πŸ’Œ

of reveries and tales

The hum of the subway’s fluorescent light harmonizes with the silence. What is seen through the window is simply a blur of colors, as if the world outside have melded into a painter's color palette. You look around, and noticed the passengers in this car are sitting in sparse spaces, seemingly wanting to ride in blissful solitude.

Sitting beside you is your beloved, his jacket draped over you to keep you from the cold. It's now well past 1 AM, and the two of you had just returned from your nightly rendezvous in the city. It has become a common occurrence – late night ventures such as this. One message and you knew it is no other than him standing outside your door, proposing to do your now-regular nighttime adventures with him. Venturing through the bustling city, taking in the view of beautiful buildings dappled with lights, discovering and also stopping by places that piqued your interest.

Read more...

Gleaming sun, shimmering ocean, birds chirping merrily β€” the liveliness and vibrancy of summer fills our senses to their every nook and cranny.

The silver screen behind our closed eyes flicker before it shows the reel of our shared memories: fragments of our past summers that we spent running barefooted on lush meadows, renting beachfront bungalows, and feeling the soft beach sand under our feet as we watch the sky turn into a honey hue before it melts into deep blue. I like to think that if there was a map of us, it would be filled with traces only us can see adorning it all over – they mark all the places we have traversed together.

A garland of amber drapes over you. Under its glow, you look right at home with its golden rays that I dearly hoped this isn’t a mirage. The rhythm of my own pulsating heartbeat underneath my fingers a reminder of how alive you make me feel, and you never cease to nurture the wilting flower in me blossom back to life.

I still remember the day where we sat together before a vast landscape several summers ago; the day our hearts intertwined for the first time. I learned from your gentle touches of encouragement on my shoulder and soft strokes on my hair as you lull me into slumber, you are warm. The way your smile grows from a small bud to a beautifully blossomed flower, you are radiant. How you make me savor every fleeting moment and realize how meeting you in this lifetime means my youth spent with you, I know: you are summer.

Time usually erodes memory, but it appears to not be true whenever it comes to you. I know that even when the clock ticks and this season passes, our summer nights spent apart won’t matter – for we will once more stand at places wherever we let our wishes sail, and we will let them listen, again and again, to our tale.

It's spring, you're young, you're lovely, you have a right to be happy. β€” Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle

It's spring. Spring days are soft: the sweet scent of cherry blossoms permeates the air, pink petals flutter gently as they sway to the wind's tune. It is the kind of day where you'd want to sit in your garden with a glass of iced tea and let golden rays of the sun kiss your skin. The heavens above are painted with cerulean blue, its palette adorned with clouds that you can spend time figuring out what shapes they make. Everywhere you lay your sight on, it is all brimming with signs of new beginnings – vibrant colors of budding blooms on the ground have replaced the traces of winter.

You're young, you're lovely. Just like the softness of spring and its cherished blooms, you are like that, too. It's in the way you approach people gently, the way you give encouragements and reassurance, to how you never cease to appreciate those around you. It is fascinating how whenever you are around, this safe and comfortable feeling seeps into our hearts. I thought of it this way: if the world is a blistering sun, you are the cooling shade of a tree we always seek to rest under; if life is a cacophony, you are the tranquility we keenly long for. You would be the sunset if you were a time of day. The warmth radiating from the gentle orange glow, the serenity that encases your heart, and fond memories swirling in your mind – you evoke this kind of tender feelings in us. Thank you for gracing us with your kindness, for always sprinkling joy wherever you go, and for being such a wonderful person and friend to us.

You have a right to be happy. As one of the flowers to bloom after winter, tulips remind me of perseverance. The image of it rising above the ground that was covered in snow and blossoming beautifully is inspiring; it ties back to you. Despite what the world has thrown at you, you never fail to get yourself up and face the world once more. The weariness caused by battling them must not have been easy for you to endure, and I want to thank you for holding on – for still being here with us. I hope you know that you do not have to shoulder all your burdens alone. Through joy and sorrow, we are with you in every step of your way, and we are here for you to lean on to – always.

Once again, thank you... no words could convey how grateful I am to have a kind friend like you in my life.

Happy birthday to you. May the softness of spring stay with you forever. Thank you for being born, and keep on blooming beautifully, our Lily. β™‘