I was a paper crane. He chose the mint green origami sheet. He first folded me in half, then into a diamond. He folded me once, twice, thrice… fifteen times. He wanted my creases to be perfect.
But I wasn’t. So he crumpled me and I could no longer fly.
That night, I decided to walk down your street.
You were standing by your doorstep, deciding whether or not you should go inside. I thought of conversing with you, but I couldn’t. I stepped aside and blended in with the bushes. Careful now… You might hear me, might see me.
Emelyn Flores is a Filipina university instructor who is a sucker for coffee.