Daydreams & Ink Written & Illustrated by
Gustavo Garcia
Daydreams & Ink
Copyright © 2021 by Gustavo Garcia All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical and reviews.
This book is dedicated to my family and friends who constantly inspire me to be a better person.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
08
16
24
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
32
40
48
My World
Section 4 Our World
Friends & Family
Section 4 Current Times
The Everyday
Section 6 Universe
1
SECTION
8
My World 9
Daydreams My life was a blank canvas When I forgot how to daydream I was ripped by my sadness My life needed to be seamed I craved for a change, somewhere far to escape Away from the troubles of my everyday A lingering thought that began to form shape I plotted a plan to run away Feeling helpless and trapped Not knowing what to do with my life I got all my things packed And began my flight to the city of lights I arrived from the airways With a million aspirations But my wings burned in the blaze My landing shattered expectations
10
I began to realize That what I had left to escape Had followed me in disguise I was back in the cage
My personal pandemonium Fears feeding on insecurities I had them placed on a podium And forgotten my opportunities In realizing the truth, I began to believe Closed my eyes in the day looking for the themes And thought long and hard on what to achieve I remembered what it was like, to follow my dreams 11
Like a Phoenix
As the world revolved I grew less involved In the comfortable heat Dreams went into a deep sleep I slept good, I relaxed Soon my consciousness lapsed Fire wings turned to ash Killed my vision in a flash Now encaged, my oasis is a prison Preventing dreams from being arisen The heat burns now, it crawls through my skin It sparks an old flame from within Once a dream turned to demise Like a phoenix, I will rise 12
I’m I‘m a creative at heart Entranced by my love for art A designer by choice It gives power to my voice Understanding and kind Always with an open mind Love to venture and wonder Look at the world upside under I’m also anxious and insecure Shaped by the struggles I endure A bit of an overthinker Haunted by the thoughts that linger I look at the bright side of things Learned to fly without wings Dreaming about planets and space After the goals that I chase
13
Anxiety My chest is a cage It traps my raging heart Beat after beat, the burning comes and goes Beat after beat, my brain spirals out of control A nauseating taste Dizzy head back and forth I grasp for air once more Beat after beat All day long
14
Confidence It’s a mystery, how I’ve arrived to be here Dipping my toes in the water before diving Slowly calculating my intended career Working and working but barely surviving I wish I could dive and swim at full pace But my doubts would drown me in a beat So I take my time, and slowly find my place Before I begin, learn to accept defeat But I’m tired of struggling to get to the end To see everyone else pass me by I will no longer linger I won’t pretend And leave my dreams to shrivel up and die
Yet through it all I’m still here Every time I have fallen I’ve learned to survive It’s time so say good bye to fear I will learn how to strive when I dive 15
2
SECTION
16
Family & Friends 17
18
Mother She always knows best And is smarter than the rest Clever and wise That should be no surprise She’s also strong Oh! And never wrong Since I can remember She’s been there all along Of course she’s a chef There’s never any food left If I’m sick she’s a doctor That should not be a shocker
In her free time a teacher One of her best features Whenever I’m in need I know where to reach her She’s sweet and she’s kind We’re always on her mind Through it all she’s resilient She’s one in a billion She’s pure as a dove And I thank her for all the above To my one and only mother Thank you for your love
19
Cookout Birds hum in the distance Tree leaves rattle The sun is a headlamp It beats down on the grass An emerald green ocean waving back and forth The charcoal smoke intoxicates the air It’s aroma, gently ballets through space Lands on my face, Chicken and steak with bell peppers on the side They sizzle, and squirm as the heat churns Flipped once, then twice, then served Jaws savor and turn
20
Old Friend Our laughs are now echoes Stuck on replay Memories shared Will always be cherished Life was much simpler As it carried us as it pleased From freshman to senior year The plans made themselves And shaped us with experiences To become who we are now And just like that, time came and left Our laughs are now echoes Stuck on replay I wish you a farewell And best wishes too In hopes that a part of me Now travels with you
21
A Grasp for Life There once was a couple too busy with life who more often than not would just watch life pass by. From window to window, the sun set and rose, forever regretting the life that they chose. So days turned to weeks, months, and years, time passed and passed regardless of their fears. Carefully planning their future and never at ease, slowly constructing their life piece by piece. Working and working towards their uncertain future, soon they realized it felt like endless torture. With a tingle of wonder and a jolt of surprise the couple decided to try and roll the dice. A hop here and a hop there out the door went the pair. To relish in the sunset that’s so common yet rare. They realized life is now and the future can wait the adventurous couple set out to celebrate.
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SECTION 2
3
SECTION
24
The Everyday 25
Mornings Sphere of gas in the sky Peeks through the horizon Hues of red, reflected in my eyes As my consciousness rises Enveloped like a cocoon Blankets cling to my skin Each time I try to get up They drag me back in Eyelids heavier than rocks They stomp closed with ease Persistently interlocked Tombs laid to rest in peace Yet after being mummified For six and a half hours Body is still unsatisfied Awoken only by turbulent showers
Left hand first then the right Shirt slips on and pants zipped up I head out the front door With a smile and coffee in my cup
26
Nighttime Drowned noise from a distance A smooth swoosh with the breeze My eyelids get heavier Each time that I blink Drastic light contours houses Darkness swallows my gaze My consensus drifts in and out As I’m left in a daze Tis the time when thoughts wonder Travel back and forth From the questioning realms Between daydreams and earth
27
Procrastination What feeds my procrastination? Is it my fear of the unknown? I can’t get away from it’s temptation Always with me to the bone It grasps my time And warps my view My biggest crime Is letting it brew I’ve tried to run, so I can win To start my tasks, and drown my doubts Through it all it’s learned to swim By-passed my gates, learned all the routes It’s a part of me, I admit I must not let it spread Then only way to beat it Is to stay one step ahead
28
Routine Working provides my life meaning Meaning, it provides for my life. My life It’s a work... In progress. The progress I’m too busy to understand Yet, understand enough to keep working for it It. My life Progressed by my work Work progressed by my life? What is life, but progress without meaning...
29
Tuesday Afternoon Out my window I see Illuminated concrete An elderly sky And swift machines that zoom by Structures made of plywood and paint In eternal constraint Behind swaying green trees Dancing in the breeze I see intricate systems Created by our existence And glimmering stars Anchored by large steel bars Won’t tire of it soon On this Tuesday afternoon For my view is unique I relish it every week
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31
4
SECTION
32
Our World 33
Dragon’s Summer The dry grass on my bare feet Prickles through my melancholic thoughts The air is stale, dry, heavy Sunlight dwindles, clouds crawl through The wind whispers, a slow, silent tune Heat envelopes my skin Humidity clogs my pores I suffocate with every breath Only to be reborn An oasis of memories I drown in my mind Saved by a dragon’s breath I mourn the grass that did not survive It prickles my thoughts The dry grass on my bare feet
34
Earth and Moon Push and pull round and round In their journeys forever bound Keep your body on the ground And thoughts in space to be found
The push and the pull of everyday Who you are, what you say Let dreams become what they may Enjoy the fruit of life’s array
The push and pull of thought and action They give and take with each transaction Like the earth and moon’s interaction Forever bound by their attraction
35
Thunder Storm Tick tick tick the warriors fall They splash the ground and disperse Waiting for new life Wind sways them back and forth United once more a serpent is born
It slithers through the streets Sweeps the dirt and the leaves It turns and it curves As the sky roars
36
Tick tick tick the warriors fall Into liquid mirrors in the ground Violently rippling in time They reflect the cracks in the sky As they shatter and grow
The sky flickers once more Illuminated by explosions Followed by violent commotions Mirrors now turned into oceans Tick tick tick the warriors fall 37
Sunset
Ocean-blue skies shine with pearls, as the sun hides from view An explosion of color follows There’s a familiar smell carried through the wind The sound of water fills the atmosphere An orchestra of birds and bugs entrance the mood Street cars and people drone through. 38
Life Tree They took and they took Resources to survive As they partook In the beauty of life But life meant destruction Burned branches for warmth Snatched fruits for consumption So on and so forth As the tree revolved The falling leafs twinkled It’s life slowly dissolved And branches grew wrinkled When they noticed they stopped But by then it was late As the people were shocked All they could do now was wait To return to what once was Would take time and patience Once the chaos was paused There would be new creation
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5
SECTION
40
Current Times 41
What I miss Impromptu meetups Friends and margaritas Steady beats City streets Friday nights Club lights Warm embraces Familiar faces Stranger’s smile That makes it worthwhile Fun adventures Different cultures This are the things I miss From life’s abyss
42
Frozen Summer There’s a chill as the summer rays cook the air Time is frozen by the fear of the unknown Paused by an invisible threat Warm blue skies ever so bright Cold dark buildings, no souls in sight Paved veins cut through the earth Desolate and untamed Gathering places, in hibernation Nature blossoms in liberation Undisturbed By daily rituals now forgotten
43
Interactions We interchange data with inherent codes A whisper, a tap, or just a simple look Behind masked faces are masked emotions Covered by digital screens and our notions That interchangeable pixels mean interactions But in reality They’re just distractions There are more stars in the universe Than sand grains on earth Continuously growing Ever since its birth And yet we’re immersed In a false reality Counting views, shares and likes For the sake of vanity
44
2020 Train We are lost Lost in morality, no ideology Each day that passes, We count our losses What’s right? What’s wrong? Old routine now gone Stay home don’t die, governmental alibi Souls empty, pockets full Describes the powerful Hopes empty, worries full Describes the working fool A train of thoughts, with no train tracks We are lost Lost in morality, no ideology
45
Essential workers It’s not confidential That what makes someone essential Is to be extremely important and absolutely necessary During this situation which is not ordinary It’s silly to think that a stimulus check Will solve all their problems and put a stop to this wreck But it’s always been like this As the rich fill up their pockets The poor struggle to survive And told to be happy that they’re still alive
46
They keep the boat running Even as they are drowning Put food on our tables And help the disabled From morning to night They keep up the fight Yet that’s not enough To stop with the bluff That political figures are in dreadful fights With the corporations to defend worker’s rights The truth is that power Will always come first The weak will always cower And end up being coerced Into playing the game Without any shame
47
6
SECTION
48
Universe
Universe 49
The Now Neither here nor there Not a second to spare A construct of our imagination On a never ending migration It slips through our fingers Once a thought that now lingers Changing shape and form Forever fleeing, always gone
50
Time Tick tock tick tock Running around on a clock It controls you and me Whether you’re poor or wealthy Time waits for no one Are you on time or you late? Its a relative phrase of that which we dictate If you’re an organized person Or in need of a lesson Because time waits for no one It tells us when to end and begin It will scratch at your skin Tear you down limb by limb Take you out in a whim Time waits for no one
51
Spec of Dust We are but a spec of dust Floating through existence by chance From beginning to end, survival at all cost It’s our way of life, a simple dance We twirl and spin oh yes! We must We believe our fate is in our hands Yet life is cruel, yes it’s unjust It never stops to hear our demands Don’t over think it or you will get lost Sit back relax, as the world expands We are merely travelers caught in it’s gust Through space and time as it commands It carries us, a spec of dust Never to know where we will land But that’s the beauty of life, to wonder to trust That a day will come when we understand
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53
A Blink 13.8 Since the big bang Continuous expansion From beginning to end Forever to ponder Upon celestial skies Were barely a blink To the universe’s eyes
54
Darkness Oddly calming Both warm and cold Endlessly eternal When it consumes it all For it dwells in the corners Under beds and behind closed doors It creeps into our thoughts And spreads out of control It’s always on the run But it will always return Shaped by the light Forever reborn
55
Daydreams & Ink Take a deep breathe and daydream yourself into a journey of wonder. Let yourself enter into a state of reflection and allow your mind to transcend into different worlds. From self reflection to questioning abstract ideas this poetry book will guide you through the journey of life and all that the universe has to offer us.
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