Expression of His Grace

A young child loses his family in a tragedy. An elderly woman raped by her own grandson. A healthy person dies of cancer. These and more of what life has to offer mystifies the human soul. Life is so fragile that at a moment's glance it is gone.

Our family spent our Christmas at the hospital. To some, they may see it as a tragic event, but for us, it is times where we see miracles happen, a time when grace abounds. A moment to celebrate life the way our Father designed it.

Due to human's minute understanding of God's sovereignty, we tend to blame God for the things that happened to us. We let our emotions bring us to the level where we despise God and find our own means. Little do we understand that when we are despondent, it is also the time when he had carried the burden for us. Remember the "Footprints in the Sand?" Then again, we are stubborn and ungrateful. We only want to see things that we wanted and as a result, we fail and dishonor God. We overlook the blessings that would have been flowing towards us if we had followed God's plan.

I am a witness to God's sovereign power over us. We could have celebrated Christmas in pain and agony but instead, we had a peaceful heart knowing that if we would lift our burdens to Him and have faith, life isn't awful at all.

"Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the Lord your God! For the rains he sends are an expression of his grace. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring." - Joel 2:23

Life In Mono

when all is empty
when all is lost
when all that I've gathered
was nothing but a loss
whom shall I turn to?
where shall I start?

when words have been said
when everything is done
when all of the promises
have been kept but none
to whom do I believe?
to whom shall I run?

when melody fades
and the instruments broken
when lyrics are missing
and note's aren't playing
whom shall I listen to?
what will I sing?

when lips are sealed
and smiles are held
when speaking is nothing more
but losing than winning
what will I hear?
how shall I bear?

when philosophy is a means
to understanding each other
when logic is important
over humility and compassion
will there be love in caring?
will there be joy in giving?

life is colored then in monochrome
and songs are sung in monotone
words will be heavy like a rolling stone
hearts will be as cold as an empty home.

Wasted Time

I've lost this time and past
I could never make everything last
Because time flies so fast
One day you're here, gone tomorrow in a flash.

A lot of time I have wasted
A moment's sweetness I have tasted
A second or two it lasted
The rest of the time I am busted.

If only I could turn back time
I would go back to when you're mine
I'll chase every memory and chime
For you and me to be in rhyme.

But time is gone so fast it traveled
I am left alone and I wandered
A game I've made, now I surrendered
I'm giving up, before hope is shattered.

Road To Nowhere

Streetlight's glow is spreading
Into the street where I am standing
Behind me the darkness is dreading
Now that I don't know where I am heading.

Ahead my shadow lies silhouette
The farther I go, the thinner it gets.

Up above me the sky is low
Graced with stars that shines and glows
Like a river that freely flows
Into somewhere I do not know.

From somewhere my life began
Into nowhere will I be gone?

This darkness inside is suffocating
That only leaves me barely breathing
Where is the light that I am seeking
No sign, no spark, not even lightning.

I wish someone would always be there
While I travel this road to nowhere.

The Government of Craps

Most of us, if not all, have been a victim of a bureaucratic system. Below are my personal opinions to some of the “bureau’s” I had transactions with. This very rotten system that preys on nothing but the middle class society who are aware of their canine cravings but are defenseless. Let me start with the players:

THE PROFESSIONAL REGULATIONS COMMISSION
This canine department feeds on young bloods who want themselves to be “professionalized” and whose minds are “tabula rasa” in the “do’s and don’t’s” and the “how’s and why’s” of the department making them an easy prey. Also this canine department caters to the trying to be professional, professional by word and the true blooded professionals. The later is quite sleek to be a prey for them. Under this department is a bunch of craps who call themselves “professionals”. Indeed they are pro in the arena of the public market (palengke!). For there you will find how they deal with professionals and would-be professionals “professionally”. Pray they will be enlightened with a plan that would cut the line of applicants short.

THE BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE
Another bunch of craps whose main goal is to imbibe all the nutrients out of everybody except them. I’m wondering whether they are paying their taxes too? Hmmm... well they would get the very last centavo that they could get out of you in order to splurge on the whims of the government officials making it a valuable contribution to the growth of our GDP and GNP under “government expenditures”! Sounds good huh? Well that is because this pack of canines are intelligent enough to manipulate the income of the government into what is seemingly beneficial to the eyes of the public.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
These canines are builders. Engineers. Supposedly genius in building bridges, highways and other infrastructures that greatly contributes to the development of a country. Certainly, they have done a great job in building bridges that collapses in the midst of a great pressure of flood water, highways that ends in a rough road waiting to be finished by the next election and even cracks with just a small amount of built water. These canines are the master builders of the never ending maze of rough roads and beautifully crafted bridges of snares. They make good partners of neighboring countries whose ingenuity is none the less like them.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
This is one of the intelligent designs of the Government of Craps. These canines are task to educate young and future generations to feel, think and act like a true-blooded canine. They produce government officials who are good manipulators of their subordinate. They also produce responsible citizens of the country. Yes! Responsible citizens, responsible for all the rallies, strikes, leftist, critics and the like with the purpose of crashing down the ever wonderful Pearl of the Orient Seas in order to put up their own individual government! How is this done? Cut the budget, supply erroneous books, deploy incompetent teachers and provide dilapidated classrooms and in a year the goal is achieved.

BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION
These bunch of migratory birds are the most hospitable among the canine family. They serve you with a BIG SMILE and with a voice of a siren and will process your documents and papers right away. The only requirement: be a FOREIGNER! Hahaha. Unfortunately I am not, so I have to wait till my papers are into the eternity of waiting as bunch of passports and other papers pile over yours. The rest would be history.

THE HOUSE OF SENATE
This is my favorite. This department consists cute and cuddly little boys and girls playing with each other. They are tasks to create laws the would benefit the entire nation. Empathetically, they have done a great job. They have created laws that would protect the carabaos (water buffalo), a law that would inhibit law enforcers to imprison juvenile murderers, adding to the perversity of an already deviant society not to mention other nonsense laws. In addition, they spend their entire session and spend billions of pesos scrutinizing each other which would conclude into a never ever been closed cases, while wasting the people’s money into nothing but unprofitable things: The effect? The service sector becomes ineffective. The laws irrelevant. And the country is at a loss.

THE LOSERS
These comprises the middle class men and women who have no power to undo, redo and/or overwrite what has been done. All is taken out of them but nothing is given in return. The pay for the services they never even used. They are the source of quality meat that these canines need. Thus, creating a very good balance of nature neither mutual nor commensal but predatory. Other losers endure and stay, while most leave adding to the chain effect of a deteriorating society.

THE COMMON DENOMINATOR
We see that with only these few sectors of the bureaucratic system, it can already create a ripple of sinister that can destroy the entire nation. How much more if we add the other departments who are doing the same thing. This country not only thrives in an underground economy but also in “under-the-table economy.” The root is not corruption, nor under qualified government officials whose votes are gained from either the uneducated voters, payed voters, flying voters or by popularity where politics is very showbiz for most Filipinos, no wonder a lot of showbiz personalities wins in the election. But it is the selfishness of the person-in-charge of the position himself. Let’s check our attitudes and motives towards the goal we are trying to accomplish. Not to forget the externalities which would inadvertently either benefit from the good that we create or further destroy the foundation of the society.

Passion Rekindled

I was walking alone in the street with my phone in my hand trying to send a message to my sister when suddenly somebody called my name, “Mike!” I looked back and there standing just a few meters away from me holding a bag of laundry is the person I have pry to forget! The one person who captured my heart and inspired me of writing these things. The source of most of the poems I am writing. This made me smile. Smile that can never be zipped throughout our conversation. Bidding goodbye was not hard. Instead, it’s the little moment that passes by as I headed to my direction. The blood rushing through my veins making my heart beat faster. I feel like I’m a dormant volcano where magmas slowly reaching the apex to where I would explode! Fortunately, I’ve learned to control and kept everything to myself. But I know this is one hell of a big job for me.

All the while I thought, I have forgotten everything. That I am okay now. That I have moved on. But I was wrong. The events that just happened a few hours ago made me realize that the emotions I have for the person for so long wasn’t totally wiped off, but was just sleeping like a gentle giant ready for battle once triggered. Or maybe this is how you feel when you have missed the person so much!

Then again, I must retreat from the dreamy world I usually create, otherwise I would live to the illusion of things of momentary ecstasy and end up breaking my very own heart.

Sa Pag-ihip ng Hangin at Paglagas ng mga Dahon

Kasabay ng simo'y ng hangin at pagaspas ng mga dahon
Alaala ng nakaraang niluma ng panahon
Habang sa ugoy ng duya'y di umaahon
Muling sariwain ang matamis na kahapon.

Alaalang kay ganda, dulot saki'y ligaya
Isang gabi ng saya, oras ay 'di alintana
Bukang-liwayway sa bintana'y makikita
Nakaraang gabi pala'y isa na lamang gunita.

Parang kailan lang, mga buwan ay lumipas
Mga larawan mo'y nabubulok, naaagnas
Isang yugto sa buhay, 'di na muling magbubukas
Tulad ng mga dahong sa ihip ng hangi'y nalalagas.

Ngunit bakit kalungkutan ang sa akin ay hatid
Mga oras at sandali'y tila 'di mapapatid
Bawat kisap ng mata, luha ay 'di lingid
'pagkat ikaw pa rin ang tinitibok nitong dibdib.

Damdaming ito ba'y kailan magwawakas
Mga sugat na humilom, naiwa'y mga bakas
Akin pa bang aasahan, pangako ng bukas
At patuloy na kumapit sa mga salitang tila hiyas.

Pag-ibig

Sabi nila and pag-ibig ay maganda
Dulot nito'y tuwa't saya sa nangungulila
Parang isang bukal sa tigang na lupa
Isang bahaghari kapag ulan ay tumila.

Sabi naman ng iba pag-ibig ay sumpa
Malaking kasinungalingan, lulan ay masama
Sa paglipas ng panahon lalong lumalala
Daig pa ang bagyo kung puminsala'y walang sawa.

Ang pag-ibig nga naman kay lalim ng kahulugan
Kaya sa karamihan ito ay kababalaghan
Ngunit sa iba nama'y bagay na karikitan
Kaya iyong damhin ng maintindihan ng lubusan.