Daniel Garcia

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE IN WHICH EVERYONE IN KINGDOM HEARTS HAS MANDATORY COURT ORDERED FUCKING THERAPY
 
or,
 
I, TOO, HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO SWING A GIANT KEY AT MY ENEMIES
 
or,
 
DAMN, Y’ALL VILLAINS REALLY OUT HERE TRYNA EXTINGUISH ALL THE GOOD IN EVERYONE
 
or,
 
THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT HEARTLESS ARE BASICALLY THE DISEMBODIED SPIRITS OF PEOPLE THAT LOST THEMSELVES
 
or,
 
WHO THE FUCK WOULD WILLINGLY SACRIFICE THEIR BODY AND HEART TO DARKNESS FOR THE SAKE OF ACQUIRING POWER
 
or,
 
YOU KNOW WHO WOULD DO THAT KIND OF SHIT? WHITE PEOPLE
 
or,
 
IN KINGDOM HEARTS, WINNIE THE POOH SAYS, “It is rather funny, what I will do for honey,” AFTER PIGLET GIVES POOH A BALLOON TO FLOAT UP TO THE TOP OF HIS FAVORITE HONEY TREE, WHILE SORA WHACKS THE SHIT OUT OF ALL THE BEES
THAT TRY TO STOP POOH FROM STEALING THEIR HONEY, AND NOW BEES ARE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES SO WAY TO BE A DICK, SORA
 
or,
 
WAS IT REALLY WORTH IT TO LEAVE THE ISLAND, SORA? WAS IT WORTH IT?
 
or,
 
I NEVER REALIZED HOW TRAUMATIC IT MUST BE, TO WATCH EVERYTHING YOU
LOVE LEAVE, TO BE SEPARATED AND SCATTERED WITHOUT REASON
 
or,
 
I NEVER SAW THE LEAVING CUZ KINGDOM HEARTS CAME OUT WHEN I WAS 7
 
or,
 
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LEAVING ME SINCE I WAS 7 SO WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT
ME
 
or,
 
I WANT THESE CHARACTERS TO HAVE COURT ORDERED THERAPY BECAUSE I SEE THE HARDNESS ON THEIR FACES AND I WONDER WHO LEFT THEM FIRST
 
or,
 
I WANNA VISIT A WORLD OUTSIDE OF THIS ONE, A WORLD THAT DOESN’T GET
TORN APART, A WORLD THAT ISN’T SWALLOWED BY THE DARKNESS INSIDE OF PEOPLE
 
AND I AM NOT SWALLOWED BY THE DARKNESS INSIDE OF ME AND IF I AM I DO
NOT LOSE MYSELF
 
BECAUSE IF OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER PEOPLE ARE WHAT TETHER US TO THIS LIFE, THEN I WANT TO VISIT A WORLD WHERE I DON’T HAVE TO SHOUT
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, WONDERING IF YOU ARE ALIVE, WONDERING IF YOU ARE
BUT ANOTHER PERSON I’VE DRIVEN AWAY WITH ALL OF MY EVERYTHING, WONDERING IF THERE WOULD BE A LIGHT TO LEAD ME OUT OF THE DARK
BEFORE I LOSE YOU BECAUSE I WILL NEVER GET USED TO PEOPLE LEAVING
 
AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME BRAVE ENOUGH TO FACE ALL THIS DARKNESS,
ALL THIS GRIEF ON MY OWN BECAUSE I KNOW I DON’T HAVE TO DO IT ALONE
AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME FEEL LESS ALONE AND YOU DON’T GET TO JUST LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE OR FUCK YOU AND DON’T TELL ME I’M NOT WATCHING YOU LEAVE BECAUSE YOU ARE AND WHY DOES EVERYONE LEAVE,
WHY DO I HAVE TO WATCH EVERYTHING I LOVE LEAVE
 
or,
 
SOMETIMES, I WANT TO LIVE ON AN ISLAND SURROUNDED BY OCEAN AND
SUNLIGHT, AN ISLAND SMALL ENOUGH TO HOLD EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER
ASKED TO STAY
 
or,
 
IN KINGDOM HEARTS 2, THE HEARTLESS STEAL PAGES OUT OF WINNIE THE
POOH’S STORYBOOK AND BECAUSE OF THIS, POOH FORGETS EVERYONE THAT
​EVER LEAVES HIM
 
or,
 
I didn’t think jealousy would taste like honey.
 
 

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Daniel Garcia is a writer based out in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He is currently pursuing his degree in creative writing and goes to church frequently–and by church he means poetry slams. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Write About Now Poetry, SlamFind, Rathalla Review, Apology Not Accepted, Hawaii Pacific Review, and more. When he isn’t writing or slamming, Daniel can be found giving as many hugs as possible, living by the words “You are all that you have,” and falling off the edge of the Earth.. He is the 2017 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) Head to Head Haiku Slam Champion.