Three Poems (Birds in My Ringtone, Spin the Bottle, and Finding Strength) are written by Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal and shared with The Ugly Writers

Birds in My Ringtone

I prefer quiet.

I let the phone ring and ring.
I walk away from it.
I have no desire to speak to spammers.

There are birds in my ring tone.
I have nothing but love for birds.
I let my phone ring and ring
until it is silent. I breathe easy
when the calls have stopped.

I prefer quiet,
especially in the afternoon.
I take a nap
in the middle of the day.
I sleep until 
I smother my anxiety with dreams.

*

Spin the Bottle

End of fifth grade
playing spin the bottle
at school after everyone
one has gone away,
five girls and
five boys, sitting
in the grass facing
each other. The bottle
spins and I make
a wish inside my head
to kiss the girl
I liked best. The wish
did not come true
on the first spin.
I kissed another girl.
I liked the feeling still.
Second spin I got
half my wish. Right
before it was time
to kiss, a teacher
came up to our group
with a loud nasty voice
telling us to leave
the premises.
I often wondered 
if I got to kiss
the girl I liked best
would my life had
been different.

*

Finding Strength

It was a different time. 
Night after night I was 
on the edge of madness. 
There was a tiny chance  
I would not stay sane.
I could have gone nuts.
I imagine I did for a while
and you would never had
known. I found strength
in time. I felt dead inside.
I sat alone many nights
on the edge of madness.
It did not take hold. I had
to learn to let go, until
one sunny morning, I was
not broken anymore.
I think I was too young,
too small in my thinking,
but my frame stood strong.