Poems & Short Stories

More vibes.

A vibe.

Pray to the Lord

Pray to the gods

Taste of home

Burrow your Han

May this nourish your heart

May this heal your soul

Ceremony me

For whom the bell tolls

Sweet land bounty

New world awaits

Pray away your fears

Embrace your fate

This land is yours

High and mighty

Ceremony me

Ceremony plenty

Heavy is the heart of my forefathers

Heavy was their pain, their struggles

Not able

Not able

Heavy is the load I carry

Sins of my Father

His secrets, his struggles

Woman of the north

Reveal your stories

Dive deep into the sea

Dive away from misery

Land of my father, land of my mother

Pour me a spell of your milky drink

Somber hearts relieved

Freedom soon come,

This you will see

And this heavy will no longer be me.

It is in the dark of night

When I drive in my car

Speeding down west on the 118

Then hopping onto the 5

Which then merges unto the 101,

Music blaring,

The moonroof gaping open,

The wind ushering in that cool air,

The city lights of Los Angeles in the distance,

Those small unremarkable specks of ember,

Coke rap in full turnt,

This is when I feel most uninhibited and free.

The night rank of mischief and uncertainty.

Long drawn out affairs of depression,

Flashbacks of cringe, rejection and abandonment,

Refine themselves with goblin glee.

I am imperfect,

I am flawed,

Too passionate,

Too lost.

GODSPEED

Before you say farewell

Godspeed

Before you say you’re well

Godspeed

Before you say anything

Godspeed

Speed is of the essence

It is the core of getting things done

There’s grace in speed

There’s wonder in it

May God be with you

Godspeed.

Eternal Providence

May they remember us

May they bless us

May they know that we cared

That we dared

Eternity is not promised

For we are mere mortals

Each carrying our burdens

Not infallible, brimming in sin

So let us embrace the sun

Let us become one

Eternal Providence.

Sacred is the Heart that lies within

Pity is the feel of the man without

The Lord Taketh

The Lord Giveth

All to his whim

Sacred is the Heart that lies within

That cadence, that rhythm

And so it begins

Los Angeles birthed me.

When I took off to college and made my way back, I remember standing on the rooftop of my dilapidated apartment across MacArthur Park looking at the crown jewel of lights that make up the small cluster of skyscrapers in Downtown. I would stare at these lights intently as the sun would draw to its end. I made a vow right then that this city was mine, that this kingdom would be had.

That dream, that vision has never left me.

Decades later, I still get feelings of warmth, determination and conviction when I look at those same lights.

LA is a hard town. It absorbs and discards dreams for breakfast. It can be callous, it can be cold. Yet at its very best it can be exuberant, it can exhibit that raw nature of actual love.

I love Los Angeles. I love my town.

Los Angeles Por Vida.

____

Portrait by Justin Quebral

In God we trust

In God we must

In God over everything

In God we lust

Channel God be he or she

My country ’tis of thee

Channel me to be

Channel me to see

Channel me to live again

Channel me believe

In God In God

In God we trust

Channel me

Believe