Why do you feel entitled to my love?
You, who never made an effort beyond what was convenient?
And now that I understand my worth,
I’m supposed to jump hoops for the scraps you throw at me?
Keep your love. And I’ll keep mine.
If I’m being scientific about it,
I don’t think I have a reason to be sad.
Because in some other world,
We were not just a possibility.
Its your kind demeanor
And your quiet candor
That she doesn’t quite see
It’s your sense of humor
Your good eye for color
That misses her completely
She’s all style, no substance
Best viewed from a distance
Can you really be this blind?
She’s an empty vessel
A trophy, a tassel
But you don’t seem to mind
I roll my eyes and sigh
You’re such a stupid guy
Why’d you ever settle?
You’ve had me from the start
It tears my soul apart
Because I can love you better.
© 2016 Anj CP
A planet slowing down
and wrecking amused havoc
on my senses
must be the reason
for this temporary lapse in judgment.
As I woke up alone,
messy and confused,
I hoped that the shadow of a
band on my finger would
solidify into gold again.
I blame this cosmic fluke
for the things that I said
but didn’t mean.
And now clarity ensues,
leaving me stunned and unwilling
to accept your hasty departure.
Mercury is now back on its
course, so can we also
go back to ours?
© 2016 Anj CP
Nobody could have predicted it
Not even a crystal ball
I thought you’d always kiss my feet
In for the long haul
I certainly kept you on your toes
Took delight in your misery
How you lasted this long
Is certainly a mystery
I waved a carrot across your face
Tied it to a very long stick
I thought I had better options
Assumed I could have my pick
My friends didn’t fail to warn me
Playing with fire is unwise
But you seemed to be determined
To win my heart as the prize
I was speecheless when I realized
My heart’s been cheering for you all along
While my mouth mocked and teased you,
It was silently singing your love song.
And just when I was ready to surrender
You threw the towel in defeat
I am left with my heart in my hand
Eating my own conceit.
I will get over you someday,
But not today.
Because the laundry room is blowing
the scent of your fabric softener in my nose.
I will forget about you soon,
But just not now.
Because the driveway still has your footprints
from when you stepped on the oil of our rusty car.
I will move on eventually,
Just not as quickly.
Because the cupboard still has your favorite cereals,
the one that I’ve grown to like.
And even if I sold each little scrap of memory I have of you,
shred every bit of evidence of the existence of us,
it will still take me many lifetimes to finally move on.
I placed each bead
On my sweaty hand
While a slender sliver of silver
Passed through each hole.
In the wee hours of the night,
I finished two identical strands
I pulled it tight to test its strength.
And before he flew to Cebu,
(a place I had never been to)
I carefully tied one to his ankle
And he tied the other to mine.
As the band swings with my foot,
Its knots graze my skin,
Reminding me that it’s just there.
No bullshit, no backtalk
Let’s just take a walk.
No jokes, no banter
Don’t give me a cold shoulder.
Just tell me straight to my face
Why there is this space
That no amount of hand holding,
No cuddling, no body rubbing
Could erase.
And I fear
The close is near
Without me even knowing
What caused this gaping
space
Where do I start to trace
What went wrong
Or for how long
We will pretend
Until it all just ends…
Let’s talk, please.
I’ve come back
To the scene of a crime
To comb the area,
To look for any sign
Of something that happened
A few moons ago.
To ask any witness
Of what they might know
Broken blades of grass
Show where he stood
Carving out initials
On a dry piece of wood
Crushed and wilted petals
I found beneath a tree
Crumpled candy wrappers
I saw maybe three.
The wick of a candle
That burned so bright
The smell of sweet wine
To cap off the night.
There in plain view
You don’t need to be smart
You can tell this was where
A man stole my heart.
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