TO TOUCH THE SUN

Love has found me in a dark corner
When I thought Death would surely take me
He guided me to the warm light of the sun
He whispered, "Do not fear, child!
I am here and no harm will come to you."
I shivered still from the cold darkness
My cloak was wet and damp
Of snow and ice thawing in the warmth
Of a fire I knew not until now
He said, "I never abandoned you.
You grew stubborn and fled from me."

I soaked in the sun's warmth
Shed off my heavy, damp cloak
Love took it and threw it
Away into a bottomless, black abyss
I cried and protested
He said, "Why do you hold on
To something old and heavy?"
I stammered, "I... I... "
"You have no need for it anymore,"
He reassured me
And threw his arm into the air...

He spread his arms to the heavens
Reaching out to touch the sun
I stared at his strange gesture
He gave me a playful wink
And then a loud, hearty laugh
"You need to stretch yourself,
Stretch yourself long..."
"Long?" I asked, "How long?"
"As long as you can," he replies.
I raise my arms also
Tiptoeing even to touch the sun

I Become

recalling the freedom of curiosity

the detachment to the possibilities

I become a little child at play

dismissing the seriousness of adult life

accepting the world's mysteries

I become a naive observer

remembering the wonders that filled me

learning to live out fantasies

I become a playful clown

ignoring staring eyes

enjoying my selfish fancies

I become an ecstatic fool

DEATH CRADLED ME

For a moment...
Death cradled me in his arms
And whispered wisdom
Of unfathomable depth

Each day is a realization
Each night is a revelation
Love is a power of great mystery
It is a grand never-ending story

Joy is to be shared to all
Every person needs comfort
He gave me back to the world
He is a patient angel

Every moment is a celebration
Every second is a jubilant creation
Life is a miraculous history
It is an epic tale of glory

Note: I wrote this because December 10, 2010 could have been my 5th Death Anniversary. Almost died in a terrible car crash.

CHILD, CHILD, WHY DO YOU CRY?

Child, child, why do you cry?
Is it too much to take it all in?
This world full of light and darkness
That gives intoxicating mirth
And lethal drowning sadness
With a bit of destructive madness

Child, child, why do you sulk?
Is it too grand to see?
This place filled with blessings
And burdens so heavy
Breaking your back at times
That you lay flat for hours

Child, child, why do you pout?
Is it too loud to hear?
This orb full of melody and noise
That scream out glory, then pain
Anguish moans, then joyous laughter
A cycle that never ends nor even begins

LIWANAG NG MGA BITUIN

Tinawagan ka ng daigdig
Para sa liwanag at di sa kadiliman
'Wag mong iwasan
Ang liwanag ng mga bituin
Sa langit na napakalawak
'Wag kang magtago
Sa takip-silim ng napakalaking puno
O sa anino ng higanteng bundok
Nais makita ng mga bituin
Ang kanilang liwanag
Sa iyong napakasayang ngiti
Kaya 'wag kang magmukmok
Sa kadiliman ng maliit na sulok
Saan walang makakapansin
Sa lagi mong lumiliit na katawan
Na nakaluhod sa sobrang takot
Kaya tumayo ka at maghakbang ka
Nang isang hakbang
Sa ilalim ng liwanag ng mga bituin
Para makita rin ng daigdig
Ang sarili mong liwanag na galing
Sa napakalawak na langit

PUSO KONG ITO

sa lahat ng nagbago
ang puso ko ay ito pa rin
hindi siya naglaho
sa pagdaan ng panahon
marami akong dinatnan
pero natagpuan ko
na di pala gumalaw
ang puso kong ito
sa lugar na iniwan ko siya
noong nakaraang taon
heto pa rin siya
naghihintay

Well-worn Path

the road I took
may have been the well-worn path
but still was
treacherous and full of twists and turns
the world does not
assure one a very safe and comfortable ride
so one must
take a staff and hold onto it tightly
as one walk
the rocky road of living in this cruel place
but take heart
the earth gives you guides along the path
where it will lead
to a vast deep ocean of flourishing life
just be sure
that you remain on the path
do not stray
to seemingly greener pastures

Wonders of It All

The wonders of this world
Are diamonds in the rough
They are infinite but rare sights
Blinded are many like ants
Who have not eyes to see
The grandeur of it all

But if put on a back
Of a bird soaring high
High above the earth
So brown and green
It swallows rainbows
It shall see the immensity
And be awed by it all

Right On Track

Dark truths untold
Screaming at my face
Many years unfold
Thought there was no more trace

Cries heard and unheard
Fade away into the sands of time
Forced amnesia I dared
To lie in my rhyme

But it topples back on me
The ruins stare back
I thought it could not be
But I'm right on track

A Small Flame

life's rifts keep ever widening
the ground never ceases
to stop pulling and tugging
itself apart like tectonic plates
that lie deep beneath us
attempts to stitch anything
together falters
bridges break and crash
into unknown depths
as my world never stops
shaking and trembling

everyone always seem to be at war
battles are ever being fought around me
winners and losers abound
sometimes, a ceasefire is ordered
but it never lasts for long
as one keeps finding fault in the other
peacetime does not exists
in my ever-so violent world
relative peace cannot even be found
there is always a clash of strength
somewhere in my small orb

I am helpless
but I am not frightened
I can change this world
with boldness
and commitment to love
in acts of kindness
in words of comfort
in deeds of assistance
in utterance of encouragement
I can be a small flame
that will ignite others
to overwhelm the darkness

Growing Strength

ten years ago, young and naive
unsure, uncertain, I step out
stepping up, stepping down
which way I could not tell
only one thing I knew
that I could not remain inside
I had satisfied, I overwhelmed
the container could not contain
I had to make room
I had to be replaced
milk no longer sustained me
I needed tough meat
to nourish my growing strength

ten years forward
older, a bit wiser
still unsure, still very uncertain
climbing out of the hole
I stumbled into
blinded from the subtlety
of the elaborate trap
cruelly designed by mad geniuses
it was a shallow hole
but my mind was already confused
taking longer than it should be
I clamber out in growing strength

Technology Creates

Technology creates convenience;
Convenience, taken for granted.
Technology creates walls;
Walls that separate people.
Technology creates poverty;
Poverty on the brink of desperation.
Technology creates greed;
Greed that kills hundreds of thousands.
Technology destroys hope--
That is insanely cruel and brutal.
Technology destroys hope;
Hope for a better life.
Technology destroys links;
Links to people that are dear to us.
Technology that destroys joy;
Joy that should be life.
Technology destroys the world
With misuse and neglect.

I Am a Fractured Picture

I am a fractured picture
Of a dream, of a hope
Divided by regret
I have been torn
By hate and remorse
That is in one hemisphere
And by dread and loathing
In another

Angry words never forgotten
Hateful name always remembered
Cruel deeds tightly held
By a brain that won't let go
Of memories that killed
The hopeful spirit inside
That scarred the innocent heart
Of a time long gone
In a century that died
With the dawn of a new era

Sunrise In A Painting

Sunrise: April
Dwight William Tryon 1849-1925
The Freer Gallery
Washington, DC

Seeing sunrise in a painting
The sun peeking out
Beyond the horizon
Beyond the trees
Which mark the beginning
Of the forest I know not what size
The meadow lies in the foreground
Green grass faded by decay
Held by a golden frame
Elaborately designed
To contain a dream
Of static tranquility
But for it does not move
It mesmerizes you into
A numb and melancholy
Sickening sleep
Until you get up
And move away

The Fight Is Over

I surrender, I lay down my guns
I see that this battle
Is not worth anything at all
I have shot bullets
I have killed many enemy soldiers
My endurance has been a burden
I did not see it for stubbornness
I did not see my blindness
I did not hear my deafness
Until I stood still
Watching from the tower
I climbed up to
After a few hours of fighting
And saw a horizon
Filled with an open, empty sky
The color of deep sapphire
That made the battle
Appear minuscule
In the enormity of this vastness
A pilot ten thousand feet
Above us
See us as nothing
A flock of birds
Soaring hundreds of feet
Over our heads
See us as ants
But ants beneath our feet
Only see fragments of us
So what are we really
But mere mortals
A wink, a little wrinkle in time
Nothing more

IN THE NIGHT

In the night we cannot see
So the mask is removed
Tears rush down the cheeks
Washing away the pain of the day
Washing away the memories
Of being beaten & molested
Washing away the faceless people
Removing our dignity & humanity
Hugging ourselves in corners
Trying to remember who we were
Before they shattered us to shards
Of bitter fragments of their monstrosity
We dream of our happy past
Hoping & praying time will reverse
All these...

Waters of Life

murky stagnant waters
hide the earth beneath
where vital elements
are in abundance
when I drink it
traces of poison
slowly creep
into my blood
and into my head
and slowly, very slowly
leaks into my soul
one day suddenly
in the mirror
all I see
looking back at me
is a dark shadow
with no shape or form
fading into the air
like clear water vapor
that turns into
a rain drop falling
with other rain drops
cleansing and moving
the waters I drink
nourishing me
with zest and vitality
of the sun
in its essence
the warmth it gives
stirs my spirit
back to life

Mutual Delight

I watched the world go by
Sitting by the coffee shop window
People walk pass me
Never feeling the gentle breeze
Nor hearing the leaves rustle
Their minds are to busy
To sense anything else
But their thoughts
A child happily laughs
At the dog barking
At it gleefully
As they roll a ball
Back and forth to each other
Just enjoying the moment
The moment of spontaneity
Smiling, I say to myself
"Now, they know what life's about"
A mutual delightful exchange
Is something I rarely find
But to me...
That's what life is all about

My Broken Life

My broken life

Appeared so perfect

So complete

Until that sad day

When violence struck

My world and it shattered

Into pieces

I can never seem to connect

Together

I look beyond

And see that

I may just be

Living an illusion

This pain is not real

The evil is not there at all

My neighbor's happy life

Tells me I'm

Taking things too seriously

Maybe

Or is she

Living inside

A dream that blinds

And numbs

Like alcohol

To fill the empty heart

But kills the soul

So, so slowly

The Frames

The frames hold the photos

That tell stories frozen

In stillness...

Watching from afar;

Distance numbs

From pain and horror;

Cross that line,

Feel the anguish

Of the warrior injured

From the battlefield;

See the joy of victory.

Will you remain there

In that small corner

That imprisons in containment?

Will you come closer

And look at the tear

Falling from his wife's cheek

And see his children laugh

In the background

Running towards him?

Will you listen

To the photographer's tale

Of the emotions running

Running through his soul

As he captured those

Timeless moments?

Or will you forever walk by

And just see frames?

The Bereaved

the bereaved are blinded

by the twilight of their mourning

it is light outside

the sun is shining down

but the coldness of their heart

has enveloped their whole body

their anger has poisoned them

in their selfishness

they cannot forgive nor forget

when that is "the right thing to do"

this world is cruel

for those deaf to love

for those ruled by violence

there is no peace, no kindness

with a turn of a key

a door will slowly open

a hand reaches out in anticipation

patiently waiting

for their changing heart

Destiny's Road

the destiny of one man or woman

is filled with so much unknown

the road is long and bumpy

speeding blindly

you'll be hurled out of your chariot

as its wheels run over

this road so rough

you may be strong

but the reins are fragile

being only of threads of silkworms

tiny creatures kept for vanity

but themselves are not aware why they exist

inching slowly instead

you will die before you get anywhere

spiders will creep up on you

and wrap their webs around you

unaware, you are choked out

your life fades away

into the hidden unknown

lost inside a labyrinth

of a very mysterious design

The World At...

the world at twenty-nine

looks so different at nineteen

it is no longer

frighteningly intimidating

nor a fantasyland in a snow globe

but it is still

hazardously uncertain and

also a bit more predictable

with the twists and turns

of growing up

you learn some lessons

you finally admit with burnt pride

that you know nothing at all

realized that the real world

is actually a crazy place

with no exact sense of order

the only order

are jumbled words on paper

that only confounds you

with very strange ideas

that means nothing to you

but you suddenly wake up

to a small-but-significant epiphany

that your lifestyle

is the only existing system

that you, and you alone understand

everything else is useless data

the world tries to pound you with

until you really grow up

and see some correctness

in someone else's teaching

of some valuable knowledge

with your open mind