my salty words

poetry, thoughts, and rants by Jeffrey Liao

[mysaltywords-blog]

“New York City”

Feast on the empowerment of New York’s promise of hope and liberty.

Gaze upon the majestic and historic Empire State Building.

Indulge in a street performance as you wait for the next Q train to 42nd Street.

Squeeze into a stuffy, packed subway train and arrive semi-sweaty at Times Square.

Gape at clashing, flashing neon signs, and observe cacophonic sounds of honking tour buses against conversations in twenty diverse languages.

Shop at Fifth Avenue to rejuvenate as a cathartic release, and experience the crème de la crème of musical theaters on Broadway.

Whiff in the scents of honey-candied nuts from Nuts4Nuts carts on every corner, and falafel stands on every block as you wait for the light to change.

Whisk away from the hustle and bustle to Central Park, observe the beauty of Mother Nature: the Cherry Blossoms, the Lush Greens, and the Lake.

Stroll through Chinatown and pamper in Sichuanese cuisine; make sure to avoid the stench of raw fish when you pass the seafood market. Saunter to neighboring Little Italy and try some pistachio gelato.

Appreciate the waves of immigrants that make the city like no other, and prize how exquisite the city is, being built on their dreams.

Live your own dream, in the pulsating city where dreams are made.

[mysaltywords-blog]

“Suffocated”

In the frustrations I will swim

Used to being trapped within

All my edges become trimmed

All my layers become thin

Sometimes I wish I stayed in

Suffocated, I feel chagrined

[mysaltywords-blog]

“Boy”

Fix the leaking sink pipe on Saturday, and plunge the toilet; watch the games on Sunday with the guys, it’s Super Bowl Sunday; don’t forget to tell her to buy beer; buy light bulbs at Home Depot on Monday and replace the burnt light bulbs; open the door for her, where are your manners?; always pull out her chair for her; burp as loudly as possible after a meal, it shows your masculinity; don’t show sadness; don’t show fear; in fact, don’t show your emotions; you mustn’t show your soft side; serve in the navy; serve in the army, you do love your country, right?; this is how to match your shirt with your shoes because you have no sense of style; this is how you flirt with a cute girl you see; this is how you greet a female, hey; this is how you greet a male, bro; this is how to build up your muscles; don’t skip leg day; this is how to market yourself with muscle; this is how to market yourself with 95% skin; this is how to take care of your acne; this is how to grow a beard; this is how to shave a beard; this is how to clean up after yourself, you slob; this is how to behave in the presence of women whom you don’t know well, and this way they think you are tough and masculine; don’t talk with a high pitched voice – you are not a girl, you know; don’t be so lazy, go shower; this is how you flex; this is how to love a woman; tell her you love her, she’ll like it; like her posts on social media or she will hunt you down; this is how to play football; this is how to play basketball; this is how to put on deodorant and cologne; this is how to make her happy; this is how you propose to her; this is how to start your own family; this is how to celebrate your anniversary with her; this is how to care for her when she gets sick; this is how to raise a family; go to work and provide for your family; this is how to be the man of the family; this is how to protect her and your family; but what if I don’t want to?; you are the only one in the family that knows how, are you really going to let her down?