Jonel Abellanosa-IV
Empath
Amplified, everything my senses apprehend:
Bitter-sweet, raindrops, chirps, scented air.
Colors and shapes crave my crowded vision,
Draining me to exhaustion. Same as the human:
Exposed to the heart’s elements, I’m wind-borne,
Forged in strange behaviors. I see recognition as
Grooving tool, moments not mine to enjoy,
Hypnotized easily by my own thoughts
Into fallen leaves. Anxieties orphan me if I
Join otherness, my mind in a distant bench.
Keenness kindles with masquerades of
Loneliness. I realize I’m not alone. I
May know the next few days, but seldom come
Nearer to introduce myself and sound silly.
Overcoming the need to cry has stoned the
Pains I wear like gloves and raincoat, people
Quieter than inner conflicts. I struggle to
Realign gazes with what I see in couples
Strolling in the absence of time, forgetting
Trees and how they smiled earlier.
Under enormities of unease, I feel
Vulnerable like veils clouds keep lifting.
Wheeled in phobias, bending hours
Exfoliate my equanimity, and I grow cold,
Yearning for my room, begging my ears’
Zinging to stop, for silence and the void
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