Valentine's
by Jonathan Lim

I used to scribble notes and fold paper roses for Valentine’s,
but that was when we were young, and I still had someone to call mine.
Now I’m empty, bitter and cold,
and hope is something these crooked fingers find difficult to hold.

Just as I try to make these words fit in between the lines,
no matter what I do, I just can't seem to make them rhyme.
My pictures of you fade a little more every day,
life in technicolour has now become fourteen shades of grey.

Though every night I still dream about us walking down that sun-soaked beach,
your hand, like that warm orange glow, has always been just a little out of reach.
But since you left, I’ve seen, tasted and felt a little more.
When the world comes crashing down, I still want to be the one waiting at your door.

The purple skies you painted used to colour my world,
because everything else paled in comparison to this beautiful girl.
Until you reached into my chest and took what was rightfully yours,
the hollow you left is now guarded by closed doors.

And they said to open up and try again,
but how do you open yourself to more of the same pain?
Then the answer comes bleeding clear,
when you’ve found someone who was worth all the tears.

comeback kid~

Lilies
by Jonathan Lim

The words are harder to find after so long,
like love in a maze of broken lines in broken love songs.
No matter what I do the feelings don't seem to fade away,
I remember that first night like it was yesterday.

We talked through the night until the sunrise,
I wish I could have seen the look in your eyes.
I miss your words because I know they are true,
they tell me so much more than "I Love You".

You know you've loved and lost,
when you're with someone else, but she's all you can think of.
I wish I could tell you how much I miss you everyday,
but there's only so much a broken heart can say.

For a brief moment, I found love I never knew,
a love I never believed existed, until I found you.
But like fleeting, fragile seconds in time,
that moment is lost in the recesses of my mind.

I told you once before I'd never love another,
every breath without you keeps getting harder.
You are the one I love and always will,
lilies in the wind, are still.

Waking up i see that everything is okay,
the first time in my life and now it's so great.
Slowing down, i look around and i am so amazed,
i think about the little things that make life great.

I found a place so safe, not a single tear,
the first time in my life and now it's so clear.
Feel calm, i belong, i'm so happy here.
It's so strong and now i let myself be sincere.

I wouldn't change a thing about it,
this is the best feeling.

This innocence is brilliant, i hope that it will stay.
This moment is perfect, please don't go away.
I need you now,
and i'll hold on to it, don't you let it pass you by.

Before Chapter One
by Jonathan Lim

There will be no long, drawn-out goodbyes,
there will be no tears because no one will cry.
Only a little boy stepping out into a brave new world,
as the next chapter of his story begins to unfurl.

All the hopes and dreams are cast aside.
Let go of your deepest fears and take everything in your stride.
In a time of confusion and misguided ghosts,
only your heart can tell you what you want the most.

When thrown into the brutal jungle of human reality,
hold on to not what you see, but who you are and what you believe.
When the world begins to question their souls,
soul-searching will simply lead you to the values of old.

A fresh page awaits the smudge of an old friend.
Before a new beginning, there must be a familiar end.
As this little boy left his old world behind and ran,
this little boy will be one step closer to being a man.

sleep well, my misguided ghosts.
in the morning, we will learn.

bittersweet memories,
that is all i'm taking with me.
so, goodbye. please, don't cry.
we both know i'm not what you need.

i hope life treats you kind,
and i hope you have all you've dreamed of,
and i wish to you, joy and happiness.
but above all this, i wish you love.

and i will always love you.
i will always, always love you.

it feels oddly surreal sitting here on a sunday night, when the rest of the world are setting their alarm clocks, preparing to step out into the light and take on the new year. i'm certainly not complaining, but 12 years does make a habit out of you. i should say this is a well deserved break. i'm soaking up every moment, before my time comes, and the moments are gone. it feels strange not to have the burden and anticipation of tomorrow. no first day of school, no familiar faces and certainly no more bullshit, for now. i think nostalgia has a really bad sense of timing, consuming the right people at the wrong time. slightly under a month left, and on the brink of a new reality. somehow can't help feeling like it's my last night, only to wake up to an unfamiliar ringing, not of alarms but of silence. and a premature ending is called for, before the words take me to places i'd rather not be right now.

what do a mulatto, an albino, a mosquito and his libido have in common?