Derek Ouyang Poems

I want to be a machine
So that I can fall in Love again
I want to sleep with Grace
And stroke Beauty with the tips of my fingers
...

You sit in those pews
And listen to the silence
And stare up at the ceiling
Convincing yourself you're
...

We are having a yard sale today.
Hold the door open for me, Mother says
As she carries a box out onto the driveway
And the cats scramble out for fresh air
...

It's been so long since I've been home
This loneliness is worse
But I've developed secret powers
To cope with my remorse
...

If words could kill, I'd kill you at once
I'd put pen like stake to your heart
I'd write you dead so I could write you
Alive again, and ask you how it felt
...

Where the rolling foothills rise up toward mountains higher
I walked into the crater of the Earth, encircled by a ring of fire
I could see to the west, the Sun setting from yellow sky to blue horizon, chasing his hopeful dreams
And to the east, the Moon rising from green peaks to pink grace, humming her peaceful song
...

A chasm missing one side becomes a cliff
And likewise you have left me at the edge
Staring into nothingness and nothingnessness
The space between us was a sacred bridge
...

Soaring over the world tonight I can see
This city is one big Christmas tree
Each streetlight a twinkling star
Each headlight merrily searching afar
...