Please Don't Recoil

take life by the hand
walk barefoot in the sand
poured out of the hourglass
time released at last

put on a brave face
smile at the day in grace
no trace of darkness
in celebrating your gladness

days took a toll on the spirit
the flame is relit
in the midst of turmoil
please don't recoil

Kayumanggi Ba?

ang kaluluwa ko ba ay kayumanggi
mas maitim pa sa gabi
na ako'y iniwasan ng husto
baka mahawa ang iyong balat
sa aking kaitiman na nakakamatay
hindi ako isang ahas na puno ng lason
isa din akong tao tulad mo

is my soul brown
that it is darker than night
that you really avoid me
your skin might catch
the darkness that kills
i am not a snake filled with poison
i am also a human like you

December in the Botanical Garden

in the midst of a cold December day
right at the heart of the US Botanical Garden
is a tropical refuge that gives me comfort
reminding me of the beauty of a world
that is always far from my thoughts
but is always close to my heart
in the midst of the hustle and bustle
of a twenty-first century life
that I'd never imagined for myself
but I now hold dear
but I'd love to give up for a tranquil universe
but I cannot leave behind
this beautiful world will not remain
if I let time and change erode it
I can make arid places
abound with the same bounty
bounty of beauty that spreads
to take the place of the dark void
that threatens to overwhelm the planet

SINAKUPAN NIYA

sinakupan ng tubig
ang buong daigdig
at ito'y naging karagatan
karagatan na puno ng buhay
pinuno ng Maykapal
ng mga halamang makulay
mga isdang iba't ibang uri
mga hayop na nakakapahanga
sa Kanyang talino
ito ang Kanyang espiritu
pinupuno Niya ang buong kalawakan
sa Kanyang napakahiwagang pag-ibig
at sinasakupan Niya ang lahat
ang lahat ng puso
sa Kanyang pagmamahal

ALL IS NOT LOST

their colors change
golden yellow, burning orange
the wind plucks them away
on the earth they fall
the trees seem to burn
when the days get colder
like a dying star
burning its last fire
when the snow comes
it will blanket the leafy carpet
the leaves will rot
time will erode the beautiful colors
and the intricate patterns will be no more
but in the springtime
these will nourish new life
budding leaves and flowers
will be where they once were
and also new roots
will feed on their grave
all is not lost in death
life always replaces death

Isang Mensahe Galing sa Isang Manunulat/A Message from a Writer

Huwag po kayong matakot sa mga sulat ko. Alam ko na puno ng lubos na kalungkutan at malubhang galit ang mga ito. Di ko tinatanggihan ang kadiliman ng aking pagkatao pero saglit lamang dumaan ang mga emosyon na ito sa aking puso. Madalas, ilang minuto lang; pero minsan, maraming buwan muna ang lumipas bago mawala ang aking lungkot at galit. Naintindihan ko na ito'y likas sa pagiging tao, babae o lalake, at marami sa mundo na ganito rin ang kanilang karanasan sa buhay.

Please, do not be afraid of what I write. I know it is filled with great sadness and furious anger. I don't deny the dark side of my humanity but these emotions only come for brief moments in my heart. Often, only for several minutes; but somtimes, many months have to pass before my depsair and fury disappear. I understand that this is natural in being human, female or male, and many in the world experience this in their lives.

ANO TALAGA ANG HALAGA

Hindi bawal ang mangarap
Hindi rin bawal matamo ito
Ang kayamanan
Ay di masamang arihin
Basta't huwag mong pabayaan
Na nakawin ang buong kaluluwa mo
At kapag hawak mo
Bawasan mo ang higpit
Ako'y isang babae
Na naranasan
Ang buhay burgis
At buhay mahirap
Sa awa ng Panginoon
Di ko pa nadanas
Ang buhay pulubi
Sa aking karanasan
Naintindihan ko
Sa aking munting ulo
O tinatanong ko
Ang tunay na halaga
Ng kayamanan ng mundo

BEHIND THAT VEIL

Behind that veil
Lies a wound so dark
So hidden in secrecy
Never mentioned outside
The four mosaic walls

In solitude
She is crying to Allah
Maybe in hatred
Maybe in despair
She has right to both

Her father does not hear
Her brothers tell her to stop
Her husband scolds her
Her mother ignores her
Because that is also her lot

Must thing always be this way
Always to succumb to violence
Is she not also a human being
Born from the same womb
As her brothers who hit her

For the Illusion

deep inside this soul
a wound lies within
hidden from plain sight
no one will ever see it
it will never reveal itself
a pain only understood
by the pain itself
a mystery to everyone
but itself...
a puzzle not wanting to be solved
it remains incomplete
the missing piece doesn't exist
it is a phantom, a shadow
created by a strange yearning
for the illusion
for the falseness and the lie

Multo ng Nakaraan

Ang multo ng aking nakaraan ay nandiyan lang sa likod ko. Naghihintay! Madalas di ko siya pinapakaelam at okay lang siys. Ngunit paminsan-minsan, bigla siyang nagpaparandam at ako'y napapaiyak niya. Pinapaalala niya ang lahat ng nadanas ko sa aking nakapaikling buhay: kalungkutan at kasiyahan...

Summer Solstice 2011

1:16 PM DC Time marks the official start of this year's Summer Solstice. The days are going to start getting shorter soon but I will try to enjoy the longest day in the northern hemisphere with joy in my heart. Note: God will not let you miss anything that He doesn't want you to miss. But He will make you miss events and incidents that you don't need. Have to keep reminding myself this! Have a blessed day everyone! ♥

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. " ~Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

I COME BACK TO YOU POETRY

I come back to you poetry
when I have left you eons ago
I return to your beautiful phrases
when I abandoned you for chaos
will you ever forgive me?
will you ever welcome me back?
I need your comforting utterances
I need your soothing iambs
the syllables so melodious
they elate my saddened heart
they remind me of the wonderful mystery
of a world seemingly mundane
but deep beneath, digging deep
I find jewels and precious stones
of the human soul and spirit

Napapaikot Niya

napapaikot niya ang aking mundo
wala akong magawa kundi
maging masunurin sa kanyang salita
sa kanyang kamay
ay ang kagandahan ng buong kalawakan
sa kanyang braso
ay ang lakas na tapusin ang lahat
pero sa kanyang pagmamahal
ako ay nabubuhay
at lalong sumisigla bawat araw

ENGLISH:
he spins my world
nothing I can do but
be obedient to his word
in his hand
is the beauty of the whole universe
in his arms
is the might to finish it all
but in his love
I am still alive
and growing stronger everyday

Canopy of Trees

Under the canopy of trees
Is a wonderful stillness
The noise of cars passing
Nearby are not a bother
The gurgling of the creek
Is a welcome sound
The songs of the birds
Swirl around me
Like a dizzying sphere
Of a vibrant multiplicity
I could remain here forever
But the modern life beckons
Outside of its protective shade

AND TOMORROW...

And tomorrow I will look to the sky
Not upon the waves rolling gently
Upon the sand of eons past
Eroded by winds of change
Today I look at the sunset
On the western horizon
Remembering this day
Filled with miraculous wonders
And countless mysteries
Still unraveling even in my slumber
That will come peacefully
As the loving twilight falls on me
Calling me to rest
And saying, "You did well child.
Tomorrow is another day of play."

Anyone Recognize the Red Object or is it Objects?

Itong Buhay

Itong buhay ng tao
Sa palad ng mundo
Ay puno ng kalupitan
At kabaligtaran
Ng mga kapalaran
Ng bawat isa sa atin
Walang may sala
Sa mga pagbabago
Sa laging nagbabago
Ng mga pangyayari
Ang makapangyarihan
Nahulog sa kanyang trono
Ang pulubi
Biglang napayaman
Kaya dapat
Huwag kang magmayabang
Sa mukha ng Panginoon
Dahil ang Kanyang galit
Ay papatungin ka
Buong buhay mo
At kung bulag ka
Sa Kanyang kapangyarihan
Ikaw ay mabibigla
Kapag malubha Niya itong papakita

Flower Patterns

I AM HERE

and I don't know
if to take a step back
or step forward
I sit in the middle
in the middle of a whirlwind
a hurricane of chaos
knowing not where to turn
forever lost, never found
I keep seeking
but in the seeking, I lose myself
instead of gaining more of me
but on the ground
was the switch
with one flick, this will cease
fear stops me
is order better than chaos?
I know not and it cripples me
trying to remember
the better times
then I hear a whisper
"Do not be afraid, child!
I am here!"

Untitled Tagalog Poem

nandito na ang kinabukasan
hakbangin mo ang bawat hakbang
'wag kang mangamba
heto na ang kamay ng Diyos
umaalalay sa 'yo
at di ka Niya pababayaan

English translation:
here is tomorrow
walk each step
don't worry
here is God's hand
aiding you
and He won't let you just be

Watching the World

Sitting silently in a chair
Watching the world with an odd stare
My chair is delicate and fragile
I held it up for a while
Then a strong gust came through
I got whipped in a brew
The chair was ripped apart

The wind left me on a ledge
Very steep was the edge
I saw myself falling infinitely
The consequences deadly
I clung to the rocks tight
Feeling gravity's might
But did not see...

A few inches away
A grassy meadow lay
Fresh green blades swaying
Its safety calling
I cautiously crawled to it
And rested upon it
Breathing in relief

Sitting on the earth so stable
My mind was not capable
Of comprehending its strength
Nor its breadth or length
The now-broken chair a memory
A temporal former glory
Stupid was I to sit in it

Cannot Wield

In the coolness of night
In the sunset's dying glow
I lay upon my bed
Pondering on the day gone by
Smiling upon joyful moments
Frowning at times of frustration
Saddened by disappointments
I know I lived it well
As I was destined to do
These circumstances were meant
This way and were inevitable
Nothing can be changed
No power in me, no strength I own
Can alter what has been
It is for all our good
God knows what he's doing
We cannot wield his will
We cannot rush time
Or slow it down
All we can really do
Is go where he is going
Do what he is doing