Hanging Out Frog

On our front door, perfectly contoured on the hook was this little green frog: hanging out, watching people walk and insects fly by.

BBQ Cook-off

Nothing shouts Texas like bbq.  Faye and I were invited to the BBQ cook-off party that precedes the Houston Livestock and Rodeo event.  We have VIP invites so we rode a stretch Expedition going there and a stretch Hummer going back. It was our first limo ride and though it was nothing spectacular, it is a checkmark on the things to do before you die list.

The event was interesting because it was a showcase of culture.  Yep, the cowboys were all there: blue Levis and Wrangler jeans; ten-gallon hats; shiny boots, belts and big buckles.  The country music was playing and the smoke from the scores of grills billowing. 

At the end of the day, we got what we came for…BBQ brisket, ribs, sausage, chicken, margarita and beer. 

Be

be an adventurer

be an individual

be a fanatic

be a connoisseur

be a believer

be a player

be a link

be a party

be an ambassador

be a sponge

be a local

be a traveler

-From the Travel Channel

Happy Birthday, Faye!

Lots of things in High School are a blur now. One thing I will always remember was the day I saw Faye, the day I gazed at her eyes and got myself forever enchanted.

Faye, you are the most beautiful and the most important person in my life. And it’s not just me anymore. You are the most important person in Rakesh’s and Kareena’s lives, too.

Together we have been blessed with so many wonderful things and memories. In our life together, we have had the balance of good things and challenging things. We have done a lot of fun things, we have traveled frequently enough and you know we plan to travel more. We have also enjoyed some of the finer things in life.

I am indeed fortunate to be sharing the same bed with you, to have you by my side as we go through the freeways and alleyways of life, to have you as my partner as we raise our two kids.

It’s your big day tomorrow, September 9. Let’s have some margarita later and celebrate. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Rakesh loves you. Kareena loves you. I love you.

Breather

It’s rare that I try to write a poem. I don’t think I can do meter and rhyme. It’s so rare that I was only able to muster one poem, if it can even be called that.  I wrote this back in college. Poets surrounded me that time. Ophelia Dimalanta’s work awed me. I wanted to try it. I wanted to give it a shot. I didnt’ know where to start, though. Poems are tough to do. so I decided to sit down and write about something I was terribly good at. 

Breather
by Samir

Air seeping in and out.
breathing becomes heavier, breath warmer
I can’t help but let go of a low moan,
the subtle sounds of my kept fury.
Passion becomes wilder, desire hotter.
I open my eyes.
Seeing you so close heightens my pleasure.
I close my eyes, ready to explore.
Positioning slightly sideways for a better angle,
I extend my probing tool.

Entering.
I can feel your wetness. Can you feel mine?
Sensation unmatched as you reciprocate.
Such a glorious feeling this stolen intimacy of ours.
Kissing is indeed the most intimate human activity.
There is control and there is submission.
I am now sure that the tongue has a far more nobler purpose.

ii
Remembrance. Reminiscence.
To you whom I last kissed.
I want you to know that,
the sweetness of your mouth is still on mine,
the contours of your lips are still imprinted.
but memory is such a cruel refuge.
Wanted or not it creeps in,
good and bad mix forming unfathomable blends,
One glimpse as evanescent as the next,
alas, it is as fleeting as it is enduring.

ii
Back to the moment.
Bi-directional winds push our bodies together.
Our lips brush.
By some force of nature the openings part,
giving warm breath a chance to escape.
Our mouths form a wonderful fit.
Such a silky sensation as our lips gracefully glide.
And like a good kiss, ours have rhythm.
It travels on slopes, rides on beats.
It’s agile one moment and leisurely the next,
relishing then caressing.

In the whirlwind of our fancy,
as we explore the carnal and the divine,
it is somehow lucid
that we have become solitary.
Something more than my fluid flows through you.

but alas we have to depart from each other.
Time must move forth and this stolen interlude
of ours now expires.
We smile as we disentangle.

Here’s hoping we are just taking a breather.

———————————————-

Footnote: I remember I wanted to show this to Dean Dimalanta then. I didn’t want to embarass myself with its mediocrity, so I just folded it and kept it.