Around the World

Around the world I rove and observe,

the events and how people behave.

See someone lies, cheat and make-believe,

or worships his wealth from life to grave .

As I take a trip from place to place,

meeting people of different race.

With colors so dark, brown and whitish,

traits can’t be seen in color and face.

What I see is crime and greediness,

power bragging over the oppressed.

Each country is hungry and obsessed,

to take hold of ones' country’s riches.

Some leaders deliver phony speech,

to pretend that peace is what they search.

They would sign a pact with other states,

an accord that later they will breach.

Around the world there exists hunger,

but war is what some leaders prefer.

There exist disparity and fear,

and when it will end, I know never.

(Repost)

SMILE

What a smile brings to our life?

For it changes our mood when we are grieving.
What is the world when we smile not?
A haven of living creatures frowning.

What is beauty without a smile?
But a lady bound for seclusion.
What anything good we get from smiling?
A happy life with healthy disposition.

Smile when you wake up in the morning,
And thank the Lord for the new day.
Smile before you rest at night,
And thank the Lord for the passing day.

We have all the reasons to smile,
For our mere existence in this world,
For all the blessings that we received,
The test in life is for us to hold.

To hold on to our belief in GOD,
And sever not even for awhile.
The life and everything that we have,
Enough reason that we loss not to smile.

Blurred Existence

I make romance to the serenity

of nature

As I take refuge at the shadows

of the trees

Feels the tender puff

of the zephyr

And listens to the tweets

of the birds

I could smell the fragrance

of the flowers

While watching the gliding leaves

of the plants

That dances along with the blow

of the gentle breeze

As it slowly falls and touches the arms

of the grassy land

The butterflies smelling the fragrance

of the blooming floras

The honeybees temptingly nipping

of the flowers sweet nectar

I see the recurrent leaps

of the grasshoppers

And the beautiful flock formation

of the hovering dragonflies

Never will I be tired to embrace

this wonderful gift from God

And will always be grateful

with this pleasure I have

But in the morning when I rise

I ran outside and look around

The enthralling panorama of nature

it all exists, but only in my dream

Is It Christmas?

Christmas songs play on the radio

Glittering lights adorn the streets and houses
Is it Christmas?

Amidst the busy streets of the city
Children knocking on every car
Peeping at the heavily tinted windows
The motorists ignore

Along the walkway the old man sits
Waiting for the passersby
The open palm tirelessly drapes in the air

Some people are preparing their lists
Busy shopping for gifts
Is it Christmas?

In the province, people are busy too
Collecting their belongings
The livelihood and properties ruined by the storm
Rebuilding their scattered lives

In a shanty, a sick mother lies
Anticipating for her child to come home
No food or medicine on her side

Inside some bars, people are enjoying
There are parties everywhere
Is it Christmas?

Love and Heartache

In the quiet of the night, where shadows softly blend, 
I trace the echoes of a love that won’t amend. 
Your laughter’s gentle trace still dances in my mind, 
A melody of moments we were destined to unwind.

In every sunrise I find the ghost of your embrace, 
In every fleeting twilight, I still seek your face. 
Yet time, the cruel thief, has stolen what we knew, 
Leaving me with memories, and dreams that we once grew.

Your absence is a silence that speaks in aching tones, 
A void where once our hearts beat in harmonious zones. 
Each heartbeat is a whisper of the love we used to share, 
Now fading into shadows, lost within despair.

The promises we made, now fragments of the past, 
The tender words we spoke, just echoes that can’t last. 
I wander through the remnants of a love that used to be, 
Holding on to fragments of what we once set free.

Oh, how the night winds carry the weight of dreams undone, 
A heart that’s torn and tattered, in the wake of setting sun. 
Yet in this sea of sorrow, where heartache meets the dawn, 
I cherish every heartbeat of a love that’s now withdrawn.

For though the pain is endless and the tears may never cease, 
The love we shared was worth the cost, a bittersweet release. 
So here’s to love and heartache, to the joy and to the strife, 
For in their tangled dance, we find the echoes of our life.

Note: This is an AI composed poem

Tears in Waiting

I think it is now the time for me
To weep and let my tears fall down
For I now slowly feel and see
That it’s time for you to leave the town

Darling, when it’s time for you to leave
Please hold my hand and say goodbye
Then a hug is all I have to give
And whisper you that I’ll be standing by

I’ll wait until you return dear
Even if my waiting is vague and nil
And even until the end of my life comes near
For time may pass but I will stay still

When you're gone, I’ll set my eyes to no one
And keep myself in a solitary place
And once I hear that you’re back in town
I’ll seek for you to fill my heart’s empty space

However, when we’ll meet again dear
And I’ll find that you’re no longer mine
To bother you I will do never
And keep my tears until my dying time

Stay Beside Me

Come, listen to the sound

of the chirping crickets,
of the night bird,
and other insects.

Come, we sit
on the fallen tree,
reclined on the earth,
then we watch the stars above.

Come, place your head
on my shoulder,
and your long hair,
the fragrance I smell.

Come, feel my warmth
and I feel your warmth,
in the cold night,
I hug you tight.

The SEA

A wide body of water

the home of sea creatures
creeping,
swimming.
The school of fish
pursued by sharks,
barracudas chasing
and the whales are waiting.

In the seabed
holes
are the eels hiding
with high voltage tail.

The sea urchins,
on the corals they sit
with their needle like shrubs
wagging.
The seaweeds
of color green,
brown, red and black
and so the algae drifting.

The dolphins are flipping
while the seagulls are flying.
The flying fish soaring
above the sea.

The sea turtle
corroding
could hardly recognize
the food from trash,
an endangered species.

A giant floating,
made of iron or timber,
pollution it brings,
back then... the clear water…
now black.

When a vessel
becomes a flotsam
beneath the sea
yield refuge
to its inhabitants,
soon a diver’s spot.

PeOpLe and FaTe

There are people who are
considered as icons,
because of their contribution
to arts and literature,
to science and music,
and even politics.

Some people brags. . .
of their skills,
of their knowledge,
of their looks
and intelligence,
so proud of their existence.

Others are being humble,
and choose to stay
behind the shadow
of other people,
being low profile
even appears to be out of style.

We may choose
what we want to be,
what we want to do,
where we want to go,
the people to be with
but fate is not for us to predict.

Simple Things

*

Imagine a dog in a doghouse

and nobody will tend; it won’t survive.

Imagine a lovebird alone in a birdcage;

it will surely die.

**

Imagine the sky without the moon and stars;

total darkness.

Imagine a world without music;

a deafening silence.

***

Sometimes, there are simple things around us

that we tend to ignore.

Oftentimes, we focus on

things that give us satisfaction.

****

But, have you ever imagined what will happen

if everything around you will vanish?

What if you will be left in a place

with nothing but an endless horizon?

*****

Man has no satisfaction and always aims for the best,

not minding the simple things around.

Think, before you forget; act before it’s too late,

for that very simple thing might be the biggest loss in your life.

******

Sometimes

Sometimes in our life, there’s an instance,

that we were given a chance,

To choose the road to take and walk on,

and decide on things that come along.

Sometimes, as we walk along the road,

we meet someone we can’t avoid.

That no matter how we try to evade

the heart always takes the lead.

Sometimes, we try to fight it out

to overcome the things we doubt

But no matter how strong we are,

the heart prevails in this war.

The battle between the heart and the mind

is a war so hard to beat and bind.

For when a feeling is at stake

only the heart will reign and direct.

Sometimes, no matter how a thing is wrong

the heart sees nothing but beauty alone

And whatever the world will comment,

the heart will follow what is meant.

The bottom line now is to face reality,

to follow what your emotions say,

But never sacrifice what makes you happy,

At the end of the day, your decisions stay.

Collateral Damage?

The years spent by a nurturing and caring hand
Life as precious as her life . . . gone in a second

Ignoring life in satisfaction of a promise

An action that seems to be a blatant excess

For even a beast’s life is precious, man’s life should be

God offered the life, only He, can take it away 

The authority, supposed to be the protector

Appears to be the punisher and masked aggressor

Yet, the lies and insistence that all is in triumph

Seemingly giving the people nothing but false hope

To defend is not to transgress, saying it’s legal         

Man is not a toy but with flesh and blood that’s real

The intent that is supposed to be for everyone

A good intent yet wrong . . . the manner how it is done

For when the implementation is not what we hope for 

All is off-beam . . . then the graveyard is only for the poor 

There's not a Change

I walk slowly, I walk fast but there’s not a change

Heard the gun fires, the bellow, the cries and the whines

I stop for awhile, look around and view the place

And wonder if in this land I could find solace

I perch on a tree trunk and ponder with the time

As I hear the songs of yesterday… a grumble

There’s not a change… it’s the same music that I hear

There’s not a change… the noise of time that I should bear

The passersby, I hear them singing… so lonely

Walking towards somewhere… to a place of nowhere

I see their faces but I don’t know what they feel

There seems a pain and unseen wound that never heal

There’s always a promise in an uncertain world

A hold on pledge may always be heard but not felt

We can walk or run; we can shout or just whisper

Prove that we can do anything and should not fear

If I sing with them . . . or not, will there be a change?

If I walk with them . . . or not, will there be a change?

It’s my mind that will decide but my heart will tell
Amend . . . easy to say yet so hard to compel

Taking the Risk

All our life we take the dangers

from birth until our dying years

we took the risk knowingly or naively

a cycle in an unpredictable society 

In the past, we already took the risk

do not ask since there were a lot to think

we took the risk hoping for a change

though change was never within the range

Tired of waiting for the things we hoped

from the promises that were only a joke

of the plans where execution is vague

delivered by a tongue that only talks big

The dangers we bumped into were matchless

but it seems the lessons learned were less

there was always a glimpse of hope

unfortunately, we had never coped 

Narsiso

Sino ba itong nakaharap sa salamin

Na tila lahat ng anggulo ay nais sipatin

Kakagatin ng marahan ang mga labi

Saka kikindat at maglalabas ng ngiti

Halos isang oras nang paikot-ikot

At ang buong mukha ay kinakalikot

Panay ang hagod sa kinulayang buhok

Subalit ang porma ay hindi matumbok

Sino ba itong naglalakad ng marahan

Tila inaagaw ang pansin ng karamihan

Agaw-pansin ang bawat kilos at mga salita

Maharot man o mahinhin, ito’y sinasadya

Sino ba itong laman ng mga umpukan

At nais ay siya lamang ang pinakikinggan

Lahat ay kaya at palaging siya ang bida 

Siya ang magaling, ang guwapo o maganda

Sino ba itong laman ng social media

Bawat kibot ay nakalathala ang mukha

Sa bawat oras ay may bagong larawan

Kuha man sa kubeta o sa paminggalan

Nagkaroon ka na ba ng oras na mapagtanto

Kung ang mga kilos mo ay totoo o biro

Isa ka ba sa mga Narsiso ng kasalukuyan

Na ang sarilli ay labis na kinahuhumalingan

Kababawan

susubukan kong magsulat ng isang tula na kakaiba

may mga salita na medyo malalim at matalinhaga

mga salitang pinag-isipan at may kurot sa masa

ngunit, paano ba uumpisahan. . . bigla akong natulala

umupo sa harap ng kompyuter, nag-isip at tumipa

tumingala, napatungo at kinusot ang mga mata

tumipa ng mabagal hanggang makabuo ng mga salita

subalit nang binasa, mga salita ay kagyat na binura

sumandal sa upuan at nag-isip ng taimtim

anong mga salita ba ang matalinhaga at malalim

ang salitang balon ba ay maituturing na malalim

at ang matalinhaga ay katulad ng salitang lihim?

ha ha ha . . . bigla akong natawa sa aking naisip

napakababaw na biro bakit ‘di na lang umidlip

marahil sa pagtulog ay magkaroon ng panaginip

mainam nga’ng matulog kesa sa umupo at maghalukipkip

talagang kasama sa buhay ang pagiging mababaw

lumalabas paminsan-minsan na animo ay bulalakaw

at sa atensyon natin ay paminsan-minsan umaagaw

may nakakainis, nakakatuwa, depende sa salita o galaw

ang pagiging mababaw ay larawan ng katotohanan

kung paano ninanais ng tao ang maging ganito o ganyan

sa ganang akin, ang kababawan ay hindi isang kamalian

basta’t ito ay walang naidudulot na kapahamakan

Seasons of Love

It was in fall when I met you

As you walked with a gloomy face

There’s no one cared, neither one had noticed

But in my fleeting look, I saw some grace

Then fall had petered out and winter came

Fate had intrude and I met you again

I thought I saw you appeared so calm

With a graceful walk but a cold grin

When spring had arrived I was hoping

For interference from a prowler fate

Then I saw you with a genuine smile

A stunning beauty had made me quiet

The summertime was the most wonderful

Strolling around holding each other’s hand

The fulfilled time and cheerful hearts

Changes the life that used to be bland

The Future in January

I walk past the years and look at the future

As January comes though I wasn’t so sure

Will there be a new sunshine for me to see?

Or, a signal of new hope as what they say.

I waited, I hoped but then, I never learned

That waiting and hoping can simply be earned

In an idle time of a lethargic man

Nowhere to go if won’t budge a leg or arm

I hope, we all can hope, but it’s not enough

A balloon in an empty room would soon puff

I can wait; we all can wait from dawn ‘til dusk

The trinkets will hide unless it is unmasked

Now, I want to walk fast towards the future

But the future seems at a very far shore

In the mid-day of life still keeps on searching

The vagueness of future still in the offing

I wish to change my mind and run or step back

Time is fading in a life with so much flak

Then the realization came like a lightning

The future is near yet so far from reaching

Simple Christmas

I have a wish on Christmas day

not for me but for everybody

a wish for all to be merry

but celebrate in a simple way

As clock ticks and years are fast leaving

Christmas celebrations are changing

from simple one to profit-making

It becomes the way for carousing

So thrilled that people tend to forget

that Christmas is not for sumptuous feast

neither the reason for pricey gifts

It’s Christ who makes the Christmas complete

To rejoice depends on your belief

and it’s not all about the word thrift

perhaps it’s a pleasure for yourself

but Christ came with nothing for Himself

Sure, you have the right to expend  

and. . . we have no right to contend

but if you have the means to spend

let Christ be as the pleasing end 

Belief

Belief can be a bridge or a river

that can connect us or take us apart

can be a rope that would keep us near

or a wall that keeps us at a distant

He reads and sings praises, while you kneel

he bows his head, while you calmly sits

his belief is not what you think and feel

your belief is not within his wits

You have a Pope, while he has a Dalai Lama

he has an Imam, while he has a Rabi

all are leaders and protector of a dogma

the prudent ones that can keep us nearby

Religion, faith, belief or whatever is the term

is one of the things that flares us and keeps us going

it binds certain people but not the world as a team

but oneness can be attained if people stop reproving

Respecting ones faith is all what necessitates

for we all have the freedom to choose our belief

Religion should not be the cause of conflicts

but an equalizer so we can have peace and relief