the painting on the wall

I WAS THAT BIRD.

the one above the azure blue sky,

hovering over the world you created;

beneath vast expanse of water

and rocks you painted with your small hands.

you were that bird.

the one on the sandy shore

watching waves of true love,

drinking water of unkept promises,

living this perfect world created by brush strokes.

i was that bird.

the one high above the clouds

that doesn’t look down nor dare to close its wings

afraid that he might fall;

scared he’s flying his last flight.

you were that bird.

the one that waits for the other to come down.

drinking the colors that flooded your palette

eating dreams you thought were real.

you should’ve eaten bird seeds.

i was that bird

savoring the air beneath those wings;

addicted to the air you breathed

lost in the overwhelming dream

and a slave to the truth that broke our hearts.

we were those birds

who lived in the perfect world of rocks and seas,

made colorful by lies, fear, uncertainties

immortalized by time, frozen by words

locked away with keys of nostalgia and regret.

we were those birds.

souls drawn from reality

into a world where time doesn’t exist.

painted into a canvas of ‘what could’ve been’s

and protected by a thick glass of ‘what if’s.

we were those birds

and now were nothing close to flying,

wings broken in an attempt to fly against the winds

trying to find our safe haven

towards the shore we never reached.

we were those birds,

and now we crawl as time flies high above us

and as the world decay beneath our feet.

memories hidden within the barriers of a heart

well kept, silently humming, covered in dust.

. . .

original artwork by len len, watercolor on canvas, 10” x 15”, dated december 1, 2003.

. . .

how this tag works:

1. Write a poem or an inspiring line based on a photo of your choice. This photo can be your own, or someone else’s. (If the picture is not yours, please ask permission from the owner when you post it, or better yet, provide only the link to the picture that inspired you, without posting it.)

2. Your poem or inspiring line may be of any length, and any genre. It can be humorous, sentimental, heart-warming, whatever. You may write in Ilokano, English or Filipino.

3. Post your inspiring line in your blog and in the comment section of this page (or just a link to your post so we could go and check it there). For poetry submissions, please indicate if you wish your piece to be posted in Bilingual Pen as an article submission.

4. The goal of this game is to get us to write, and express our thoughts and emotions.

i'm tagging tinay, salingpusa, and green mangoes :)

thanks ice and ely for the tag :)