A hazy memory, a muffled sound in your head…
Feelings you’ve buried alive and left for dead…

It’s been so long ago, ignore a familiar call
refuse to see black see blue, every time you fall…
You cross your fingers, wish ...hope it goes away…
Does it know who you are…who you have become today?

Then it’s right in front of you, do breathe real hard
Too late to turn away, it has caught you off guard.
look it in the eyes, breathe a little harder now…
dig, search for words to say …and how…

Suddenly, without warning, your heart is on the floor…
You gasp for air…a distant ache in your core…
Yry to figure it out …what this very moment is for…
Your mind counts one…then two…then three…then four…

All of a sudden…you feel beat, you feel shaken, you feel sore…
In your tired heart, you know—you give it life…no more.

inhaling solitude...

Breathe in and hold it…right now, right there…
Breathe in and try it…right now, a prayer…

Wait a bit…okay…and now…let lose
Wait a hint…I say…right now…diffuse…

Breathe in…respect it…coz you dare …
Breathe in…cherish it…coz you care …

Wait a while…just like that…let it out…
Wait a mile…just like that…go and shout…

Breathe in…recognize it…it’s been in your pores
Breathe in…do own it…it’s always been yours

Wait a bit longer…just like that…let it be…
Wait a bit stronger…yes that’s it…set it free…

Lest this verse be misconstrued
Every bit, every piece in our lives include
A chapter that must end, that must conclude
An honesty you thought you never could exude
Then you free yourself…inhaling solitude.

When "You" Happen...

There are so many names in history books
Some are there for brilliance, some for looks.
The good, the bad, the ugly…
Just about any life tells a story…


You wonder who documents yours…
Whose hand tallies all your scores?
Do you just go by unnoticed?
Are you even part of any list?

I do know you are as important as the next guy.
It matters that you too hurt, that you also cry…
But to whom it matters, is what matters the most…
He should take note of every truth, every lie, every breath in every post.

You happen in levels, gradients and details...
You happen in every heartbeat, every memory that prevails.
You happen every second, every minute, every hour
You wonder where you get your strength, your power…

But when do “you” really happen?
In a world that’s badly misshapen?

It’s when you know how to use your heart, your hand and give
It’s when you tell your soul, your spirit to live
It’s when you will your eyes, your mind to see the truth…
It’s when you learn from mistakes you made in your youth…

You happen when you care enough to try
You happen when you want to help make others fly…
You happen when you’re willing to give up your dreams
For something worth and bigger than it seems…
And you do this amidst deafening screams…
Your heart feels light, and suddenly… it beams…

In the corner of your eye, you see you…
The you that you’ve been wanting to come home to…
In the corner of your eye, you recognize
The you that you can never ever disguise…

Ah, the wonderful doors a single soul can open…
Even the toughest fists will eventually soften…
When you step up every so often…
That, my friend, is when you happen.