i miss Limewire

for karen&pao and coldplay

singapore 2006


it felt different this time.
for some reason, despite my beat-up body
(war games with the new company the day before),
it was happy, pleasant, vibrant.

or maybe,
i just felt different this time.

get out of the kitchen

cooked for the first time since i got back.
that was lunchtime yesterday.
today, i can still smell ginisa on my fingers.
and really, it's not from a lack of washing my hands.
my fingers are dry from my exertions.

the smell of garlic, your sweat over a stove, of heated oil.
in this way, the kitchen clings to you.
and as much as i love it,
i cringe from other people for fear
they'll catch its traces on my skin.