Space

 

Space

Take it out

if it doesn’t

fit. It’s simple

enough —

but how did

we accumulate

three tubes

of expired sun-

block lotion

or have two

boxes full of

pencils but

never know

where to find

any when we

need just

one?

We have

a plate full

of random

screws

and a cabinet

of empty

boxes.

We swim

through

familiarity

and

detritus.

We look up

at the stars

and know

that we could

float there

without

our feet of

clay, mold,

hair in

the drains, dust

on the tops

of books,

and bins

of old

toys.

Image: David Pennington of Unsplash

April 10, 2021

#NaPoWriMo2021 no. 10

NaPoWriMo#28: Golden Sunday

NaPoWriMo or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

Golden Sunday
By Justine C. Tajonera

We went down the road not knowing where
exactly it would lead. We made a left looking
for the Sta. Ines waterfall and faced nine kilometers
of dirt road. The sunlight shone through the downpour
and we crossed shallow streams. We could see the
striated stones beneath the clear, shallow water.
When, finally, there was no road at all, we waded
into a stream, perhaps part of a larger river towards
the northeast. We swam for less than an hour. The
downpour had stopped and the emerald water was
warm and inviting. We left at sunset, the horizon
was buttery and tinged with peach. In the evening,
the waning moon was a large honeyed topaz
guiding us home.

April 28, 2013
Tanay, Rizal

Deconstructing the Nest

By Justine C. Tajonera

We take everything
apart, piece by
piece,
fitting them into
brown boxes,
sealed with
packing tape.
Coffee cups,
books, plates,
curtains, all the trappings
of a life,
piled and stored.


But this isn't
home.


It doesn't matter
where we stay,
as long as we
wake up
and eat
together,
as long as I have
you
to hold.

Taking the nest
apart
will do for now.
Another day
will come
when you will
empty
our nest
when you pack
your bags
and go.

(Oct. 25, 2009)

Image from http://gallery.usgs.gov