This poem is for mlleruby02, my best friend and Tagalog mentor.

Cogitation on certain issues,

Puffy eyes and a tear-stained face,

Surrounded by used tissues,

Caught in an utter daze.

At an unknown object

Levitating mid-air,

A desolate expanse yclept

Space; I merely stare.

In moments such as this one,

I harrow myself with questions,

Wondering where I have gone wrong,

Bizarre thoughts pervading my imagination.

You have witnessed the real me before

As I poured out my feelings,

Could not hold back anymore;

Unsteady was my gait, my brain reeling.

People have made me promises

Only to break them in the end;

The line of traitors never ceases;

And truth be told, I was one of them.

Could you picture me that day?

My mind set on Frenzy Mode,

A failure to see any other way

Than to paint the grass red, gentle strokes.

Tell me, was your heart torn

Knowing about the decision I made?

Please do not fret; I will not do it anymore;

Overcome with regret, I was not thinking straight.

Though vows made are merely words,

Unless backed with actions;

Though those whom I barely know today

Had me feeling betrayed...

My walls are breaking gradually,

Though only for you to see

The harshness of my reality,

The darker side of me.

My true colors have been revealed,

And yet my heart does not quiver;

For I know your lips are sealed,

And you are not one to hate on others.

Once too many I was left alone,

Bleeding on the roadside;

Though my fingers grip the threads of hope,

That you will never change your mind.

In the presence of other people,

I seldom speak, I merely watch;

Though with you, the façade crumbles;

I can easily voice my thoughts.

And just as you have my back,

I'm by your side in every step you take;

Together, we ride out the storm that will pass,

And emerge victorious─through God's grace.