seven

my feet has traveled far aplenty places,
from dirty streets to roads in the north;
to sandy beaches with littered shells
and familiar, classroom floors. 

but there's this alley leading to my home,
where afternoon light shines my face. 
every time i frequent it,
i'm somehow back in tenth grade:
your shoulder bumping into mine
cheap street food in our hands,
we share these quiet, giddy smiles
that only both of us understands. 

there's also the streets of dona soledad
painting you in every nook and space,
like that small, rundown chowking branch
that holds our second valentines' date;
or the hospital you visited one stormy night
to keep me company 'til it was late,
bringing my mother bananas
and warm conversations ---
a quiet love i forever appreciate. 

and when i step into the chaos of manila,
shoved between honking cars and changing lights,
my mind turns to our strolls along espana, 
 the feel of our fingers intertwined.

so every time i pass the bridge,
i glance back knowing that you're near,
a presence lingering in my life,
not just for the past seven years;
because maybe all this time,
He's planned this since beginning, dear,
bounding us by a single golden line.

it's why despite not knowing you in the past,
i search for you amongst faces in the train. 
it's why i think of you under the same moon, 
and long for your embrace when it rains.
and even now when i return to the province,
placing miles between you and me,
i carry still our longing dreams
of us exploring the seas.

my feet has traveled far aplenty places,
from dirty streets to roads in the north;
to sandy beaches with littered shells
and familiar, classroom floors.

one favorite spot i always return to though
is that cold music room in one sunny October;
you with your messy hair,
and the sun behind my shoulder.
there was a spark in our exchange,
and a gaze that felt right, 
a look you still give me now,
and a feeling i'll hold on tight. 
because with all these life's travels,
and places i have been to,
each turn and passageway
— they always bring me back to you.

—

note: happy seven years, ClearlyAmbivalent <3