Pastorale

The fog draped on
Mildew, mushroomed
In a field of wax
I lost foothold
Slipping and
Grasping straws
The wind denied my hands
Lost in a field
Of waxen mildew

I am blue
My horn I blew

Red Book (Juan Makabayan)

Red book pages were props
Up on the mountain tops
Slime green cascade
Spoiled my marmalade
Glo was here today
With dogs held at bay
Furious hands grapple
The doctor prescribed apple
Mike took them all
Nothing left in the mall

I had to go down

Counter Flow

The patter pitter of the rain
Played concert with the
Tock tick of the clock
As my day started with the
Setting of the sun
I could hear the music
Rolling and rocking
From the room next
As people went out and in
Slamming doors

From the window
I strained my neck
To see and look
Behold and lo
People about and up
Flowing fro and to
Like the tides and ebbs
Of swampy waters

The strange sequence
Of events that go and come
Had me bewildered and bothered
But on the down and up
Considered, it may be better
That our fortunes go and come
And fate is as we die and live

Bye, Bye Blackbird

Blackbird
Singing from high tension wires
Urging me to sing along
Follow the frittering flashes
Of smoldering plumes
Strung up like notes
I should be home by six
But it is a pity to miss
Bird burning up high
Will anyone understand?
Asked Billie, what lament
The song intones
Blackbird strung up
In high wire
No harder luck story
Than this been told
Make my bed and light the light
I’ll be home late tonight

A Murderous Season

His dark majesty rode in with fluttering cape shrouding the day
With no bugles to herald, no chorus chanting his usurping of the light
The people in the village huddled and together trembled with fright
Pulled down the shades and barricaded the doors of straw and mud
“We’re not ready for you,” they shouted peering through slits of rotting wood
“I come at my pleasure”, he roared from his fiery eyed ebony mount

“Where are your offerings…your fealty…your sacrifices?
Where is the fattest of sheep, the youngest of sons, the purest of maidens?”
“Tempt me not to summon my minions to wreak havoc on your lowly abodes”

“Oh your eminence, forgive us for our shortcomings, turn your anger
Somewhere else…the next village perhaps…we will be ready in a fortnight”
The sheep will be fattened, our Benjamin ready and the virgin dressed in white
With a shrug that shook forests, blew away clouds and tossed seas
He said “I am a god that does not wait, I want your offerings now.
Your pleas insult me, your excuses disgust me, your promises infuriate me

All throughout the village a heavy pall of fear and dread hovered
Then he left with a shattering flash of lightning and the roar of crashing waters
Even the dawn was reluctant to shine out of the gloomy wake

Through the gray of an unsettled morning light
No babies bawled, raucous children silenced and dogs lost their whimper
Huddling in corners of their decrepit huts mumbled prayers ululated
Fathers and mothers wrap their arms around their quivering wards

Somewhere in the village young men grouped and with loud voices
Declared “prepare, be ready, let’s put up a stand against this onslaught”
Lit torches crackled, the staccato thud of pegs driven on hardwood and
The gnashing of metal sheets lashed on steady moorings were heard all night
(Lit torches crackled, steel against steel gnashed with their honing
The staccato of bamboo poles hewed and sharpened in broken rhythms)

As before, his dreadful majesty comes without herald, without ominous harbingers
The sky will crack up and with bright electric storm light up a silhouette of trees
Along the edge, a bleak horizon flashing off and on in rapid succession
As bats dot the darkened the forest’s canopy like scattered ants in a broken hill

Now he came as threatened…sudden, looming big, terrifying and horrid
Against a backdrop of a splintered sky…a tattered Aurora’s hem
Thunderous hooves fell on hard and dry ground shaking up mountains
Primeval forests bared and hills flattened with every heavy stride

It was a peaceful night in the tiny hamlet, only the rustling of rotted leaves
And the mewling of a distant cat could be heard in the village square
Past the ruins of an adobe chapel, by the field of withered corn stalks
Roods of odd sizes and slabs of crude granite scattered on weeded plots

A murderous season came to pass, a plunder most cruel and swift
There is no redress, no recompense, no relief and no reparation
Injustice, unfairness and unconscionable cruelty never were protested
It is the way of all things and it will inflict its fury again in time

David’s Birthday Poems

1. There is this David from Saigon
Upon seeing a cake on a ledge
Huffed and puffed away
At eleven candles on its edge
Hey! It’s his birthday today!



2. Today David turns eleven
No finer lad this side of heaven
With his smile and clever wit
And a grouch not even a bit
Blew big candles on a cake
A bite of which you have to take



3. No nicer lad than David you will find
A cheery face to match a clever mind
Hey! Today is March three in Saigon
A day for moping and sulking to be gone
For he turns eleven and not a day late
Surely a day for everyone to celebrate.

Sea Change

Do you have a sea within you
Where awesome barnacled monsters
And fragile fish in shiny crimson vests
Scatter in the sea grass as they meet

A swarm of wrasse streaming through
Like muted skylarks chasing wind
On a swathe of gaudy pink corals and
Upon fields of somber olive kelp

Oh what a powerful will lie in wait
In the calm waters of the deep
Only the undulation of the sea grass
Give hint to the burgeoning force

Oft times, restless waves with billowing roar
Swell up to heave foamy white crests
To crash against the stolid gray cliffs
Challenging steadfast promontories

But the land will always frustrate the dare
The sea falls back deeper into its abysmal depths
Then, gathering strength, it rises again
Rallying waves to get back at a startled shore

Dark Eden

I lived in depths of a thousand fathoms
Where days are dark and cold
Darting shrimps leave silver streaks
The only light to be seen at noon

You can’t tell when it’s ebb or tide
In my abyss no precision gauge
Measure what is great and small
Leviathans and weak fish equal in esteem

Friendly barnacles smile but who’s to see
Sea grass greet should anyone come
Fiddler crabs play mute chamber music to
An audience of groupers with mouths agape

Endless miles of filigreed corals
Graceful kelp lined row on row
A regal maze of lime green hedges
Lie hidden in deep blue trenches

Loveliest place in all of the seven seas
Only if a million bonfires could be lit
An Eden kept secret, you know it’s there
Illumined by floodlights of my mind

I Remember Valentine

Do I recall saying,
Lines that ardent swains’ whisper?
Borrowed sonnets from the Portuguese

Do I recall offering,
What every adorer bears?
Wine-red roses and chocolate truffles

Do I recall the impetuous act,
That a lover on impulse dare?
Clasp hands delicate as Dresden blue

Do I recall the affectionate kiss,
That I, with fervent passion implored?
Scarlet lips voluptuous as Autumn cherries

I do recall with longing all these and more,
A lunatic fringe all young lovers dwell in,
Reckless adoration of the beloved on Valentine’s Day

A Pointillist Morning

Off-white mist rising on the ridge
Hurrying into the emptiness between trees
Lost in a thick stroke of green curlicues
Then splattered by a sudden breeze
Like silver droplets scattered by a frisky dog
Shaking off unwanted cold rain
Glistening like playful carmine dots on a
Mantle of matted threads of emeralds
A sudden inspiration, a shimmer of yellow birds
Explodes like a roman candle in sparkling hues
Filling the cerulean sky with tiny glittering flakes
The scene, now in orderly chaos and panic
Strewing golden leaves and bronzen twigs
Blotting over an increasing spread
A canvas speckled with lusty colors
Of an artist’s special view of
A morning by the ridge

To Alicia Back From Dubai

Throw the door wide open and rejoice
With spread arms and welcoming laughter
Oh, my beloved is back from a long sojourn
A perilous odyssey in distant shores

She walked in with silent grace emerging
With familiarity that rekindled the house lamps
Perhaps I will enthrone her there
On the ornate chair at the head of the table

And all the people who came to greet
Curious idlers whiling away the time of day
Will notice her tired but brilliant glow
Modest elegance, with simple flair

Reach out and hold my hand, beloved
Let you and I bask in the familial warmth
Come, adorn my hearth and home
Bringing back affection and care

Open your bag brimming
With your homecoming gifts
Wrapped in happy paper prints
For those huddling by your side

You’re beside us once more
Delirious with joyful affection
Dust and scrape your wayward roving shoes
Never to leave the welcome mat by the door

Graduation Post Script

When we were through with our scholastic years

And have returned to the happy slant of things

Bid hello again to the lively reality of out of school

Relieved from poring heavy tome upon tome

Wanting in words to describe the relief the hiatus caused

From the rigors and hardships of a disciplined way of life

The august halls of the alma mater a prison now behind us

And parchment scroll did seem irrelevant to our lives

The college library had graffiti on its mottled walls

The carillon pealed from cracked bells jangling hymns

A heavy yellow pall spread clammily in the quadrangle

The dean was in disrespect, the faculty tainted, we were sure

But what of the mind?, The cultivation of which

Unknowingly, surreptitiously had been honed to face

The challenges of a reality then far imagined

Clearing the muddled glasses of youthful views

Soon we realize that the years behind the ivied walls

Were not stones wasted and skimmed in an algae filled pond

Later as we mused and pondered complexities of existence

That would have stunned us dumb had we not persisted

Morning Bells and Prayers

The bells rang raucously
As they have always done at six
They rang late for the devoted one
Who was out of bed by five

They rang too soon for some
Who need not wake at such a time
A stolen hour from someone’s rest
To restore strength to work the day

The loudspeakers shouted rudely
On the day’s crack of dawn
Waking every creature from their stupor
Rousing their faith with noisome pleas

The voices buzzed with electric crackle
Intelligible cackle cutting through the fog
It’s done no good for all its intentions
Unwanted annoyance to start the day

Black Bamboo

The black bamboo fronds reached low
Swinging to every blustery blow of the westerly
Up and down, to and fro, left and right
But rising to straighten not staying low for long
Like erect whips snapping lively at impassive clouds
Lashing out against phantom scars and imagined foes

With momentary lulls they spring back to uprightness
The wee creatures at the lower branches stir and chirp
As if a siren sounded the respite and the return of the calm
The bamboo shed encrusted scales relieving the itch
Caused by the constant strain of heaving, stooping and rising
Then it stooped so low, creaked and broke its battered bole

Not even the sparrows at the bowers could, despite their cheering
Set it back to its poised air and proud bearing
The waste left by an unbending and unyielding pride
The litter of the green flaky rust lay on sodden floor
Who is to clean up? Who is to wield the broom?
No, not us. No, not the wind, not you nor I

Terrorism

The zeal of the crusades
Persists resolutely to this day
Shackling the tractable faithful and
Hounding the wretched infidels

Missions more impassioned than ever
In fulfilling their avowed vision for all
Insistence rather than tolerance and suasion
Contrary beliefs and rights repressed

Other faiths fight back with fanatic fervor
Striking with flaming blades the unbeliever
The whiter the flash the redder the carnage
The louder the blast the more terror sown

Death to the cohorts bearing the cross
Sowing terror is ruthless intolerance, but,
Saint George and Michael Archangel delivering
Fire and brimstone to the heathen yet another

Rainy Day

Rain chatters annoyingly
An incessant harangue on metal sheets
Drums, grates, pesters my listlessness

A lackluster sun sinks ever so weakly
On a jagged silhouette of somber evergreens
Its gilt edge no more than erose rustiness

I remember the ugliness of the day
The slate gray of twilight taking over
Amidst the harassment of an obstinate rain

Nocturne

Listen, the footfall of padded paws thud
As twilight wafts its melancholy tune
The traipsing of furtive mannequins into the scene
To start the commerce of the night
Ah, angels on hocked wings mingling in the shuffle
Of insatiable lusts of men of all skins

A nightlong stance of enticement and allure
No rest, nor ease through the cold and apathetic dark
No help, no solace from a sometimes provident night
Singles, pairs or even threes they hustle corners
In tatty glad-rags and blackened rouge they sell
Ersatz affection, snatches of bliss to blighted souls

Heaven has no ears to hearken to piteous plaints
From cracked lips and blistered tongues
They push their trade until soles run raw
Waifs with scarred heels hide in scaly shadows
Oh, what lassitude shrouds the night air
In the blazing red light of a false sunrise

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

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

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

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.

David's Poems

Poems written by my ten year old grandson, David Belmonte as part of school work.

My Magic Box

I will put in the box

The red roses in a raspberry field,

The silver in a gold mine and

The last Dodo on Earth.

I will put in the Box

The feathers of five flaming Phoenixes,

A soul from heaven and hell and

the last star in the Universe.

I will put in the Box

A golden summer whale on the sapphire sea,

A bird with four legs and a wolf that glides.

I will put in the Box

A scorpion with no stingers but seven claws,

The red scale of a blue dragon and

a mother’s last wish before death.

Elegy

When I’m alone, I think of you,

When I walk around, I hear your voice,

Whenever I look at the moon, I always see your face,

Thinking you might be around,

But knowing that you’re gone…

When I was young, you took care of me…

When I was young, you left me here…

I believe you still exist today,

I believe that you haven’t left,

But still, I know that you’re gone.

When you passed away, I thought you weren’t gone,

I thought you were moving, I thought you were still here,

But then I realized, a part of me was missing.

But still, I knew that part was you.

Sorrow is the knife that stabs me in the heart,

Death is the sickly arrow that separated us,

Now I don’t know what to do,

Without your guidance I wouldn’t understand,

But still, I know that you’re gone.

It’s hard to be brave about it,

I wish you were still here,

But I know that we will meet again,

So I look forward to that one day,

Where I will be re-united once again…

Ode

You are the miracle that guided me to happiness,

The one that helped get through the darkness,

Who saved me from my own sadness,

The savior of my life and the giver of my heart.

The hero that guided my soul to victory,

You are the reality that does not end,

Continuing every day and night,

The dreams are sent by you.

Unusual in it’s own way, creating forms,

Forms of different kind, unique and untraceable,

These dreams can be anything or anywhere,

Every corner of a dream hides something,

Like a secret or a new feeling.

A land where nothing sleeps, eats or drinks,

A mysterious place where nothing rules,

Nothing hates, nothing likes,

A private area to relax in a bed of emotions,

Unknown to the world and a mystery to all,

Nobody knows, so it’s all mine!

Personification

I smite your happiness with my raging fist

It is I that fills you with negative thoughts

For I bring calamity and hatred to your soul

It is I, Anger.

Minding your own business

Then a corrupted surge goes through

Leaving you in a daze of black and red

Slowly entering your mind…

I am normal to those who hate

Those who disrespect others

It is I that makes them feel hateful

It is I that makes them careless

My box is styled with rocks, diamonds and bones.

It has steel on the lid and emotions in the corners.

It’s hinges are the toes of Ostriches.

I will fly in my box and land in the waters

of the calm sea and ride the creatures in it.

Then I will move the stars with it.

I will put in the Box

A poem’s end and a Final word:

END

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

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

Taal Volcano

...........................Taal Volcanoooooo

it’s
just
a little
islet afloat
in an expanse
so serene and quiet
only a pulsating ember
creeps out of the milky mist
blazing violence now rarely seen
children on horseback on your slopes
unaware of the havoc you once caused

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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