Friday, December 12, 2008
La Belle Dame sans Amour
He saw her pass by
Crossing with familiar rush
A figure caught in strobe
A tree stripped bare in the Fall
Like watercolor blotting badly,
Rouge melting on pudgy skin
Is that she? He asked
Surely not she, he thought
There unmasked in stark light
He loved her truly
They all did, too
Who asked you? She said
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Greed
I tell you greed is grasping
It roots on acid ground
Sucks the juice of the muck
Even at the last gasp
Clings with avid vines
On broken slabs and angels
With cracked cement wings
I tell you greed is quenchless
It begrudges the sun its brilliance
Envious of the moon’s glow
Sweeps all the stardust and
Gathers them with a dustpan
And stores them in dark rooms
Gloating in demented joy
I tell you greed is without compassion
Thriving on hedonistic nurture
Denying closeness and amity
Cuts off the umbilical nexus
Shun familial obligations
Shrugs off the flakes of conscience
From the black dress of indifference
I tell you greed is shameless
Ecstatic in pelf and exaggerated self worth
Gloats over riches felt deserved
Forgetful and incognizant of God’s grace
Jingling patina encrusted coins
Amused and savoring the endless count
In glee…in endless count…in glee
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Amihan - A Season of Hope
Amihan played in the grove
Touching leaves and sprigs
Breathing on mango blooms
Leaving freshness on the gnarls
Stirring the furry caterpillars
Asleep on curled green sheets
Now the risen sun cast its glare
Striking out with its searing blaze
Soon Amihan shooed and scuttled
Moved on to friendlier milieus
Of green glades and cooler climes
Enjoying the comfort of amiable arbors
Oh kind and merciful Amihan
Let not the tyrant sun sow malevolence
On a withered and desolate grove
Come back and give succor to
The creatures of the green mantle
Threatened by the scorching glare
Come now and save your flock
Never again must you stray
Blot out the hand of the despot sun
Bring back freshness into our clime
Return the peace and the comfort
To a beleaguered and desperate people
Saturday, December 06, 2008
The Muse
Traipsing the mountain slopes
Even before the sun had crossed
The distant nebulous endless line
In flight with swifts, flitting motes
Scratching the inner eye
Blurred in the cottony haze
I know she’s somewhere there
In the velvet glow of dawn, but
Never in the glare of noon
Come let me feel your touch again
Restore my quills’ vibrant strokes
Put fecundity in my sterile pad
She comes only at her will
Flirty lady, insensitive bitch
I am but a waif at your whimsy
Dysphoria
Strange fates and unwanted destinies
Stuck and ensconced on us like barnacles
Adding to our discomfort and dismay
Evanescent ease, inconstant joys
Our inheritance from alien origins
Undeserved legacy foisted on us
Our sojourn is not from ease to ease
But rather moving from worse to worst
Snatching bread from mouth to mouth
Living lives from barrenness to little worth
Can you find a hiatus from this affliction?
Yes, but, it's an infinitesimal wait.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
David's Poems
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Undas
November one brings out the past
With trees pushing tombstones
Daring to put gaiety with somber blooms
Roots plowing the miry ground
Dig up marrowless bones
Upturning loam for lost loves
Nothing but twigs craving for affection
Last week’s inundation
Brought the merciful flood
Sweeping the steles and slabs
Washing off the mud from angels’ faces
Stirring worms from their stupor
Giving life and luster to the gloom
Stirring remembrances just for the nonce
Candles flickering, flowers wilting
Children balling up candle wax
Endless chatter and radios blaring
Pots simmering, candy wraps crinkling
Adobo and dried fish spread on banana leaves
Atop foot high whitened sepulchers
Sharing repasts with the dear departed
The grateful dead cast an approving smile
Reward enough that’s worth your while
You have to believe that this is true
To do next year what you’ve just been through
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
5 tanka trials (5)
A Christmas Moment
Christmas lights flickered
In the darkening twilight
I beheld a smile
A beaming more radiant than
Moonglow through leafy silhouettes
Black Beauties
Fearsome black twins
Growling at strange intrusions
Flashing hostile fangs
Feigning ferocity to all
But truly amiable dogs
Bouquet
Garden flowers wait
For the beautiful lady
With gentle hands pluck
Roses, Azaleas in bloom
To grace a potter’s fine urn
Fading
Where is yesterday’s
Colored mantle on the lawn?
Gone without bidding
Adieu to the vibrant scene
Leaving only boring green
Ants
Hush now and be still
Listen to the hustling ants
Leaves, kernels, grains
Busy lugging and hauling
Precious gifts to the Queen
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Taal Volcano
Light And Dark
Oh, the dark is a bottomless hole
Where evil and malice hold cabal
Conspiring against joy and delight
From fear and angst they brew
A maelstrom of nightmares
And watering roots of torment
Ah, Light, a boundless sky
Radiant with rainbows and
Swallows endlessly streaming
On a backdrop of green forests
And magnificent mountain crests
A display of God’s munificence
Darkness hides in inky pits
Conceals malice and malignant guilt
Light shines bright in splendor
Proclaiming truth and beauty
Yet Light thrives only in darkness
Without it no shine or glory
Leaving By Taxi
Tell him not to go
Tug at his coat sleeves
Cry out in plea
Won’t you?
He’s going now
All suited up in black
Sullen cabbie waits
In a gaudy hack
Cab fare is ready
Two minted coppers
On his very eyes
The flag went down
The taxi crept
In an unhurried pace
The radio droned a hymn
I heard him hum the tune
The hack sputtered
Bade goodbye to each block
Past known haunts and faces
Turning last into a gated arch
Being Human
Lord I do not wish
To hide from you
I’m too lazy, I say
You molded me
From lowly clay
Am I to blame?
Can I help it
If I err?
Only human, I say
Free will is
A handy phrase
Is it really there?
Glory I can’t own
The Fall, as well
Not mine to will, I say
It is God’s grace
If undeserved
Failure is the Devil’s
Conscience perplexed
Helpless yet blamed
Innocent but guilty
Simple minded me
In a quandary, accept
A mystery, I say
Crossings
Don’t change the linen yet
It’s still warm
With charm and laughter
Pat the sofa later
The hollow could still be seen
On the silky cushions
Let the blinds stay folded
The sunbeam remains bright
Casting soothing shadows
The bud is not in full bloom
Hold the florist’s shears
For another day
Let us not be eager
To shut the gate
Not just yet
Friday, October 03, 2008
5 Tanka Trials (4)
The Lovers
Lovers cowering
In the long shadows of dawn
Fearful to be seen
Anxious of the consequence
Of last night’s wanton delights
Indiscretion
Do you think in dread
That your indiscretion leads
To disaffection?
Fear not, a plucked rose remains
As sweet as those in the bower
The Quest
I sought in earnest
In secret paths untrodden
Neither man nor beast
Dare go the perilous quest
But only you can give me rest
At First Glimmer
I might chance to see
Your loveliness and your grace
In the first glimmer
Are you prettiest in sunlight
Or in the glow of full moon?
Divine Moment
I watched from the ridge
Careful not to disturb birds
Singing praise to you
The blooms blushed at your bare feet
In fealty to a deity
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Elegy In A Flower Garden
every petal that falls even
from the homeliest blossom
is grieved by the congregation
of blooms in the garden
a solitary demise
is not an isolation
though not heard nor seen
the emptiness it creates
hangs heavy and tumid
untunes the euphony of echoes
and casts thick darkness
in the serenity of white clouds
puts the glade, the lake in gloom
pink and yellow bells toll
an earnest elegy for each fallen
5 Tanka Trials (3)
The Sculptor
These calloused hands
Once sought classic ideal
Hewing marble, chiseling stone
Faithless Galatea shaped
Thankless heart as cold as gems
Summer Time
Summer came knocking
Stirring lads’ and lasses’ hearts
With amorous ardor
Youth danced at the throbbing beat
Maddened by the torrid heat
Your Name
I mentioned your name
And songbirds sang it like a tune
They gathered around
The rosebush and the green ferns
Humming the wondrous refrain
Surfing
Surfing the vast net
Prodding the meek little mouse
Searching aimlessly
Going nowhere, everywhere
Lost in an ocean of clicks
Halloween
The scaly night
Looms over the city sky
Casting dread and gloom
Bats empty the dark belfries
Singing Halloween’s evensong
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Jaded
Centuries of delight reprised
Weaving thru the statuary
Peeing Eros, spouting lion
Cold naked maidens and
Olympians with lecher eyes
Doorway upon doorway
Leading to a gallery then another
Daylight to twilight
Midnight to dawn
Oh what irksome ennui!
You awe at wonders only once
Not felt, if all over again
First gladiator kill gives the most thrill
The first kiss divine, then just lust
A debut is grand, what’s next, a parody
A continuum of sameness
A season of repeats
A looped tape of events
An echo playing pong
God stammering
What Kind of Poet Are You?
Why can't a modernist be
more like an imagist? said one
A modernist's craft it seems
Plays hide and seek
Not wanting to be found out
In one easy read
Muttering gibberish-like
Imagery seemingly indiscrete
But couching a hidden gem
An imagist tells you what is what
No games nor riddles in his verse
What you see is what you get
Lyrical lines, image well defined
Gushing populist sentiment
Yet profundity lies within
Oh, why can't an imagist be
More like a modernist? said the other
It may be a matter of choice
No right, no wrong no doubt
No one no better than the other
Apples and pears cannot compare
Friday, September 26, 2008
5 Tanka Trials (2)
Parallel Lives
Whither will we go
I have traveled the low road
And you took the high
Ne'er shall we meet again
Lives in parallel chosen
Rebuked
You chided me then
When I asked for your sweetness
Slapping my hands
And I, tremulous in fear
Withdrew in the raging rain
Night Sounds
I whiled through the sounds
Frog's grunts, cicada's buzz saw
But not finding yours
Only the memory heard
A soothing wind borne whisper
Through Wild Flowers
Come let us gambol
Tramping through wild flowers
Skipping on fences
Scraping your knees on sharp thorns
And I'll kiss away the sore
Moping
The morning found me
Moping beneath the duvet
Denied a good night
Left clinging on unsteady vines
Sent home without a sweet kiss
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
5 Tanka Trials
Eloquence of Love
I hesitated
To say my true feelings
Soon after our tryst
The memory of your eyes
Told me to be eloquent
Stay
Can you stay longer?
At least until the rain stops
My bed is still warm
With your smoldering kiss
And your scorching embrace
Memories of You
My memory talks
In loud words and images
Of your poise and endless grace
A picture of elegance
A heavenly hymn of praise
The Eucalyptus
The eucalyptus
Rained its shimmering jade leaves
Below its bowers
Where you and I slept the night
Soft ground, a blanket of green
The Dawn
The dawn we failed to see
Neath blankets huddling in the cold
But no big regrets
We’ll wait for it tomorrow
And maybe miss it again
Monday, September 22, 2008
Haiku for Duffers
Pitch
With a graceful swing
My pitching wedge struck the ball
Fell short of the hole
Fore
Fore! called the golfer
Atop the seventh tee mound
Splash! replied the lake
“Take”
It was just two feet
But my buddy didn’t say “take”
Ooh, the ball lipped out
Butterfly
A butterfly looks nice
But not on the driver’s mound
Use your “mulligan”
Long Putt
Long putt’s a challenge
Two to three breaks from the hole
Glory to God it’s in!
At the Tee
Tee mound dilemma
Wind, club and stance decisions
Then swing hard and firm
Golf Widow
Anna, the golf widow
Cold husband always away
Sold “irons” in bazaar
Rara Avis
Birdies have no plumes
Bogey is not an ogre
Albatross, not cursed
Eagle
An eagle soars high
So is the spirit of one
Who makes it happen
Happiness
Duffer’s blessed round
Short par threes, also, even grass
And smart caddy tips
Fairways
Fairways are real cool
Despite the noonday sun
After acing one
Putting Green
Greens are perplexing
Slow, fast, break left or right
Blasted hole so small
Sands
Sands are relaxing
On a balmy seashore spot
It stinks in the links
Missed Birdie
What could be worse than
Triple bogey on par three
A missed short birdie
Golfers’ Tongue
Golf helps your language
With each errant stroke you mouth
Expletives galore
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Haiku 115 to 130
115. Butterflies hover
In my flower filled garden
Making joyful hours
116. Frogs splashing about
Midst golden kois in a pond
Rest on lotus leaves
l117. I saw your tears drop
From soft and limpid eyes
The day has ended
118. Hurried and harried
After a busy workday
Rewarded by hugs
119. I felt your soft touch
A motherly kiss on my tired eyes
Your scent filled the room
120. Dip your head in ice
Don’t let emotions prevail
...seven, eight, nine, ten!
121. Venerable tree
You keep secrets well hidden
Let down your branches
122. Waterdogs romp downstream
Cooling heads and heels at noon
Mindless of the heat
123. Yellow ripe mangoes
Hanging tantalizingly
Nipped by a passing bird
124. Sun tanned boys through stalks
Startled rice birds taking wing
Wavy heat shimmer
125. A pebble skims
Rippling the pond’s green surface
Bullfrogs leap aside
126. Raindrops caught in leaves
Give life and shine to a tree
A breeze shakes them off
127. The torturous trek
Through mountain rills and falls
End up in a splash
128. Leafy veil parted
A serene beauty unfolds
Behold a calm lake
129. Geese swim in a queue
After a hard fortnight flight
Respite from the cold
130. Today it’s romp and play
Hunting skills honed keenly
Sharp fangs bag their prey
Friday, September 19, 2008
Political Haiku
Circus
Staunch anti-Glorias
Manny and Ping now grapple
Circus is in town
Politics is fun
Politics is fun
No holds barred spectator sports
No losers but us
Cretins
Miriam shouts Cretins!
At the solons on the floor
Fermenting madness
Hero or Heel
Jinggoy acts the role
Of dad sans moustache in pose
Reel hero, real heel
Tear Jerk
Tear jerk Lozada
Cries innocence and kidnap
Sitcom? Soap? On 2
Joke Only
Jocjoc Bolante
Agri magic, not with rice
Joke, joke lang!
Lucid Loren
Loren in ad glut
Of glutathione challenge
Lucid back out move
Noli
Noli, like a lamb
With fleece not as white as now
But he’s sure to go
Ping
Ping surveyed the lay
Manny, Loren and Noli
Knock one at a time
Frenzy
Senate in a frenzy
With expectations galore
Prexy polls is near
Pollsters
Pollsters drool knowing
Hopefuls eager to rate high
Cost is no question
Polls
Political polls
Spawn hope for the solons
They grasp at straws
Chiz
Chiz in a quandary
Polls encourage, others dissuade
High and dry or wade?
Nene
Pimentel accuses
Speaks in raspy gibberish
In between snores
Statesman
Is there a statesman
In senate or congress?
Silence in the halls
Statesmen
Recto, Tanada
Is there anyone like them?
Listen, loud silence
Storm Signals
Hot air factory
Blow ill wind and puffery
Batten down hatches
Flash Gordon
Is Gordon running ?
He may be quick as a flash
Not in prexy dash
Lovely Loren
Last chance Loren
Belo may not be as skilled
The next time around
Extra Mile
Manny went ahead
And pushed for the extra mile
Ping caught him speeding
Through Her Teeth
President Gloria
Said my post will not extend
Through a bunny toothed grin
At The Races
At President’s derby
Manny, Loren, Noli, Ping
Run with gates still closed
Politics Is Business
Politics is business
Invest millions for post at stake
Rob millions to gain
Bayani
Poor BF chided
Postered “Bayani” all over
His dreams now over
Obama
Obama you’ll lose
White Americans are racist
A black and white fact
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Laughing Haiku
The Mouse
Tim’rous little mouse
Slips through the bedroom at three
Rolling pin hits true
Thongs
Tempt me not to see
Cross your legs in front of me
Your thongs hide little
Fresh
Kiss the lady hard
Grab her with much gusto
Slap, such sweet sorrow
Mother In Law
The mother in law
Laid down the domestic rules
Price for daughter laid
Pick Nits
Pick critics brains here
In overused critique’s page
It is nitpicking time
The Poet
The words do not rhyme
The meter an iamb off
Yet he dares to write
Disarming Love
Futile affections
When Venus de Milo loves
In absurd embrace
Who Caught Who
Run after me
Beckon the flirty lady
Until I catch you
Verbosity
Poets look for a word
To describe his lady fair
Wrote epic instead
Failed Player
The world is a stage
Said Will, the bald poet
You forgot your lines
Spider Man
Peeping Tom Spidey
Swings across sills and ledges
Sightseeing lecher
Lady Godiva
Bare assed Godiva
Rode the streets of Coventry
Wish I was a horse
Through Her Teeth
President Gloria
Said my post will not extend
Through a bunny toothy grin
At the Races
At President’s derby
Manny, Loren, Noli, Ping
Run with gates still closed
Politics Is Business
Politics is business
Invest millions for post at stake
Rob millions to gain
Language Abuse
The King’s English died
With poetic license abuse
Hidden as free verse
Present States
Drunk! said the lady
Ugly! Retorted Winston
Ever, while I sober
Statistics
Numbers seem so true
When quoted by politicians
Citing what favors
Friday, September 12, 2008
Haiku 1 to 25
1. Woodland nymphs gather
Elves frolic round misty boughs
Magical moments weave
2. Fly away sparrow
This meal is not meant for you
Listen! Birdseed spills
3. Such innocent eyes
Glaring from fiery red heads
Harsh beaks gnash fiercely
4. Creeping fearsome ghost
Lurking within the tall grass
Gruesome ambuscade
5. A real cool cat
With Cheshire smile smugly beamed
Climb down from your perch
6. Past the reeds she goes
Daffodils bowed in her wake
Rippling a placid lake
7. Gossamer snares
Delicate but treacherous
Fatal quiver felt
(6/30/08)
8. Butterfly afloat
With cathedral wings afire
Petals flutter by
9. Tweet goes the Pipit
Buzzing each shrub and flower
Withered blossoms fall
10. A blade of cogon
Is bent by a maya bird
A slingshot buzzes
11 .Oh elegant grace
Still the waters of the lake
Majesty passes
12. Blossoms overhead
Stand guard on regal swans
Let not ripples make
13. A gilded sky cast
Trees in silhouette yonder
Night softly signs on
14. Nothing here but death
Desolation and despair
Cracked lips plead for rain
15. Reach out in prayer
Cry out for a bit of rain
Dry throats utter thanks
16. Dare disturb the calm
Skim that pebble on the pond
Fish cower beneath
17. Looks peaceful today
Yet malevolent clouds hover
Zip up your jacket
18. Ominous warnings
Of impending wet and cold
Warm hands allay fears
19. Lord, divide your sky
Give me my share of colors
But the rainbow frowns
20. The mountain wind blew
Whispered wisdom, uttered truths
Here is where I’ll camp
21. Lonely sentinel
Saguaro has a sworn duty
Rest your arms awhile
22. Blinding, shimmering
Whiteness of the blustery snow
Come share your warmth
23. Your warmth eases cold
Like a setting sun’s radiance
A peaceful night comes
24. Never thought our love
Would create ugly ducklings
Push them off the falls
25. Raindrops and teardrops
Sear my cheeks and my heart
Oh, gloomy adieus
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Haiku 26 to 50
26. Midst shouts and slams
My beloved despot rages
The clock ticks and tocks
27. A cold heart's hollow
Echoes laments of past loves
I miss your cold gaze
28. Soft light pierces through
The morning’s window pane
Your yawn woke me up
29. Colored prints of you
Arrayed on doilied cover
Sonic boom explodes
30. I saw her today,
Aloof but with a coy smile
Now my cellphone rings
31. Dustin and David,
Mischievous kids both ten
Oops! A Ming vase breaks
32. Funereal fragrance wafts,
Midst earnest sobs and clasped hands
Snuffed candle falls
33. Old eyes squint in wait,
Faint sounds make feeble ears stand
Welcome youthful yells
34. As she walked past me
Stolen gaze I saw her make
Sunday I’ll be back
35. There you are li’l girl
Swathed in a field of yellow
Bees told me you’re here
36. Speak up old tree
She was here with him last night
Don't just shake your leaves
37. Embrace me hotly
Leave the cold and wet behind
Hang your love to dry
38. Ill wind blowing wild
Smashing and slashing at will
Crack! a tree trunk breaks
39. Nature's ire unleashed
Bullying all in its path
Crashing waters roar
40. The roar and fury
Of crashing, rumbling waters
Silenced by a sob
41. Sun sets on Jasmine
Scented twilight stirs my soul
Where has my love gone?
42. High atop a hill
The world looks bright and cheerful
Worms creep up to see
43. Amidst the rubble
Wasted ruins of the storm
New life emerges
44. Nature’s vanity
Musing its own reflection
Upon a clear tarn
45. Sunbeams light her path
Suddenly morning has come
Emerged from a dream
46. Shrilling buzz like drills
Cicada’s plaint close the day
Light sinks with the sun
47. Suntanned revelers
Frolic in raucous delight
Jesus impaled sweats
48. Memories are streams Of glorious times, sad failures Flowing out from time
49. Icons tumbling spin,
Flashing light and ringing bells
Sadly I drove home
50. Struggling to hold on Wiry roots cling tight to life Please don’t axe that tree
Thursday, September 04, 2008
The Fallen Gods
I saw you
I told the breeze as he swooped
And lifted a lady’s skirt
With no one seeing us
But dust and a few scattering leaves
And with a hiss
He said hush…hush
So, Zephyr back off!
You gods have lost your right
To bedevil us mortals
Prometheus had lost his fire
Achilles had athlete’s feet
Hercules went limp…ahay!
Bacchus just another sot
And Zeus’ thunder went pfft!
Now you have Gabriela to reckon with
Wielding harassment laws so stiff
And battered wives have a united front
The Human Rights commissioner’s
Gavel struck hard at the abuse
These Olympians were once amused
The then dreaded divine elite
Meek as vestal virgins in the hearth
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Uncertainty
Cruising
Ermita turned blue at six
Then burst into gaudy red
In the fading month of November
At seven
Passed through the narrow lanes
Congested by pied faced whores
On half moon doorsteps
Of smutty dives
Damsels with tattered wings
Fat and unguent faces
Emaciated crispy masks
With pasted welcoming smiles
Urchins in rags
Look at white thugs
Expecting silver drops
In their young slots
Lights off and on
Deafening blares of PAs
Incoherent attractions
Cling willfully to the senses
Now into the famed circle
Ephemeral fairies cavort
With thick pasted faces
And sagging eyelashes
Through quaint abodes
Of a bygone elegance
Reborn as couture houses
And campy discotheques
In another turn smugly sits
A neo-baroque church
Unmindful of the din
Indifferent to the sin
We made three rounds
Uncertain of intention
Not stopping at any
Papier mache distraction
Seeking comfort
In this desolation
Gentle love or tenderloin
But, we drove on
Friday, August 29, 2008
Strawberry Hill
Hats
What hat will I wear today?
To cover the bald spot and hide the gray
An obligation to human frailty
With smug but studied poise
Chin held high to hide the fidget
This charade willingly played
My shame and discomfort
For an inelegant noggin with
Scraggly growth sparsely strewn
Happy am I to be seen in
A dignified pose, a gentleman’s air
Topped with a Stetson in suede
Another Love Poem
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Night Cover
The gloom of the dark night
Blackens the filth, the squalor, the sleaze
Of narrow streets and inner city hives
Darkens the pavements, the curbs, the walls
The habitation of the wretched, the damned
Hides the sins of perverts, killers, pimps
Slimy, quivering loathsome lowlife
The gloom of the dark night
Covers the city in innocent black
All’s well in the world until the first light
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Tagaytay Mornings
Bare feet on glistening wet grass
A chorus of leaves rustling, humming
Wake my soul from its stupor
Black Labradors howling protest
Over the bread man’s honking horn
Gladden my jaded heart
Snails hurrying to greet the worms
Pacing through slithery trails
Ease my knotted sinews
Zesty sparrows collecting by the gazebo
Quarreling over seeds in a frenzy
Remind me of my daily grace
Frogs and turtles chatting by the pond
Placid water disturbed by their noise
Impress that silence is a virtue
Hungry blue birds avidly watching
Over tiny ripples made by wee fish
Stir my awareness of other’s needs
Carillon ringing its morning tidings
Clangor against brassy chapel bells
Arouse my lust for life
Evergreen giants brushing off
Wet mist from heavy shoulders
Teach me tolerance and forgiveness
A spectacle, a tableau, a pageantry,
Greet the dawning of each day
Tell of life’s lessons in Tagaytay mornings
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Leveler
Face with pride the dreaded Leveler
Follow his lead and not hesitate in your stride
The end is everyone’s fate
No argument has ever won its case
So quit a struggle that you can’t win
Face with pluck the dreaded Leveler
Honorable men proclaim their great deeds
With ignoble dealings veiled by deceit
Wastrels who spent the day and threw away the night
Rued their wanton ways and but not soon enough
Face the dreaded Leveler with head held high
Moribund journeymen with keen eyes see
Staring wildly at a blazing ethereal scene
Give up, give up, the rally is futile and tiring
And for you, my brother, the events are cast
Fight not fate, give up the struggle
Your fateful number has been drawn
Move on, you’re holding back the queue
At the rear they are giving a hefty shove
Face him now, the dreaded Leveler
Manila, Recently Dead
Manila, recently dead
Bowed under by a heavy yellow cloud
Ersatz forest in its midst struggled
But soon black soot effaced the green
Trudging wraiths crossing Quiapo bridge
So many dead men walking in a line
In silence but for footfalls on greasy cobble
Walking, not knowing wither they all go
Flowing downbridge into the plaza of demagogues
To where the women walked on shortened legs
As the cathedral belfry shouted at the throng below
Amulets, offer amulets to the blackened Messiah!
This city will not live, no not at all
Rouse your homeless and hamletize them
‘Til only mangy dogs beg in the filthy curbs
Oh Manila, recently dead, I leave you now
No one laments your passing
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Death Does Not Live Here Anymore (draft)
Death does not live here anymore
Stripped of name but one with the north wind
And the one who lives west of the moon
Whose meat has been minced by white ursine beasts
She will be honored with brilliant signs
Senseless she made better sense
Heavy shod trolls broke crags in rage
Lovers come and go but love remains
Death does not live here anymore
Nor in the deep chasms of the sea
She who was about to die did not die easily
Body racked in agony, hamstrings stretched
Straining torture racks creak yet not break
Even a heart with faith shall snap
And primal evil prevail in west of the moon
But earnest affection is impervious to pain
Death does not live here anymore
Retrospection
I sought shelter from the rain
In frayed book pages
I used to sit at the head of the table
And listened to by all seated
Dictating everything under the sun
The years have changed me much
Youthful heckling and jeering
And behind the back scheming
The shameless punks at their worst
At tweaking irreverently
On views of another time
The years have changed me much
No woman looked twice
At frayed book pages
Yet the damsels in my youth
Are etched deeply in my brows
Fie on tyrannical time
The years have changed me much
Reflections
haiku 51 to 93
51. What a lovely place
And yet so cold and forlorn
Warmth and light soon comes
52. Bathe in morning dew
Freshness filled the morning air
Withered before noon
(7/3/08)
53. With Godspeed I go
To conquests, fame and fortune
Dare burst my balloon
54. I will get through this
Stark and somber prison bars
Sunlight's shadows cast
55. Ah, the palms beckon
Leave the dreary icy cold
Balmy breeze await
56. Rest your tired wings
On a velvet purple bed
A long flight ahead
57. The silver lining
In our lives are all but gone
The sun let us down
(8/3/08)
58. Dream of Boracay
Palms swayed by the balmy breeze
Waves lap at white shores
59. Shark fins soup is nice
But it is vain indulgence
Save the man eater
(8/02/08)
60. Fairies celebrate
Elfin fireworks light the sky
With floral sparkles
61. Merciless beauty
You flaunt your allure to all
But deny pleasure
(8/7/08)
62. Brown and red leaves waving byes
To folks passing through
On the river bank
63. Not a stately tree
Grown from sapling with my care
Woodsman spare this one
64. What mystery waits
For us at a river's turn
A loud splash resounds
65. The fiery sundown
Protests the end of the day
Be my homeward light
66. I wish I could join
Trees towering above me
Beckoning breeze rustle
67. It is five thirty
Time and tide waits for no man
Bid goodbye on shore (7/18/08)
68. Warm glow envelops
My being at seaside dusk
Waves crash at the shore
69. A solemn moment
In a mysterious glade
A leaf crashes down
(7/27/08)
70. Dark clouds hovering
Over an unsuspecting sea
Soon thunder rumbles
71. A herd of sheep graze
Above the twilight's glimmer
A shepherd calls out
72. Village secrets flow
Washed and cleansed by the cascades
Still the brook babbles
73. Where kept secrets are
Lay beneath a placid lake
Fish scurry to shore
74. The rains have come late
The bowers are long dried up
Brittle branches crack
(Haiku contest winner (6/10/08)
75. My own private beach
Far from the maddening crowd
Waves break the quiet
76. Race the water flow
From rills to the great river
Slip on mossy stones
77. Apocalypse mounts
Gallop through the boding dusk
Thunder claps resound
(7/21/08)
78. Waste water buried
Into deep and dark chasms
Yet the redolence reeks
79. Drifting butterfly
At rest on crimson petals
Sweet nectar savored
80. Come out of hiding
Be vain little flower
Give shine to the world
81. The doggone dugong
Moves apathetically
No eddies swirling
82. Cool stream in the shade
Trysting place for a lover
How quietly he hides
(7/2/08)
81. King of the mountain
Youthful game we played before
Now a lonely place
82. It is never warm
Where the river meanders
The chill numbs the ears
83. Dimming light of dusk
Turns the world into slate gray
A cold night descends
84. It is summer’s end
The nestlings have flown away
Decayed nests crumble
(6/24/08)
85. A sitting duck floats
On a serene waterway
A blast found its mark
86. Through a running brook
Scurrying fish dodge pebbles
Hurrying to nowhere
87. Thoughtless north wind blows
Upon a desolate shore
Beachcombers have gone
88. How awesome God’s deed
Breathtaking patterns divine
Even in barren climes
89. The birds have flown in
Arduous journey from harsh climes
Swarm in lambent shores
(6/27/08)
90. A barren wasteland
Dry dust and shimmering heat
Dog day afternoons
91. A village stays calm
In the face of a looming threat
Of global warming
92. Pink blooms in display
Amidst a cover of green
Rare charm chanced upon
93. Icy cascades flow
In a rill with whitened banks
Laced filigree broke
Monday, August 11, 2008
Water Bitch
I adored you last night
Dainty in silky kelp
Swam into sight
Unmindful of the flotsam
And jetsam stream
Midst haughty pearls,
And blushing corals
Floated upward with bloated eyes
Fleeing softly, more inwardly
Your face grinning, breasts
Deadly smothering
But rising from the depths
Grasping wrists
Wresting, grappling limbs
Feigning postures
Then reverting
Quickly but gently on all fins
Through an opacious reverie
In the ebony depths
You sleazed on sea foam
In garments woven by the tide