When the noise is deafening and hope turns cold,
I slip from the grid, go quiet, stay untold.
Still trying to smile when the weight won’t go,
hushing the buzz the only way I know.

I travel elsewhere, breathe better air,
where I account for nothing, not why, not care.
Or a hotel room for refuge, no texts, no calls,
just in silence pretending there’s no world at all.

I just want to watch Bravo, eat and travel with friends,
instead of more millennial trauma that don’t seem to end.

Yet even in hiding, I still sense the ache,
the rise of fascism no filter can fake.
People grow restless as headlines repeat,
discontent echoing through every street.

We, the People, just want healthcare and livable wage.
Cost of living is at its highest but our pay barely aged.
Our rights under threat, civilians kidnapped and k!lled
yet we choose work over strikes so we can pay bills.
Are we really living if we’re barely surviving
while the shameless 1% keep on money hoarding.
So, we scroll into doom hoping it could soften the pain,
but the feed can’t hold what the heart sustains.

And in the hush of withdrawal, I relearn this truth,
connection has roots, it steadies and soothes.
The grace to notice, with compassion, with care,
the people who wonder if anyone’s there.

Disclaimer:
I am not noble, not a saint, not a sage.
I, too, have shadows that don’t leave with age.
Like K-Pop Demon Hunters kicking into the night,
my darkness is woven alongside my light.
Not erased, not denied, not hidden from view,
its presence a rhythm I’ve learned to live through.

So l ghost, I go still, while digging into my core,
and remembered what giving was meant to be for.
Not grand gestures polished for shows,
but genuine acts no platform knows.
A text to the friend who went suddenly dim,
a meme timed right as the world leans grim,
thoughtful gifts shared, heartfelt gestures of care,
no photo, no credit. Just us… being there.

And I try with kindness that doesn’t perfom,
a lifeline, perhaps, against someone’s silent storm.
We don’t save each other for rewards or repay
but by actions that remain and silently say,
“Your pain is valid, I see where you stand,
I will be present, offering a steadying hand.”
It’s not about goodness, not virtue or what’s ideal
but what we share sincerely holds power to heal.

Because kindness is currency that grows in value,
it gains more worth when it passes through you.
No market can price it, no profit to claim
Kindness is the ember no darkness can tame.

---

📌Notes: I used a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary. I also made the IG slides with Canva. 

This part didn’t make the posted edit: 
Call it ghosting, call it regulating, 
Either way, I vanish to avoid combusting
** As a Virgo, I know I’d still be editing in my head even after posting. 🙃

This was drafted late last year for self-serving reasons, to test the waters if I can still produce any form of writing after yearssss of inaction. But, as I listened to Biggie, Huntr/x and Saja Boys on shuffle, I ended up ranting and wanting my complaints to rhyme in vain. Concurrently (concurrentlyyy?!), as I cycled through typing, deleting, and consulting the rhyming dictionary, I was being critical of myself and felt shame and guilt as I channeled my grievances in writing about political and social injustices while my privileged ass is dissociating at The Ritz–the irony and how out of touch could I be. 🤦🏻‍♀️😬

I have no idea where the planets’ current placements are but there’s a strange push to share my mere attempt at weaving words despite having tremendous amounts of shyness and anxiety about putting it out there. As a matter of fact, I’m still editing, and critiquing every aspect of it like a troll. Sigh, it is what it is. 

Unrelated P.S.
To the universe, heck, let me include the gods of all religions and mythologies, all the mountain goddesses of the Philippines, or whatever higher power it is out there.

If any of you are paying attention, now would be great time to intervene! We’re not asking for much. Just grant us this one big, beautiful, and universally agreed-upon wish. IT is urgent… but no pressure though. 👀🥺🙏🏼

We are VERRRYYYYY TIIIIREDDD. 😫