Us Next Life

 My bones are drunk and I am a bottomless pit

I have exhausted myself to fill the void so nothing has been left to give 

This heart does not know love, I will let you go for our peace

I was muddled-headed to reborn with consciousness

To chase you around like a toy and care for you as a pet

Rest assured, I am crossing the bridge to drink a hearty soup

By the river of forgetfulness, I will not see you again

Be it as a rock will be wise

This ghost will jump in to save you from unrequited love

Not crossing paths in our next life is my heartfelt apology to you

Wish me as a slug, a toad, a weed by the road

Whatever you choose, I will grant it earnestly and more

© VJEQ

Letter 1

I wonder, when will you realize?
This is our most glamorous period of life

Just in time, you are still young and 23

The way to your home will remain the same
But passersby will come and go as they please
Like I did

Back when you were almost 21
Streetlights and the faint smell of burnt rubber
Accompanied us on those cold nights of walking me home

Hand in hand, we savoured each moment
Small talks with a whole lot of repeating sentences

Making wishes to go to bars near my house
‘Till now, I haven't gone there

You weren't allowed

Pity that I had to leave
But you will find a better girl than me

I don't believe in heavenly beings and alternate universe
If I missed a great love in this lifetime
Then it's my fate not to have it

I met you at '19
But you will stay in my heart
As the college boy, a year older than me, aged 20




© VJEQ

Who would have thought

 

In the end

I still think about you

I make my way to your city

A bit scared to meet you coincidentally

A bit expectant honestly

What will I say?

What will I do?

Most importantly, it depends on you

What will you say?

How fast will you run away?

Are you willing to be someone I want but not who you are?

But I dare not reach out to you

For feeling so strong in leaving

Then having the nerve to regret it

Will the harm I bring outweigh the peace you gain?

In the end

Failing to keep my emotions in check again and again

© VJEQ

Graveyard

 

I am sweeping the tomb of the past

I say, holy was the promises and sin was the parting

Scattered fallen leaves everywhere

The reminder of my intention to forget

Here rot the memories shared together

Here lies the resentment for each other

© VJEQ

I Want To Be Your Everything

When you badly want it to work

You sacrifice even your bottom line 

Look for your cigarette to subdue the stress

Ignore the detrimental effect on your health

Make it your permanent way of escape

Gradually shut your common sense down

Lose your hesitance in losing yourself to love

You do not fear

You embrace my greed

Everything is spiralling out of your control

But I will be the anchor to hold you down  

Give you your cigarette to calm you down

You start to notice, somehow your life is better with me

Just stepping out of my line of sight

Makes you experience life horribly

You feel like your life is not your own anymore

It is possessed and obsessed over by someone not you

But you're sleeping peacefully even with that fact

It brings comfort to never think of the possibility of being left behind

I have a strong emotional attachment to the things I own

I never let go

Like your little attempt to gain independence 

You heard me screaming all night

You never did it again

Like your pathetic rebellious act of breaking up with me

You heard me threaten you

That the love of your life might die because of you

And the guilt and longing will eat you inside out for years

It leaves a bad taste in your mouth

Just thinking about missing my presence

And the bare minimum warmth I provide

Your emotions are fucked out of your comprehension 

You crave that 

Push and pull

Hot and cold

Love and hate

Mind games we do

Love should exhaust you mentally and physically

Else 

Without the rollercoaster stimulation 

You know you may find out I no longer care for you

You don't want to regret it so you hold on

For the hundredth time

Ignoring your instincts to run

Hunny, I love that part of you

© VJEQ

How The Story Ends

 

I say it is inevitable

The excitement and novelty eventually faded away

Exposing my lack of sincerity

The facade of my long-term sweet–

Feelings for you have crumbled and I admit blame

Compared to the joyous beginning

Our eyes are wetter at the end of the relationship

I was wrong for not knowing myself better

Leading you on then dropping you off

Sweeping the rug under your feet

Making you feel like somehow 

You have lost control of your life

Do not let my farewell hinder you from thriving

You had lived happily before us

The hole I have pierced in your heart

Surely, will soon heal and get better 

There is a fork in the road

And we would not be walking the same route ever again

© VJEQ

Last Apology Letter

 
My goodnight messages keep getting shorter 
You are so oblivious that I cannot bring it up

My chest feels heavy thinking of how—
You dispelled the loneliness in my heart 

And now, I can afford happiness without depending on you

I am thinking of ending us
For the last time, show me your kindness
I hope to find it in your heart to forgive me

For my selfish departure, to spend this accumulated happiness
Somewhere you are not included

Putting a stop to this
I want to end us

And I don't want to waste your youth
Don't want to prolong your happiness—
As a result of my false affection, I show you

My deeply concealed loss of love for you
Forgive me for my treacherous deed

I plan to push that piece of domino
At a time you will not be entirely crushed underneath

Even if I am leaving, know that at some point
My feelings were madly real and I badly wanted to stay

But not anymore

For the sake of old times
I will cautiously take a step back
One after the other
I slowly slip away from your grasp

For the following years, I will spend this happiness wisely

To commemorate your contribution to fixing up my broken pieces
I will honour your love and sacrifices for the rest of my life

And I will forever hate myself for being the traitor that I am to you

© VJEQ

In This World

I am wearing shoes too large for me

Cautiously walking step by step 

Trying not to stumble on my feet

My shoulders hurt as if I am carrying a bookbag

Last time I checked, I am done with school

Why hasn't the weight on my back eased up?

I feel like throwing up

Empty my stomach, get rid of the butterflies

I feel like passing out

Find refuge in my dreams, never get up

I am a child masquerading as a grown-up

Few more days, they will find out

They might single me out

The world is big and I have poor eyesight

I am staring at the vast blue sky

From my lowly position on the ground

Blurred twinkling stars and out of my reach

I am wearing a skirt too long for me

Soaked in mudwater, stained at the ends

Afraid I might fall out of grace and lose face

I can never run with my all

I just stay still and look around in panic

Hoping someone will stop by and help me

I feel like I do not belong

Here and now, I want to escape and build my own world.

© VJEQ

The Outline of our Fate

I say, against everyone's objection

These legs will continue kneeling in worship

As proof of my devotion to you

It may be all against the odds

I shouldn't be treating you like a god

But how will the heart know its bottom line?

Is the uncertainty truly worth it

Or will I regret following you around?

My youth is yours, in your hands to exploit

My prayers are blasphemy

To the ears of your non-believers

I pity those ignorant 

They will never know how helpless I was

From the undercurrent pulling me down

To struggle my way up above the water

To catch a single breath and then struggle again

They will never know how hard it was

I have long been blinded

I have long been deaf

I long for the destruction you will cause

I will keep singing praises to your divinity 

Until you wish for my disappearance

I will be your follower

In the service of my undying passion for you

© VJEQ

Poster Boy

He likes seeing my tears streaming down my cheeks
I bet it brought him that different kind of kick
Proudly claims he loves my smile, however
He is just a pleaser in everyone’s eyes
My smile was his validation, trophy for the winner

Stolen photo of mine in his empty wallet

He would never let himself love someone

More than he loved to invalidate my protests

Every night he would start a fight to spite me

He would push his way into my mind

Never thought it was a happy surprise

I keep thinking if chasing me around was fun

And settling down should be a punishment for a woman

The set of rules might as well burn me at the stake

Guilty of disapproving our love story called chase

I wonder if my smile exists not just to make you gloat

Is my presence by your side a stroke to your ego?

Is my happiness truly mine and not in your control?

What a shame, we dragged the years to prove a point

Our love showed the way to a pitiful course

Even on the sidewalk, you take the time to slowly walk

How come in hurting me, you do it in haste

Hesitance was not even painted on your face

Please step aside so that I can breathe

But I know you won't let me

It's not a compliment, you are so domineering

 

© VJEQ

Leaving This Palace Behind

The shackles called attachment, a young woman wept

Chained to a blooming peach blossom tree

Winter in the palace is famine for the lovesick

A lover full of vigour long before

No longer walking on the same road

Seems to never again call, this ghost

Willingly, she lifted a rock just to smash her own foot

Pitifully clinging to the roots of memories as they

Go on separate ways and drift away

Been drinking wine for so many years

She sat under the tree, drunkenly longing

It has been a rough lifetime, yet one couldn't turn back

She thought no one except her was sober

On the auspicious date of separation 

One must put down the wine cup

Long white silk to conclude this illusion later

For his heart has many occupants

She must stay awake, as he strolls on his way out 

The six palaces in her hands, she dare not want

Unwillingly, this ghost mindlessly 

Stares at the disappearing yellow dragon robe

Displeasing as it is a slippery slope

A thorn in her throat, she hoped

That she didn't get drunk with the man

Pouring her wine with gentle eyes

She fell asleep and he never stayed the night

How does one part with her own heart?

It is really the darkest when the dawn is about to break

In the morning when she woke

The bitter taste of heartbreak was apparent in the tea

Starving for home and yearning for relief

The body is intact but the soul has come adrift

 

© VJEQ

My Lover Is A Pet Owner

A person in love is a pet

Gullible to its master

Will wag its tail in satisfaction

You say 'sit', I’ll obey

Submissive by choice

Will kneel by your order, so

Excuse the abandonment and infidelities

I wasn’t given a right to be respected

Loyalty is in danger

By men’s exploitation 

I wish that these puppy eyes

Will work again for another time

I’ll eagerly eat the same food

The lies you feed me every day

Because I don’t know my worth

I have nowhere to go

Only to you

I’ll turn a blind eye to your imperfections

Admire your cunningness, and

The audacity to take me for granted

You are like a child wanting a pet

And when the interest is gone

You’ll get another one

To spice things up

© VJEQ