My Eyes Sting Under Prolonged Exposure to Light

Caju, Philippines

I.
The dawn glints off leaves
and grass blades dripping with
the tears of cold nights,
their outlines an ink-smudged
mess under this languid light

II.
From the windowsill —
kalachuchis blooming and
mangoes almost ripe —
the fruits of my garden bruised
with too many purple streaks

III.
My screen brightness
fails to match the rising sun.
Beyond my reach, birds
twitter their song staccato.
The alarm I never set.

Caju is a Filipino-Chinese poet and fictionist currently based in the Philippines. His pieces have been featured on Read Poetry and are slated to appear in the Phillippine Collegian's next anthology. When he's not writing, reading, playing games, or staring at his screen for online classes, he likes to play with his two beagles, Zephyr and Crystal.