knock. knock. knock.

i peep through my little window.

i hear them whistling, giggling, chanting…

i see them hugging, clutching, skipping…

the world around me’s spinning in circles

a thread swings lone in my palms, 

who is here for me? who is here to tie that perfect knot?

their footsteps, dainty in pairs, overrode mine

as they dwell in their stories, eyes jingling till dawn

since when, did i become— 

the bulb in the night? the rod in the swamps? the third, wheel, labeled spare?”

you don’t need that special someone to buy you bouquets on valentine’s day 

what you need is to grow a garden in your heart

where you wait for flowers of love to bloom — to prosper — to branch to the skies

decorate your soul with those dandelions— let them flutter, let them dance

but remember to find your way to the roots, the roots of your scars 

kiss them gently as you relive those memories

don’t be afraid to show them your scars

wear them like how you’d wear your best gown 

wear them like they shape you, just as they do

love is everyone’s favorite liquor, 

fill your own glass until it overflows, 

if it stays barrenly empty, how will you find that space to fill others’ goblets, too?

who can love you, who will love you? 

they say our stars align in the cosmos

they say our silhouettes form hearts in the light

they say the sand dunes dance in our names

they say our elements form electrostatic bonds

they say we’re daisies in meadows of green

they say we’re bound to have rings in fingers

they say the bulbs hug us, light us so sound

“99% love. 1% not”, they chant to the skies

“1% love. 99% not”, you sat me down one day

titania, oh titania,

did you know?

did you know that i once wished upon the shooting stars —

that i’d find out why, why you never fail to paint my smile?

i’ve read every book on the shelf, crossed all genres, toured all lands

i guess not many tales tell how you’d love a friend so much

that you’d mistake them for something a little more

titania,

i know too little about you to fall for you

yet too much about you not to love you

can i love you in another way? rewrite our fairytale, all over again?

let me spell it out, a little different this time

platonic  /pləˈtɒnɪk/  adjective  verb

plato used to say — every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back 

little did i know, little did i ponder, that you’d be the one to fill my missing puzzle

all this while, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve baggy-eyed

to you, to me, it might just be another ride in the cosmos 

only time can tell, only time can doodle that story untold

nitro and titania sitting on a tree, a string fell off and bound their knees

i mean it, friend

can you let it slip this time, and let me cross the strip, by some two-thirds of an inch?

okay —

time to do some math

1% love, plus 99% love — makes 100%, 100% love

titania,

i love you more than anything.

thank you, thank you for multiplying my ups, dividing my downs,

and double counting my bundles of joy.

thank you for mending my bridge, stitching my scars,

and sprinkling mint to my burning slide.

go ahead —

take out your calculator

and let us add up to the infinity — shall we?

love,

nitrogen

*please refer to the periodic table of the elements 

My hand in his, and a farewell kiss:
“The world will be sorely missed.”

But still we flew,
as sweet zephyrs blew the lucky few to an end and start anew.

Just us two.