The Emperor Penguin Dreaming of Flight And Other Poems

By Pedro Moranchel Jr.

The Emperor Penguin Dreaming of Flight 

sliding off the
thousand feet high iceberg
into the Southern Ocean
near a flying wandering albatross
they were both just specks

Far Future Fear

realizing I
chose money
over me

stuck saying
words like "scope"
wanting hope

that for me
it is not
yet too late

Aspirations in Flight

today I aim to
clench the olive branch with the force of a dove
soar slowly through the dense forest through the owl's eye
and embrace my continuing perpetual metamorphosis
by ascending as far, wide, and high as a butterfly in migration

A Reminder of Wisdom

Everyone is
a student and a teacher.
The universe is our
classroom.

Longing Through Nature

sometimes
when I am lying in the middle of that field
where I would hold your hand
with a beaming smile with our eyes closed
as we feel the brush of the breeze against our faces
and how the blades of grass embrace us
I think about how
even though I have no idea
where you are
or what you are doing
whether you are looking at a patch
of the sky we all share
and laying somewhere
on Earth we all share
wanting to hold my hand too

Erosion

increased fear brings
greater potential to be brave
for bravery is not
having a stern poker face
and attempting to have a stone-cold heart

instead
we should attempt
bravery like water
where it fulfills its boundaries
despite obstruction
with a graceful flow

and an ocean
has quite more awe
than a heart-sized stone

The Economy of Breath

Whether it be gold, the dollar, or non-fungible tokens,
economy centers on the scarcity of resources

Yet, I argue that
for a moment we
should consider what we are doing now,
for the most part unconsciously

To remind ourselves of
how our stomach, chest, and diaphragm,
rises and falls in cadence
akin to the waves
splashing onto the shore
and seeping back
into the ocean

How oxygen enters our nose
and carbon dioxide exits
in a cycle as reliable as water,
that inorganic compound
which spans the world's
oceans and clouds

It is the reminder
that these moments
will never occur again
that makes life seem
infinitely both precious and scarce
in our amount of breaths,
with our total amount
being unknown

And, similar to when
we are conscious of breathing,
we desperately try to control
in the attempt to best
allocate our resources,
into we are conscious of it
once again

If the Mirror Could Talk

why are you afraid of me?
look at me!
no
not with a side glance
or hunched shoulders
but a fully-fledged stare
unblinking
focus

look at me
I want you to see that
grainy wart
huge mole
untrimmed nose hairs, eyebrows
uncut nails collecting dirt
zits particularly oozing pus
bloodshot eyes
teeth that have yellowed

gosh, your scars
look at me, please

I want to remind you
your body is your own precious vessel
of how you navigate the world
you are a combination of molecules
that are remnants of distant stars
exploding across light years,
the result of generations
with their ceaseless stories
ranging from love to grief,
and holds an experience
right now
at this very moment
that has never seen an equal
or will ever see one again

I am so happy to see you look at me today
and I hope
sincerely
that you will be happy seeing yourself
someday too

Pedro Moranchel is an upcoming poet from New Jersey. As an undergraduate student studying mathematics, he hopes to delve more into poetry than just a hobby. Apart from math and poetry, Pedro enjoys running, exploring nature, and philosophy.