i am

yo estoy
aku
kula
ana
ich bin
kee
tiyang

in peace

te quiero

and i love you still

just the way you are

hoping that you'll someday
see
the beauty
i saw
in you

and i love you still

and wish you well

for now
and always

i love you still

no hard feeling

she took one look at me
then shifted her gaze
and started ringing in my purchase

i was not worth a 'hello'
she spared for everyone else

i paid her the 20 Euro
she didn't say thank you
not to mention
the "have a nice day' routine

she spared that for the others
even that one who paid 2 Euro 45 Cents
behind me
as if my 20 Euro is worth a lot less
just because she thought
i'm just another
stupid, dirty, cheap, poor
immigrant

welcome to ALDI Sued
by the side street of Leipziger Strasse
Frankfurt am Main
Germany
where at night
the pavement smells like pee
literally

Welcome to the new daily reality.

sadness

TV
radio
internet
news

brought so much
fear
terror
fires
rockets
water
quakes

sadness

the sadness of
an elderly Japanese man
standing in the middle of rubbles
millions of emotions knotted inside his gut
as he bowed his head
tears in his eyes
sobs escaped his lips
as the fear for the worst overcame him
as his world shook
and shook
and shook
and shook
for the zillionth times

utter sadness
to see
the smiling, stoic faces I still somehow have in my head
bowed down
with fear
worries
traumas
being unsure of the future
to see the tears

sadness

and of all the things I've seen
I simply couldn't shake
the image
of
the old man
sobbing

sadness

here is the candle

here is the candle
you go light the fire

here is the candle
take out the match and strike the spark

here is the candle
for dawn is not yet there
and your path is yet in the dark

here is the candle
find your spark

for you
and you alone

can light
your own candle
and find
your own way