Anonymity

Mid the night's fretful stillness,

My mind fathoms the darkness;

Pondering the senselessness

Of a life in loneliness.

I am but a lowly weed,

Thriving by a rough wayside;

Passersby pluck every blade

Of my bud and bare my seed.

I can't look back at my past,

With a smile that can last,

To hide the shadowy cast,

Of a life that's wrecked and crashed. 

I have nothing to cherish;

There's nothing to hope or wish,

'Cause dreams shatter and perish

In the gloom of deep anguish.

All that I can claim for me,

Is a handful of today

Lived in anonymity

By this weed, nude of identity.

Gigi

Little feet, nimble and light,

Tread the meadow, green and bright,

In mincing steps as in flight,

To evade swiftly the sight.

Then, she would pluck the flowers,

And say, they were her father's;

Frolicking as she gathers,

Under the monsoon showers.

She would tell the whole story,

"The Turtle and the Monkey",

In one long sentence only,

Then,she'd chuckle happily.

Press her on her fat belly,

She would sing readily;

But if she's sore and moody,

She will say,"No battery".

Behind the door at the rear,

She'd hide and stick on each ear,

Oyangya seed, red and queer,

And say her earrings cost dear.

She would guard her grandmother,

For the dwarf might gobble her;

She'd draw the hunchback peddler,

And the grave of her grandfather.

She would snuggle quietly,

Because she fears the fairy;

She loved to climb the cherry,

Drooping by the balcony.

Now, they're but a memory,

To reminisce everyday,

For grown-up is the baby,

And has left for somebody.

Ningning

Like a sparrow on the ground,

She would hop and skip around;

Snugly seated on a mound,

She'd fondle a bug she found.

With her hand,she'd scoop the brook,

Wearing an innocent look;

She'd bathe the turtle she took,

From her big brother Noknok.

While the sun peeps in the east,

And the sky, hazy with mist,

Field of buds,her eyes would feast,

Then dance on tiptoe in the midst.

She keeps very secretly,

In a pouch tucked too tightly,

Lizards' cut tails,two or three,

Talisman,to win each play.

Of earthworms,you cannot scare,

She'll just stick her tongue and glare;

But,with spiders,in great fear,

Will suddenly disappear.

She'll run home when the rain drops,

And twilight shrouds the hilltops;

She'd wonder where the wind stops,

And ask why the pea pod pops.

When at the porch she would lie,

And watch the night melt and die,

She'll slumber till the dawn is nigh,

And the birds at daybreak fly.

Do not wake or even shake her,

Let her dream without falter;

Tomorrow will come after,

Time for her fate to alter.

Tago nga Pagbakho

Isulat ko ang pinakamingaw nga panumduman,

Kuritan ko kang akon luha ang mga dinalan,

Kag akon nga pintukan kang harok ang katapusan,

Dayon, ipiton sa idalum kang akon ulunan.

Bag-o ako magturog,akon nga pangamuyuon,

Nga kon indi ko run maabutan ang kaagahon,

Masapwan kang mga alima nga mabinalak-on

Kag mabasahan man ang tago ko nga pirisnguon.

Sugilanon nga hipus nga ginahuban sadughan,

Mga tinipik kang kahapon nga indi malimtan,

Bisan buhay run nga kang abo natabunan,

Pay nagapanagil-ot gihapon sa handurawan.

Katahum daan kangmga damgo ko nga gindihon

Kang ang akon nga kabuhi damlag pa kag lamharon;

Ang paglaum ko daw banagbanag sa kaagahon,

Ang bataon ko nga tagipusuon,malipayon.

Pay hinali lang nangin mapintas ang kapalaran,

Kabuhi nga nagapamukadkad,ginpasipad-an;

Ang damgo nga hamili,kang katumanan,nawad-an;

Mga kapaslawan nga naaguman,gintangisan.

Nagabakho ako sa mga kapigusan nakon,

Nagakanugon gid sa mga handum nga narugon;

Kag nagahinakit nga gindingutankang higayon

Nga makaangkon kang kabuhi nga madinalag-on.

Masaya Ako (I'm Gay)

Ipinaglihi ako sa sampaguita,

Isinilang na malakas at maganda,

Kalahating Adan at kalahating Eva;

Sadyang pinagkatuwaan ng tadhana.

Laging kinukutya at pinagtatawanan,

At tinatawag na malas kahit saan;

'Di nila inisip na ako'y nasaktan,

Dahil tao ring may mga karapatan.

Ganito man ako'y 'di ko kasalanan,

Diyos ang nakakaalam ng dahilan;

Damdaming salungat sa kaugalian,

Umaalipin sa buong katauhan.

Pilit kong iwinaksi,pinaglabanan,

Ngunit pagsupil, di ko makakayanan;

Katauhang tinatakwil ng isipan,

Ng aking puso ay pinagsisigawan.

"Di ko ginusto na isilang nang ganito,

"Di man matanggap,sana'y unawain n'yo,

Dahil sa aking buhay, ay masaya ako,

At may sulok ding takda dito sa mundo.

Tribute to a Brave Sower

You quietly came, unnoticed,

In one of Our Lord's chosen lot,

Embracing His church so cherished,

As you rebuilt and blessed the spot.

I heard your sermon brave sower,

Resound upon the temple's wall;

Persuasive,ardent like prayer,

And mighty as a father's call.

You mingled with us,all weather,

And tried to sow the words of God

Then hoped they'll grow without falter,

That we may have Him, flesh and blood.

I saw Jesus' flock, you gather,

And lift up human dignity;

Each service you freely render,

For God and mankind's full glory.

Like a torch in distant sight,

Glowing bright in a starless night,

You guide the youth,shedding them light,

To shun the wrong and do the right.

Hatred in your heart, you have none,

You're a good friend to everyone;

Your soft words make troubled minds calm,

And rescue a lost soul from harm.

You have sown the seeds of salvation,

Planted the heart with conviction;

Braving shadows of coercion,

To break the shackles of corruption.

Now, as we wallow in anguish

Over a brave sower we'll miss,

We hold on to the memories

Of times we tenderly reminisce.

Flowers

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them." ~ Henri Matisse

Remembering a Retired Teacher

You welcomed the young with open arms,

They who hailed from far across some farms;

Like the Lorelie, you lured them with your charms,

Hidden behind a friendly smile that warms.

Like a first born daughter or son,

You valued each child's life second to none;

Of their precious health, you were the guardian,

With better nourishment, you acquainted everyone.

You developed their fluency in the language,

And moulded them into little stars on the stage;

In competition, you gave them courage,

And harnessed their skills to their advantage.

Sports, you never set aside at all,

Hence you also taught them tricks with the ball;

To break the monotony of facing the wall,

You seasoned their life with experience outside the hall.

You did not fail to give scouting a space,

By training the little ones to survive in many ways;

To discern which value to embrace,

And enjoy life in the open, or in another place.

Sweet were your memories of every December,

The times when you and the kids spent Christmas together;

From you, they learned to give and to remember,

To them, you were friend, their "Santa" or gift-giver.

You were never selfish of your cooperation,

To the community or any organization;

You extended your services without hesitation,

Unmindful of the return or compensation.

In every school project or undertaking,

You did your part without complaining;

You believed that every good thing is worth doing,

You did well inspite of the meager wage you were receiving.

When each school year came to its end,

You, let go of the flock that you tend;

They're sad to leave, but with no broken heart to mend,

'Cause everyone, to the next grade you send.

So it came to pass, each year went slipping through your fingers,

Each briefest hours went winging with children's laughters;

Until one morn you bid farewell to your co-workers,

To join the clan of the retired teachers.

You retired from services but not from teaching,

Cause you rose from your ashes after a moment of dying;

This time, with Catechism, you go on preaching,

The mission to spread truth, you never cease loving.

You proved that "once a teacher, always a teacher",

Your loyalty lingers like a flickering ember;

To you, goodbye is not forever,

But only an interlude of now and thereafter.

by: Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento