You Don't Need To Make It A Happy One

Photography by Tino Belarmino Castillo

It is your Birthday Tino. 

You don't need to make it a happy one. 

You go ahead and hurt others with the truth.

Raise your hand and flash it for the whole world to see

that you don't care.

Listen to the message in the dreams you have at night.

Let it be known that you are detached.

You have always been 

because you know that it is your gift.

What you do with your gift is yours to decide

a gift bears no judgment with it.

Go on, touch it some more

run it against the skin of your face

gently close your eyes 

raise your shivering shoulders

and inhale the serenity of solitude

Hold it there 

let the pulsation of your veins count the years

pour down the energetic silence

and lazily let go of the air. 

Memories

flashes of memories that define you

those are your trails

It is you Tino

Without them you are nothing

So remember who you are

let it go down to where it all began

backwards, there it is

go backwards

until you reach the point where there is nothing

and there you begin

Inhale

Fill your lungs with life

and cry

for that's the only thing you knew then.

When crying was over you learned

and learning made you survive

You keep on breathing

Let it go

Let life go

and let it return if it wants to

---Tino Belarmino Castillo

(written for my July 17, 2013 Birthday)