#instinctraps

[thepalabra]

In Another Life

Maybe I was a drama teacher

like the one who inspired me.

Maybe I stood on a New York stage,

in a play collapsing.

Maybe I opened a studio

for kids

a doorway of laughter,

halls filled with music.

Maybe I lived abroad,

teaching English,

cold coffee at dawn,

wine at sunset,

the city rustling

as I watched from my balcony.

Maybe I’m still in LA,

missing my son

after drop off,

counting bills,

measuring time.

If time is money,

who am I serving

death

or the system?

Because I want to live

all the lives at once,

after every swan song I sing

To be reincarnated again.

__________

By Instinctraps

[instinctraps]

B-Side to 30

Thirty’s coming

I can’t tell

if I’m chasing it

or running from it.

I constantly think

of my parents

at my age.

To be a fly on the wall

to hear

the things they said

and the things they didn’t.

How they coped

with the stress,

the pressure,

the depression.

I wonder if they felt

what I feel now

the weight,

the grace.

[thepalabra]

Skeleton Man

I simply am not there. Bateman.

You can see my gaze, touch my skin, feel the heat coming off my words.

Whether I’m here or not, who knows.

I drift between days, my reflective emotions always a frame behind.

“I’m the eldest boy” reverberates in my mind. (Said like it’s a crown; worn like a casket.)

Whether I’m being used, or using

my drug is lust.

Women. Power. Recognition.

I can’t even draw the distinction within myself.

Self that’s the only thing I care about.

My perception. My interpretation. My synopsis.

I’m all skeleton no filler, no meat.

I can’t even see you when you look at me.

I can’t even feel my hands anymore.

Wait…

———————

by Instinctraps

continued in *Midnight* collection.

[thepalabra]

Ice Coffee

A rich aroma,

A cold daybreak gust,

Awake my love

With a sip from the cup.  

——————————

by Instinctraps

[instinctraps]

My gf took this amazing shot!

[thepalabra]

Say Something That Hurts

She looked at me mid-argument and said

you have no friends.

————-

by Instinctraps

[thepalabra]

I wonder if I died a long time ago and this is my sentence

never living up to my potential, always a frame behind my purpose.

————-

by Instinctraps

[thepalabra]

A Gentle Hand

A gentle hand A love’s forever warm embrace My heart’s external bloom.

Madre amorosa Luz de mi vida Flor del corazón

Gracias por la humildad Gracias por las manos amables Y consejos que guían mi vida

Sonrisas que no se olvidan En el jardín de mi corazón Eres la flor que me enseñó Cómo plantar sus raíces.

—-

by Instinctraps

from the collection *I hope you read this*