Poems

I. Gutter-Genesis: The Hunger Before the SparkBeneath the calendar of years, before clocks ever conspired to tick,Where shadow is not a thing yet, and silence is not a song but the possibility of music—I am the wild negative space, the ache in the universe’s gut,Lurking in the dark between possibilities, a bet no one meant […]

The First Time I Witnessed Injustice Free Verse Voices raised, signs high, a sea of despair,The city’s heart, beating raw and bare.I stood there, my silence a heavy wear,Justice’s scale, unbalanced, unfair.

The First Time I Went Online Shopping (Expanded) Click, a world of goods at my finger,Cart full, budget’s linger.Package arrives, joy unboxed,Till credit’s shock, paradox rocked. The thrill of adding things to cartWithout walking a single aisle.The dopamine hit of “Order Confirmed.”Then the slow-motion horrorOf watching the total climbPast what any reasonable personWould spend on

The First Time I Went Online Shopping Free Verse Click, a world of goods at my finger,Cart full, budget’s linger.Package arrives, joy unboxed,Till credit’s shock, paradox rocked.

The First Time I Was Fired (Expanded) The words cut clear, cold, precise,A job, a livelihood, rolled like dice.Walked out into the noonday sun,One chapter ends, another begun. The box of desk things felt heavierThan anything I’d ever carried.Not the weight of the stuff inside —The weight of knowing I wasn’t wanted.That walk to the

The First Time I Was Fired Free Verse The words cut clear, cold, precise,A job, a livelihood, rolled like dice.Walked out into the noonday sun,One chapter ends, another begun.

The First Time I Was Alone in a New City Quatrain Skyscrapers loom, each a towering might,Lost in the swarm of glowing light.Heart pounding, with no end in sight,Solitude’s bite, in full flight.

The First Time I Visited a Big City Couplet Skyscrapers high, lights that never dim,City’s rhythm, at first grim.

The First Time I Voted Quatrain Ballot in hand, a civic dance,Choices vast, a glance.Democracy’s chance, a stance,Vote cast, history’s expanse.

The First Time I Tried Yoga In a room filled with energy and zeal,Echoes of determination peal,As we seek stillness, a soulful meal. Limbs entwined in a dance surreal,Muscles reaching, an inner sealTo unlock the secrets our bodies conceal. Breath intertwined with emotions we feel,A harmony of effort, a passionate wheelTurning towards bliss, a mystical