If you don’t see the whole world within you
you won’t see anything.
You won’t see a shaky stem sprouting a yellow flower
shimmering in the velvet sunset of your right brain, the rain
in a ribbon on your frazzled hair, the blue lake
in the right cheek you have long wanted
to be kissed on by your past self in a new mirror.
You won’t view the mountains and the giraffe, the sands
and the antelope in the outlandish side mirrors of your eyes,
which you’ve never thought you have.
You’ll never feel the speechless wind, the warrior rain,
hear the timeless tintinnabulation of arcadian bells
in the circumnavigating voyages of your hunches.
You’ll never relish the roomy, superb accommodations. Nobody
will let you in.
This piece is part of the poetry collection February Rain (Balangay Books)
AMADEO M. MENDOZA, an MA Creative Writing graduate of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, has been published in Philippines Graphic, Likhaan: The Journal of Contemporary Philippine Literature of the University of the Philippines, Philippines Free Press, Philippine Panorama of Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, TLDTD, Liwayway Magazine and internationally in Gargoyle Magazine, Oddball Magazine, Eunoia Review, and The Inflectionist Review.
His book of poems, February Rain, was launched at the Philippine Book Festival in April 2024 and is available on the Balangay Books website, https://balangaybooks.com/february-rain, as well as on Lazada, https://www.lazada.com.ph/products/february-rain-i4118364578.html
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