[I wrote these poems for the centennial celebration of my friend's lolo.]
Make sure it is worth watching.”
Poem I
The Call of the Sea
In the darkness of the night
Amid the careless hush of the seawater
The busy slapping of the waves
And the endless chatter of men
I see life on the other side
The sea is calling me
Teasing, haunting my curious self
‘Come! Explore, your real life is here’
Poem II
Ode to My Family
Mama is in the kitchen
Making me rice cakes
Papa will be home in a minute
Yes! We will play hide and seek
Oh, where is Papa?
Mama is gone
No one to hug me tight
No more butterfly kisses
Can I sleep? Can I run?
Hide me, swallow me
I don’t want to be here anymore
Take me away for all is lost
Poem III
The Wanderer
Where do you go, young man?
See how the dolphins and the seagulls meet?
You can climb the mountain, cross that jungle
Fly high like a bird or walk the earth like the camel
The world is young and the earth is rich
The field is waiting. Come cultivate!
Poem IV
The Awakening
Thin, shy, soft-spoken
Who’s gonna take me
I roam the busy pier
Sell wares in flea market
I play and laugh with my friends
Oh, is this all my life will be?
I hear you calling me again
Your waves dancing through my veins
Bringing me back to my dreams
The dawn is breaking and I must rise
‘Move around, push your limits!’
Give your best to taste the world’s sweetest
Poem V
The Bodegero
He showed up one day from a faraway land
Came empty handed, braving the odds
For a homeless, faithful stranger that he is
And he said to himself, ‘For hope and fill my heart
I have found and I have lived’
Armed with discipline, honesty and dedication
He struggled to break the many barriers
The ‘bodegero’ worked day and night
Earning the trust of his employer
With his keen interest and business acumen
He was up before dawn, note in hand
Get bookings from small sidewalk vendors
Using his trademark ‘economies of scale’
Sold goods at reasonable prices
And established network of business
Soon he was the young businessman
Satisfying customer is his cause
Taking little profit and practicing frugality
His mild mannered and no frills attitude
Won him friends and business connections
Competition gets stiff and the market wide
And he became bold and aggressive
Determined to win and succeed
He would roam the town and ask
What do my people want, needs?
Everyday he would look upon the majestic Mayon Volcano
Tell himself,’ If people can scale Mount Everest
And get be famous, I can carve my niche here
I can make my name known like you.’
And he found treasure in his newfound home
Poem VI
My Summer with Cion
I was thirty eight and she was eighteen
She was the fragile, innocent lass
I was the strong willed and knowing gentleman
There is something in her inner, keen
Personality that draws me to her
Unguarded, I fell under her spell
My heart flutters and my emotion runs high
Thought of her keeps me sleepless
‘You must marry her’, said I to myself
When I lay my eyes on my first child, I said,
“You are the fruit of my youth, I will give you a bright future.”
Soon, more living testimonies were born
We were a traditional Pinoy family
We taught our children love for work, frugality
Love for god, filial piety and sense of gratitude
My life has never been happy and satisfied
She bore me twelve wonderful children
And I share with her my most fruitful years
Poem VII
The Unbeatable Duo
She take care of the pricing
He take care of the purchasing
He has an eye for good business
and upcoming opportunities
She has her hand in human resource
and interpersonal relations
She is exceptional in raising children
and business management
He is unmatched in business strategies
and guiding his kid growing kids
Together they make an unbeatable duo
Bound by love and devotion to life
Poem VIII
Carlito
Our father seldom talk, he is a man of action
But he is full of stories of his adventures
We would gather around him and wonder
‘What will Papa’s anecdote for today?’
He loves talking about Ilaya
And His early business deals
Eyes wide and ears almost standing
We listened to our passionate storyteller
And vowed to ‘stick together’ to scale heights
The way our father overcame
The many faces of life’s challenges
Never losing hope, always wanting to explore
And emerged a winner…
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