I also carry a garden flourishing here where everything changes and yet nothing changes there must be a body
which is also a portal that brings us back to ourselves I imagine a new word for home
a new place of belonging one that remains untethered to grief
I only want us to be alive in this world
I only want all the quiet we deserve
I imagine a new word for love one that means here I have made for you a space of living you you make me feel material we we will make this world one of brave imagination
stillness is also a weapon therein
I imagine a new name for the future what I want to offer into this space one that says we brought each other back to life we did we were scared but we did it, anyway
the place of dying is left only for the older selves here we retain our quiet small is beautiful and the future is
Jason Bayani is the author of LOCUS (Omnidawn Publishing 2019, Norcal Book Award finalist) and AMULET (Write Bloody Publishing 2013). He's an MFA graduate from Saint Mary's College, a Kundiman fellow, and is the co-director of Kearny Street Workshop, the oldest multi-disciplinary Asian Pacific American arts organization in the country. His publishing credits include World Literature Today, Lantern Review, and other publications. Jason is the recipient of the 2021 California Arts Council Established artist fellowship and is a featured artist for the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists Festival in 2022. He performs regularly around the country and debuted his solo theater show "Locus of Control" in 2016 with theatrical runs in San Francisco, New York, and Austin.
