i knew we were done …
when the flowers began to die fast
no matter how many trims
they were dead in the water 
no more extended blooms
i even bought a new vase
all i did was get a new grave

if love is eternal,
why is it that we change?
that we cannot stay the same
that we cant keep the euphoria 

then love is not the brevity of the one
but the one that is chosen 

i just wanna listen to jazz under a fire
with a beautiful view
sipping wine and writing poetry
i aspire no more to produce
but to create
sleep late cause i enjoy the emptiness of the night
the lack of outside noise of the big world
it subsides...

how many in america dread their existence?
let alone the world?
bound to a cubicle
endless white walls, carpet floors
and open concept offices
nowadays they’ve added standing desks
threw you a bone, to keep you healthier
that way you work for more years
cause you’re a wrench in the assembly line
a factory worker at least creates a tangible product
you just created another powerpoint
yet you get paid for playing the game

i don’t blame you
you climb the ladder
but at what cost?
with inflation looming
social security defunding
your chances of retirement deflating
your time, that’s the cost

the temptation to escape grows
the red queen’s race
the rat race
another slop bowl
you become a fat face
another day eating at ya desk
showing up to an office
to take meetings from a laptop
with your coworker
who’s also somewhere in that office
yet too lazy for IRL

a distorted reality
to justify an executive’s lease agreement
yet no consideration during another workforce reduction
for your lease agreement
in a city they moved you to
to create their virtual reality
when in reality
you were meant to create, in reality…

take a breath
before you drown in another
“i hope this email finds you”
well i hope this poem finds you
the real you
who you were meant to be
what you were meant to create
don’t just skate through life
and become another regret filled coffin

you
you have to escape!
because the universe conspires
with all its forces to help you achieve
what it is you are meant to be!

fall begins and i listen to coltrane
over baldwin manifestos
as leaves change colors and fall
pumpkin carvings
apple pickings
haunted houses
the real start to my favorite season
how can you not embrace 
the change in nature
oh fall, although many hate ya
i appreciate ya
not here to inflate ya

ojalá que mis versos invoquen acción
que tus acciones sean llenas de amor
que tus amores nunca te rompan el corazón
que no te enfoques en las heridas
que te lleven las bebidas
por conexiones perdidas

que dios guíe tu brújula
que llegues a tu destinación
a través de oración 
por voz
mañana llamo a mi abuelita
así que llama la tuya 
o quien te queda 
que en familia se encuentra vida

y si no te queda nadie
llámame a mí
sé lo que es sentirse solo
una mudanza
con los deseos de un día volver a casa

la gula en la corporativa 
te la venden como propaganda
de que debes de querer otra promoción
otro carro del año 
cuando muchos no saben lo que es 
no tener un baño

venir a estados unidos
y terminar en la calle perdidos
es como decirme, perdón después de romper el vidrio
por eso no te envidio
porque mi vida es completa
igual como la tuya 
tal y como es
somos ricos
con el amor de dios
hasta pa donde le pusieron a duarte el pico

repito
ojalá que mis versos invoquen acción
que llames a tu amigo
y le digas que lo amas
que la respuesta de todo dolor
siempre se encuentra en el amor…

no use filtro que tú eres linda así,
como dios te hizo

qué prejuicio
ser un hombre dominicano hoy,
es pagar por los pecados de nuestros padres
pero tampoco es hombre hacerme la víctima
entonces te conquisto con mi labia
cada piropo más vulgar

dime, si tú llegaste a mi ‘for you page’
no fue coincidencia 
que yo te llegue a tu DM
por aquel M M G
no te pierdas el chance a tu M D
porque el hombre dominicano
nace con un doctorado en el amor

y yo loco por invitarte a comer pica pollo
y tú subiendo story en italia

deja la superficie 
que cuando nos pongamos viejos
la fuente de juventud se encuentra en la pasión
y obsesión de un hombre latino
tal vez no siempre fino
pero barato sale el vino

i love poetry, more than i love you
cause poetry heals my wounds
you only seem to reopen them
with triggers and gaslighting
a pretty face, appealing eyes
but your words hurt

i think of our first night often
we sat on the couch like teenagers
and she don’t usually f-
the first night
but this was our first night
did it with the lights, on
food for thought
but your fruit was better than i thought

lost in your cascades
i see where light is created
moving faster than sound
how could i be so foolish?
feeling so strongly, so fast
how could i be so naive?

thinking this was more than it was
but it was, at least for a second
i thought, this light could be mines
but fireflies only appear in summer nights
summers, quicker than the pacific northwest
then the rain season returns
and i return to my cradle
to write
to write about a love that never was.

“i have offended god and mankind 
because my work did not reach the quality that it should’ve”
leonardo da vinci’s parting words as he died 
the pursuit of perfection is not new
the romans attempted to sculpt it
the renaissance attempted to paint it
and now we try to post it
if my writing ever captured anything
let it be that we are all imperfect
that love while hard is worth it
that connection is necessary 
that joy comes from within
and that its either risk or regret
destiny is manifested
yet most are born to be a part of the majority
art is consumed by the masses 
yet created by the minority
but it is still worth it

i grew up on nycha
politicians lying, dique “i gotcha”
crackheads asking for change
and we all had hope back in 08’
but all that did was, hide all da hate
later came podcast mics  
da andrew tates
and everybody gotta voice
except when is time to vote 
and babygirl gon cop her tote
ig stories onna boat
but is all a cloak
bbls
ysls
asl
“im not black”
but we all come off da same vessel
sarcasm if it went over ya head 
like da chemtrails
or da kennedy files
u aint hear da truth aint in style 
more pardons than darlings
more stepbacks than harden
oh you want da american dream? i beg 
i beg your pardon
they don’t want u to raise ya voice 
a stroke of da keys 
is stronger than them colombian keys
ya voice travel farther than canals
but nobody watch tv
ever wonder how you get your news?
when did da weather forecast get so bad?
i foresee
those who don’t ponder, on purpose
end up with da wrong incentive
and well then, this is our outcome
on purpose

da world needs art to cut through da monotony of life
like da world needs monogamy
cause 2 birds one stone
turned into da color mahogany 
and birds of a feather flock together
no matter da weather
but when yo funds low
everyone migrate
like if i had a dolla, i'd have a friend 
like when you got a whip
everybody hop in

see da globe needs art
cause it keeps spinning
and if it was flat 
we’d still paint on that canvas too
like if we landed on da moon
just like i landed at jfk
and became a starving artist 
with no bed to lay
looking for a canvas to spray
that would keep me out da fray
but they grimy and backstabbing 
da new welder freys
but monarchs no longer exist
like felons can’t work government jobs
so we cease and desist
but i'm not white, so my story
cease to exist

da world needs art 
i wrote it before and i'll write it again
till i bore u of the thought
some get stuck on why we write
is it da human nature to exist 
beyond our mortal flesh
prayer not gon save us
so might as well save this poem
in a lockbox destined to be opened in 2100
where we revert back to segregation
and apartheids
all da way back to enslavement
where there’s da colored and da whites
sundown towns but no sunsets
cause all u see is da sunrise
and you ask if he’ll ever rise
no i don’t question my god
but i might question yours
and yet we pose to "love yourz"

thats why...

da world needs art
da world needs art

ya no hay misterio en personas
lo subimos todo a las redes sociales
con la ansia de fama
cada detalle se encuentra en un highlight
la música que te gusta
ese viaje que cogiste a italia
que subiste desde tu cama
o los selfies del gym
donde no progresa tu talla

la imaginación no tiene función
no hay necesidad de llenar el vacío
hoy lo llenamos con nuestros archivos
y todavía, no nos sentimos vivos
con razón que la demagogia esta a nivel histórico sin precedente
la era de información nos convenio 
y nos conecto
pero a lo largo… nos separo

desconéctate
desintoxícate
deja aquellos en el pasado
los que te siguen
pero no son amigos…
aquellos que se entretienen con tu contenido
pero nunca le dan like
solo visto

papi tiene muchos dichos
había uno que decia
“¡si tienes un dólar, tienes un amigo!”
y bueno, ¿si tengo un seguidor,
también tengo un amigo?

many times thought is thought,
to be just that… thought
what philosophy teaches is that, what is common is uncommon
common folk discuss minutiae 
artist build sculptures of clay
in da background are leaders
da puppeteers
not da heads of state
those in da shadows
that keep our minds at bay

.deeply organized
a world order, hidden in plain sight
how we’ve built such tall structures
for defense, which raised walls of imaginary borders
for religion, an offering to da puppeteers’ greed
for man’s ego, a fortress
torn down with fragility
with propaganda
and myths
those buried with da library of alexandria
those sold by da city of atlantis

.raphael drew a painting
not a picasso
where da center of da world was…
athens
i once wrote a poem
not an angelou
where i met my maya
before da calendar turned
before da late night clock marched
marched ahead without meaning

.to know this series was never meant to be a happy ending
stop trying to understand da metaphors
cause this was just a thought
thoughtfully, to entertain 
does that make us da same?
or am i da only one, who’s insane?

una diosa biosfera
o sera que ella le agrego a la atmosfera
cielos corren recogiendo su imagen
“socorro” grita la arena 
que no aguanta su sombra
pero ella desaliniza la playa con su pureza
un pose y también priva en empresa
cuidao' si le toca lo lente
cualquiera cree en medusa
a su gusto, esa chica te friza y te usa

una alma que sana
pero no cualquier culito de rana
entonces no te incluye, pana
su imagen inspiro par de versos
si supiera que ella es la ultima musa
y yo soy aquel príncipe azul detrás de la rana
no quiero dinero, ni fama
si mi futuro no la incluye me enfada
le brindo yaroas con chinola
hasta le lambo la popola
toda

antes de la boda
le bajo mercurio pluto la luna
coño hasta amarte como aquellos martes
to' los cariños que quisiera darte
la distancia es por que mi corazon se parte
tu no eres cualquiera...
de que uno, se jarte

a biosphere goddess  
or maybe she just adds to da atmosphere  
heavens race to capture her image  
“help,” da sand cries out  
it can’t handle her shadow  
but she desalinates da beach with her purity  
she strikes a pose, fronting like she’s all business  
careful if her shades come off  
you’d swear she’s medusa  
at her whim, she freezes and uses you  

a soul that heals  
but not just any little frog’s backside  
so don’t think you’re included, homie  
her image sparked a few verses  
if she knew she’s da latest muse  
and i'm that prince behind da frog  
i don’t want money or fame  
if my future ain’t with her, it drives me insane  
i’d offer her yaroas with passionfruit  
i’d even kiss her whole flower  
entirely 

before da wedding  
i’d bring her mercury, pluto, da moon  
damn, we can make love on tuesdays
all da affection i’d want to give  
da distance splits my heart in two  
you’re not just anyone...  
you’re da type to leave someone starved of you

and still your gaze drives me crazy
like the first time i saw you
and offered you my jacket
it’s wild how you post pics and don’t tag me 
as if you aren’t mine
or like what we had was just a fantasy
i’ll have you one day
even if it’s on credit
i'll take a loan for your love
i’ll leave the bill to god
woman for god's sake
come back home
the kids...
no, what kids?
it’s me who misses you
with your sunkissed skin
blue all around you
blue on that little dress
red is my heart
and green like the light i saw in your eyes
imagine this—just your gaze alone
brought this poem to life
what power, my infinite muse
one day you’ll know
that no other heart beats for you
like mine

¿what if da heart wasn’t da objective?
but what comes with this flood of affection  
where emotions run like rivers  
i warm you because our world is cold
¿tell me?
do you really read my messages  
when they deliver

i don’t have ridiculous fantasies 
of asking you for a threesome  
satisfied just with you
and even though it wasn’t for me  
that you posted da selfie for
you still made my day  
i said "let me sit down, 
so i don’t get caught up"
i’m leaving da gym now
bouta cook, how dope would it be 
to have dinner with you

you used to like delinquents, wanted someone reckless  
but what you were really missing  
was a poet in love

when i wake up
the first thing i do is check for a message from you …
when i see the little blue bubble next to your name
it warms my body
how beautiful to know that in a world full of people
you and i only think about ourselves

time with you is a verse that never ends  
impossible for me to get mad at you  
i look at you and i long for you  
nerves killin' me  
but i look you in da eyes  
and i tell you my intentions  
even though i don’t know yours  
we both believe in omens  

and what a coincidence that our paths crossed  
maybe i don’t have a poem for every encounter  
and perhaps my lips didn’t find you this time  
but it wasn’t necessary  
da intimacy and affection between us 
was felt
like da music that played
unfortunately da night ended

as i sit on da stoop and wait for da order
each time you tell me what i should order
without knowing my order
i follow your lead because
a wise man once said
"those who follow advice live a long life"
and well, da reality is i won’t have you forever
but i want you by my side for da long haul

nevertheless
we are reborn as birds and fall in love again
its a cycle that never ends in my head
you were supposed to be there da moment i found you
just like i was supposed to find you
just like i fall in love with you at first sight, every time
every time i find you
like da first time
and well, i’m glad i found you

i didn’t come yesterday so you’d miss me
and i came to say goodbye with only da appetite to see you
and well, i know you’re working
and, well, not to interrupt you or distract you
i leave quickly
just seeing you is enough to scratch da itch
in my heart
you’ve got me tied to a string
and as da tension between you and me builds up 
and da temperature rises
oh, just da thought of you warms me
sometimes you might get burned
so i light a bleezy and start smoking

“maybe … you loved someone you shouldn’t have loved”
and that’s why sometimes we post stories on social media
taking a shot
without taking into account
how unhappy we are
maybe, i mean, 
maybe, I would take into account that I am looking for a partner
and maybe it’s my imagination of who you really are
maybe i shouldn’t have expectations
that’s how you get disappointed

and still, i imagine
a life with you, companionship
every day, da woman of my dreams
in da present, keeps me from sleep
girl, let’s finish this search
i’ve already cut down da rest of da forest
and i found you
no more attempts
because i discovered fire
like columbus claimed to discover america
but i truly discovered you
lost in your figure, a shout is heard
“order number 16!”
and unfortunately, it was someone else who handed it to me
instead of you
and so i left

i'd rather never sleep  
than sleep without you  
a poet in love  
obsessed or fanatical  
da passion comes easy
da nights go by  
and i'm still here  
waiting for you by my side  
da nights go by  
and damn it, i get mad  
for god's sake, woman, come  
come to me  
because your pleasure  
is all i’ve thought about  
reaching mountain tops  
that you've never reached

and i never get mad 
with my little princess  
i’m capable of things  
i never thought possible  
overflowing with love  
the way you complete me
your absence poisons me

oh baby, if only you knew  
how da nights pass  
and easy for another to think of another
but you froze me  
covered me with your affection  
now im a poet in love  
da one who came with verses, serenades, and flowers  
and your favorite little chocolates  
stop da frontin'  
send me your location  
so we can end da suffering between us  
i’ll come to you

it started as a text message  
then a flight  
ended in poems  
and in verses  
we began as strangers  
and now we’re committed  
you just have to say yes  
and so i ask  
never sleep without you again