Petals

Soft
Fluttering
Dream

Fragrant
Wedded
Bliss

Lying on frost kissed grounds
Abandoned
But not forgotten

Curled up
Drained
And left for dead

Was that the fate
For which you bloomed?

Prompt:

Social Media

She lives her life in images and status updates
She clings to the words of her favourite celebrities
Her emotions are defined by her ships
And her career by her connections

She lives her life on a screen
She doesn’t know what it’s like to live
To feel true warmth
Not the burn of an artificial, electronic intelligence
On her lap

Love is between characters of her ship
Something she has decided is not for her
But how can she say that
When the experience she feels
Aren’t her own

Media connects us
But disconnects us from what is most important

Would you rather watch your child grow and learn in your arms?
Or read about it off a screen?

Rejection

How it feels
To feel again
The stinging pain
The familiarity

I once lived this life
I do not want to live again
A life of agony
Filled
With sleepless nights

How much longer
Will I last
Under forever crushing power

I want to laugh
To hold
To feel happiness again

How simple
How heartbreaking
A couple words can be

Thank you for trying
You say
Try again next year
You say
Study harder
My parents say

Where is my say?

Empty Once More

There’s an emptiness inside
Like you’re not ever there anymore
But the hollowness is natural
And I feel whole again

For weeks I mourned for you
Begging for your attention
Dreaming of a future
Better passed

But no more
I have learned to live
As I have before
To live
And love
Myself

I don’t need you
To know my own beauty
And the truth
And power behind my words

I am strong
With or without you

Unhinged

Too long have I lain
Locked in my ivory tower
Too long have I held back
The talents that made my name

I am a writer
By any other name
I would remain as sweet

My idols remain unknown
My craft, unappreciated
Only when I am need
Does my name rise to the occasion

I do not exist solely for your pleasure
I think
I feel
I love
As you do

So why do you treat me as lesser?
Does being a scientist make you better?

Consider a world without music
Without art
Without theatre
Would that be a life worth living?

I won’t let your judgementality hold me back any further
I will paint this world with my brush
I will watch you crumble under the weight of my words
With the same pleasure
You felt as you watched me suffer

Kiss of A Lifetime (Alternate)

To think of you when we shared our first kiss
Still fills my heart with a certain joy;
Sublime in every way. What bliss
Lies there beneath that flawless finish boy?
Would you be willing to share with me this
One life, this one eternal dream? Enjoy
Me for now. Time is but a fleeting wisp,
Is fickle and fades. My love is a ploy
Designed to draw you in and murder trust
I will forever love you, but in lust

Kiss of A Lifetime

To think of you when we shared our first kiss
Still makes my heart fill with a certain joy;
Sublime in every way. What bliss
Lies there beneath that flawless finish boy?
Would you share with me just one secret to
Your great success? Let me share this one life
This one eternal dream with you. You knew
My heart, my mind, and used me to create strife.
I blame you not. It was my choice to love
You and give you all that I was and am.
I was afraid, but you assured me of
A future of sweet nothings. But ugh! Damn
You for the feelings I have now. I trust
I will forever love you, but in lust

Used and Worn

I’ve always seen the best in people
I’ve always loved you regardless of your flaws
To me you are the epitome of perfection
So why is it when I’m hurt
When I’m down and out
That I don’t see you standing next to me
Supporting me as you should

You say you love me
But are those words as empty as your heart?
As hollow as your soul?
As cruel as your mind?

Am I the fool who continues to love despite the pain?
Am I blind?
Oblivious to what you do to me?
Can I truly be so stupid
To keep on loving you?

The answer is yes.
The answer is always yes
Because you know that I know
That there isn’t I thing I wouldn’t do for you
Because you know
That I love you
But it hurts to know
That you use me
To achieve an end
I’ll never be able to share
Why is it that I am the one who has to make sacrifices
So that you can watch the world burn precisely as you wish

I’m tired of letting you hurt me the way you do
But I have nowhere to go
You’ve burned all my bridges
Burning me down

Restaurant Review: Sushi Boat

Location: 806 Crowfoot Crescent NW
Website: http://www.sushiboat.co/

This is one of the sushi places that our family returns to time after time. Not only is the food reasonably priced, but it’s also good. They are constantly introducing new items to their menus to keep it fresh and up-to-date. Today for example, there were about 6 new dishes added to the menu, with about that many being discontinued. What I enjoy most about sushi boat is their boats (hence their name). Styled like a self-serve tapas bar, different coloured plates float past you showcasing a few of their popular plates. Of course if you don’t see what you like you can always order from one of the many waitresses hovering by waiting to help.

Normally we go for dinner, but today we decided to go for lunch, just my sister and I. The place opened precisely at 11:45 and there was a mad rush for the seats. In total we ordered “19” plates. Sushi rolls usually come in fours, while nigiri comes in twos. We had two plates of the spicy tuna, two plates of uni, four plates of creamy scallop, one plate of toro nigiri, one plate of tuna nigiri, one of seared salmon, one plate of Hawaiian Poke, two of unagi nigiri, one of salmon nigiri, one plate of gyoza, one of korokke, and two green tea ice creams to round out the meal.

The spicy tuna is the pretty much one of the only dishes in which I’m able to eat raw fish. Typically I go with salmon because it has a firmer texture and doesn’t feel like I’m eating raw mush, but the spicy mayo sauce atop the spicy tuna rolls makes it one of my favourites. Uni is an acquired taste. It has a very unique taste that is very clearly seafoody, but the fishiness is not the same as the taste of when seafood goes bad, rather it is a pure, crystalline taste, if that makes any sense. In addition to its pure taste it is rich and smooth, but not creamy. My sister originally hated it, but with time she came to love it. The four plates of creamy scallops was a bit of a mistake. We had intended to order four pieces (two orders) not four plates. However, this is my sister’s all time favourite, so I guess it wasn’t so bad. I tried this dish again today but can’t see why she would like it that much. The scallops don’t have much taste, but the crunch of the tobiko provides a nice contrast to the soft, slimy, mayo coated scallops. Toro is tuna belly and due to the fat marbling, it is one of the most delicious pieces. It is so tender and the melt in your mouth quality of this cut of fish has made it one of the staples when we go to this restaurant. Another staple is the seared salmon.It’s not bad, but it’s another of my sister’s favourites. She doesn’t even know why she likes it but she does. However, in recent times she has been disappointed because they used to sear the salmon and then top it with a thin line of mayo, but now they sear it with the mayo on top leaving it a messy, melty blob of unappealingness. The Hawaiian Poke is one of their new items, so we decided to give it a try. Upon lifting off the lid, we were greeted with the delightful aromatic scent of sesame oil. This was my first time I have had a poke and it was delicious. If you’ve read my other reviews, I don’t handle my raw fish well, but now I’m happy to say that I can add this to my repertoire of raw fish. Unagi….where do I start with this one. Best. Thing. Ever. It’s fresh water eel, grilled and coated in a sticky, sweet, teriyaki sauce. Usually we have unagi as a nigiri, but sometimes we have it in a roll or on top of rice, all of which are delicious. The salmon nigiri was also for my sister. Her advice when choosing a piece is to look for a piece with consistent marbling. Of course it’s important to also check the cut (was it shredded or nicely sliced) as well as the thickness. Obviously, a thicker cut is more expensive, but when you’re getting a piece of nigiri, they are all the same price (if they’re on the same coloured plate) and the chef who prepared it may have made it slightly thicker, so be on the look out for that. The gyoza and korokke were primarily for me and I would have grabbed the calamari if I wasn’t already as full as I was by this point in the meal. The gyoza had an excellently crisped exterior and had just the right amount of sweet and spicy sauce drizzled on it. This is my first time trying korokke. I’ve had it in a roll before, but I’ve never had a whole piece. It was served with BBQ sauce on the side to help cut through the greasiness of the fried potato, but I didn’t used all that much because it felt strange to have BBQ sauce with Japanese food. The tanginess of the BBQ sauce did help a little though, so I can understand why it was served alongside the korokke. Korokke is a borrowed word; it comes from the French word croquette. As always, we round out our meal with a dessert and I really love their green tea ice cream. It’s nothing like Sakana’s, but for the price we’re paying it’s good.

Sometimes the waitresses need to be flagged down, but otherwise they are pretty attentive and service is good. Based on price and taste I would certainly return and recommend this place to everyone and anyone (especially if you enjoy sushi). I would rate this place a 4/5.

Uni

Creamy Scallop

Starting Top Right going clockwise: Hawaiian Poke, tuna, seared salmon, toro

Unagi with a piece of salmon nigiri behind

Gyoza

Korokke

Spicy Tuna

Green Tea Ice Cream

Love Long Lost

Even after all this time
You haven’t lost your lustre
You are still as handsome
As sweet
As the day we met
If not more so

I can’t know
If you’re the right one
After all the pain I’ve felt at your hands

But you and I
After all these years
Have changed so much
I have grown
But have you?

I have grown and healed
I think I could love you again
But maybe I’m lonely
Dwelling on the past
Dreaming of a future
All in my head

I’ve always lived better
Dreaming of a tomorrow
When I have no today