Lorraine

When I first met Lorraine
She told me that she is a traveller
Yes, I could see it from her golden skin
She smelled like the Sun and its seasons, they lingered

She told me that she has returned home
Where everything she remembered is unlike what it seemed
Every corner of her house had adjusted, they ran in places
Every space had grown small and smaller, they shifted in shapes

At night, like a nocturnal vine
She sleeps where she slithers

She wakes up cold in the morning
Carrying the weight of heart that grow twice heavier
From the last dawn to the sunrise
From the quick nightfall after fading twilight



When I heard it from Lorraine
She had never carried a compass, yet she never lost
But for the first time in her life
The pieces were nowhere to be found

Out of her many destinations
Different soils she has carried beneath her feet

She had wishes
Each of the wishes had names
She said them out loud in between shattered breaths

I am not strong as Fatima
Never be enlightening as the Shambala
Nowhere settled like Buddha

Dear Lorraine,
Sweet Lorraine,

Name yourself anything you like
Pick one and sing it out

But I shall always remember you from all the open wound
All the patches of kisses your estranged lover brushed upon your skin
The way he left you flustered after

I will remember you from every bone-break you try to fit yourself in
From every apology to others, but none to yourself

I will remember your name
Because you have ever spoke of your pain like none else does

Lorraine,
You are the names of each of us...
I will remember your name as clear as the first time we met
Vividly like the rain showers in the summer
You are traveller... a soul, traveller
I hope you know that home is not quite far away from here