original poetry – Page 7

i rolled a five
on the night sky

the heavens say we’re tied
i’m tired
of playing with dice

who knows where we’ll land

tomorrow.

a storm just rolled in // a.s.m

i lost my mind
somewhere between June
and July
when it all turned to sand
and i could no longer make sense
of cities and skies.

Vaults and pianos // a.s.m

in the darkest night, she shines.
in the heat of the drought, she thrives.
in the deepest of floods, she survives.
if her roots can grow through the cracks
of the concrete, so can mine.

breaking ground // a.s.m

i never wanted
to need you,
but i closed my eyes and
unclenched my heart
and now, when you’re gone,
sometimes
i’m lost.

you have become a refuge.
you lead me
with open palms and
bare soles
to the patch of
sun on the asphalt
while the earth crumbles
around me. you sit cross-legged
and teach me how to smile again
when the muscles in my face
forget.

you kiss me, with lips
like warm blankets, and
i am secure
amidst the chaos.

you engulf me like
the sea, and
i am drowning in
your serenity.

i never thought drowning could be so peaceful // a.s.m

when i hide the world
underneath closed lids,
i dream of you.

the voices in my mind sing
nothing but your music, and
my heart is sore from constantly
reaching for you.

every step i take is in hopes that
soon i will walk on
your soil. until then,
my hands must learn to be
content only
to write about you.

Yerevan // a.s.m

the Turkish coffee cup
shards on the floor
draw blood.

that delicate porcelain
holds eighty-two years of life,
wrinkled hands, cardamom
coffee-stained
smiles and desert air;
a shattered mirage on
hard, cold kitchen
tile.

a thousand fangs,
they draw blood and make
home in the soles
of my feet.

cardamom coffee // a.s.m

you don’t know
what you want and
you don’t know
the road;
you’ve made and you’ve left
a thousand homes
to chase clouds that
dissolve in the palms of
your hands,
you’re here and
you are gone
again.

Don’t worry when you get lost along the way; retrace your steps and you will always find yourself again.

look within you; you can always find yourself again // a.s.m

whispers and giggles
(they never raise their voice).
they never speak louder than
the rain
they are sprouted from.

language of flowers // a.s.m

I. EVACUATION
run
without thinking.
let your feet slap
the pavement. you need
to get out of here before
they burn you alive.
i know it hurts. sometimes
you have to
save yourself first.

II. VIRGINITY
no footprints in the snow.
you’ve not yet learned to
not let everyone in.

III. BLESSED CHILD
you’ve been vandalized
you throw your body
off of cliffs
so you can know how
it feels to fly.
you’re branded and scarred,
and you only know
how to smile.

fire, ice, and heaven // a.s.m