Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts

Thursday, October 8, 2009

We were always meant to say goodbye

Every morning we walk in strides
There's the sun, the sky, and your smile
But today there's only the sun and the sky
We were always meant to say goodbye

I see you and me enjoying life's ride
Till the Earth and moon collide
But I knew even as the sun still shines of bright
We were always meant to say goodbye

You make my world come alive
In my heart your voice brings delight
Now I long for those beat through the night
We were always meant to say goodbye

We were always meant to say goodbye
Guess I need to learn to just cry
Always I dream of you by my side
But we're always meant to say goodbye

***

For Liz and Chen. Here's hoping they become best friends again. I don't believe that they were always meant to say goodbye.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Lions and cakes

To the lady with the most playful of names,
Whose name's the most beautiful sound
Jake has ever heard.

ROQUITA.

To the woman with the most infectious of laughters,
Whose smile's the most sincere one
Jake has ever glimpsed.

EKIT.

To the señorita who eats lions for breakfast,
Whose toughness is the only thing
Jake will ever fear.

DOÑA RUTH.

To the girl who craves cakes for desserts,
Whose sweetness the most ironic anomaly
Jake has ever encountered.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Lions and Cakes

This is a birthday poem in lieu of a message I wrote for an office mate's birthday. Every time somebody celebrates a birthday, one of my office mates would collect messages and create a powerpoint presentation to be sent to the celebrant a day or so before his or her birthday.

August 7 - Happy birthday, Ekit.

That first lullaby

carefully they whispered your name
happily sung in morning hymns
immeasurable smiles on their faces
beautifully written in tears
beaming with joy and gladness
your cry vanished into peace

and on your cheek they plant a kiss
happy to know you cared

and in your dreams you blow a kiss
happy to know they're scared

that first lullaby

This is a birthday poem in lieu of a message I wrote for an office mate's birthday. Every time somebody celebrates a birthday, one of my office mates would collect messages and create a powerpoint presentation to be sent to the celebrant a day or so before his or her birthday.

August 5 - Happy birthday, Chenara.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Just smile

May smile finds its way back
And sadness be lifted off
Remember the happy past
Imagine them back and
Everything shall fall in place

Love continuously
Offer a smile spontaneously
Understand frequently

Measure success by love given
And not how much was returned
You have already won

Smile the biggest smile
Make the sadness shy
Imagine what went before return
Love like that rose without torn, and
Everything shall fall in place

Marie Lou May Smile
- a cheesy birthday poem I wrote for Rocky's birthday (July 8).

Sunday, June 1, 2008

In behalf of Rocky

Rocky May Cry

Religiously I sought that smile and
Over the hill we met.
Careless and free and
Kind and happy.
You vanished abruptly.

May I find you again someday,
As I walked through this darkness.
You beacon me towards the light.

Careless and free and
Renewed and blessed.
You and I shall meet again.

(Rocky May Cry)

Written in the voice of Rocky (an office mate), this is a birthday poem in lieu of a message I wrote for an office mate's birthday. Every time somebody celebrates a birthday, one of my office mates would collect messages and create a powerpoint presentation to be sent to the celebrant a day or so before his or her birthday.

June 1 - Happy birthday, Lou.

For Irene

Remember that being a Kagay-anon
You are beautiful,
You are smart,
You are friendly,
You are sincere.

Remember that you are.
Because we do.

Believe that you have
The most beautiful of eyes,
The most charming of smiles,
The most contagious of laughs,
The most loyal of friendships.

Believe that you have.
Because we do.

Know that on this day
You are remembered,
You are cherished,
You are blessed,
You are loved.

Know that you are.
Because we do.

(For Irene)

This is a birthday poem in lieu of a message I wrote for an office mate's birthday. Every time somebody celebrates a birthday, one of my office mates would collect messages and create a powerpoint presentation to be sent to the celebrant a day or so before his or her birthday.

May 23 - Happy birthday, Irene.

Ayon kay Ploning

Si Ploning na ang maysabi,
O minsa'y nagtanong,
"Hindi ba mas masarap isipin,
Na kaya ikaw ang mas nasasaktan
Dahil ikaw ang mas nagmamahal?"
Huwag kang matakot Mae,
Huwag mangamba,
Hayaan mong dumaan ang nakaraan.
Hayaang saktan ka ng karanasan.
Hayaang mga sugat ay humilom.
Hayaan mong ngumiti muli
Ang iyong isipan,
Iyong puso,
Iyong damdamin.

'Kaw ang mas nasaktan.
Dahil ikaw ang mas nagmahal.

(Ayon kay Ploning)

This is a birthday poem in lieu of a message I wrote for an office mate's birthday. Every time somebody celebrates a birthday, one of my office mates would collect messages and create a powerpoint presentation to be sent to the celebrant a day or so before his or her birthday.

May 17 - Happy birthday, Ruvy Mae.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

A soul that cares

i have nothing to give you
except my time
my loyalty
my understanding
my friendship
my love
a shoulder to lean on
a shoulder to cry on
i have an ear for listening
a heart for understanding
i am a soul that cares

Friday, July 6, 2007

A song for no one

(Something I wrote around March 2006 after watching the (soprano) Evelyn Mandac Concert at the Rodelsa Hall, March 18, 2006. And like anything that is written in one sitting, it's very amateurish in my opinion. But I'm posting this anyway.)

I sing a song for no one
For they wouldn't care
I sing a song for her
But she doesn't care
If I sing a song for you
Would you care?

With every word I utter
Are the experiences of the lyricists
Every time I sing, I speak for them
I fade away
And the lyricist takes over

But give me a chance, you'll see
Underneath the lyrics and the music
Is me borrowing the perfect words and notes
To describe how I feel
Look further and you'll see me
Listen further and you'll hear me

A Song for No One

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

How do you say goodbye?



How do you say goodbye...

To the tree that continues to wave their leaves
To the wind that continues to blow
To the rain that continues to pour
To the sea that continues to rush to shore
To the sun that continues to smile

Even as you walk the other way
Even as you can no longer see them
Even as you find yourself miles away
Even as you discover new ones
Even as their pictures fade

They are still there

And you continue walking
Reminiscing
Singing
Thinking
Living

Life is a journey

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Chloe's Song

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, expectant mothers, and sisters who are acting like mothers to their siblings. Chloe is what my officemate, Michelle, calls her still-to-be-born child. Michelle is one true friend that anyone would be lucky to have. There's not a shred of doubt in my mind that she's going to make a great mother to Chloe. And Chloe knows this and, for sure, yearns for the day she'll be born and be held with the utmost care and most sincere love by her mother Michelle and her father Beau.

Chloe's Song

I am sure I am a lucky child
I know this before I am born
You are the most caring mother
I feel this before I see

"I love you, mom"
This I shall say
A thousand times
Before learning to speak

I enjoy your stories
I enjoy your songs
I long for your words
Before knowing what they mean

I am dancing with you
Before knowing how to walk
I am laughing with you
Before knowing how to smile

You put me to rest
And you wake me up
Before knowing what's morning
And how it differs from night

You fed me, and
Your love clothed me
Before knowing what's hunger
Before knowing to shiver

I long to be born, mom
Not to see the world
But to see you, be held by you
The first person who loved me

Thank you for having me
Thank you for being you
Happy Mother's Day
Soon, each other we'll see

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Veronika

veronika

the birds stopped singing
they just chirp
the trees stopped dancing
they just sway
the winds stopped talking
they just whisper

veronika thought
and she decided to die

and it paved the way for
other people deciding to live

the decision to take her life,
helped others decide to cherish their's
the irony that's killing her
is breathing life to other souls

***

Read Paulo Coelho's Veronika Decides To Die. Ironically, it's a story about living.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

High drama


high drama

it's not enough to say
"you're beautiful"
the birds must sing
with such delight
as you pass by

it's not right to say
"you've such sweet smile"
my heart must leap
and my spirit fly
because you smiled

"you're friendly"
isn't gonna cut it
the sun must shine
like never before
after years of storm

"you've lovely voice"
is quite simplistic
my ears must flutter
and my heart dance each time
you whisper my name

i couldn't just say
"i miss you"
i have to say
"my heart yearns to see you again"
soon my friend

One long goodbye

The picture is that of I-forgot-what-hole of the Del Monte Golf Course in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. I took it September 17, 2006, hours before a phone conversation with a friend, to whom I dedicate the poem, a conversation where she told me she's boarding a plane that would take her to a city far from Cagayan de Oro (the city otherwise known as Los Angeles, CA). I thought we'll never see each other for a very long time.

I thought she'd never return. I was wrong, she did. I thought I was saying goodbye to her back then. That, too, was wrong. It's only now, five months later, that I am truly beginning to say goodbye. How ironic, too, that it's happening when she has returned. How things have changed from when I talked to her that night of September 17, to when I wrote the poem October 1, to now.

I'm beginning to say goodbye. Will it ever end? Shoud I even say goodbye?

dnt give me dat
drama, watevr u
col it. m tyrd...
- the
friend to whom i dedicate this poem

Ears a flutter?

Fluttering ears. Now there's a pretty picture.

I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself
-
Savage Garden, Affirmation

Friday, December 29, 2006

rain, sleep

The sweet rain I cherished as a child
Is the same rain I fear as a grownup.
The gentle rain that never hurt me then,
Now makes me sneeze and cough.
Fear, as Yoda once said,
Is a path to the dark side.
***

At the office, the rain told me to go home.
At home, it told me to sleep.
I am still awake.
The rain speaks a strange language.
***

Into the deep forest of slumber I go.
Unto its grounds I lay down my day memories.
Tomorrow, at the break of dawn,
I shall gather them once more.
Some, I will lose. They are the forgotten.
A few new ones will be added. Lessons learned.
Strange thing, the journey through the night.
***

In a world and at a time
where everybody is sleeping,
I am awake.
I'll guard your dreams.
***

TXT GAP.
Even in my sleep, she is the one I texted.
Even in my wakefulness, she doesn't reply.
***

Friday, December 15, 2006

tale of two poems


I had recently been taking a fifteen-minute nap every after lunch break. I would put on my headset and listen to the playlist I call "sleepy head". In the playlist are instrumental that are very relaxing to the ears and perhaps to the soul. One of the pieces included in this playlist is The Lake House by Rachel Portman from the soundtrack of the movie of the same title. When I played it one day, I imagined myself being at the side of a lake (specifically the lake inside the Del Monte Golf Course in Cawayanon, Bukidnon), sitting down, looking far across the lake to the trees on the other side, with the cool breeze blowing from the lake to my face. I felt an exuberance I've never felt in quite a while. I was so happy that I started writing a poem on my mind expressing my happiness. But I didn't want to break my relaxation to write down what was on my head, so I put it off for the rest of the afternoon and decided to write it down later that evening.

Later that evening... Ha! Big mistake! I tried remembering how I felt earlier that afternoon, but failed. I wrote a poem, anyway, and the result is "dear lake, dear tree" . You can read this poem in my blog. When I reviewed it, I was surprised at how different it was to the one I had in mind during my nap. The poem I wrote down is very sad. I felt sorry for the narrator (that is to say, myself) and so I wrote another one with the intention of writing something with a happier tone. The result is "shimmering lake, beloved trees" that you can also read in my blog. It's happier, but not as happy as the one I had in mind earlier that day.

One inspiration. Two different poems. Two moods. Two poems that are different than the one originally intended. I should never put off writing down a poem I have in mind. Pen and paper must always be at the ready.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

shimmering lake, beloved trees


Shimmering waters of the lake
I come before you here
Thankful for the gift of you
You who touch my heart
You who heal my soul
With the light on tiptoe
Dancing with random grace
On sweet waters
Waters dancing with such delight
Caressed by the wind

O beloved trees of the forest
I visit you once more
Grateful for the gift of you
With shade that cools my soul
That warms my heart
With the light on tiptoe
Dancing with random grace
On grateful leaves
Leaves dancing with utter joy
Moved by the wind

Friday, December 8, 2006

dear lake, dear tree


O dear lake, sweet sister
I come upon you again
Tired and aching
Hug me once again
With your soothing waters
Heal my broken soul
Caress me like the wind caresses you
Because of you I survive
Over uncertainties and doubts
You make me float

O dear tree, strong brother
I seek you once more
Confused and lonely
Shelter me once again
Under your assuring shades
Heal my broken heart
Lift me up like the wind lift the leaves
Because of you I survive
Over cruelties and deception
You make me fly

Monday, November 27, 2006

by the river

I was by the River Piedra this afternoon and I saw you there. I touched the waters and I felt your tears. May the river carry them far so that you may forget the pain of shedding them. In due time every wound will heal. May he recognize your love, my lady. And may he love you back.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Distant rose

I started writing this poem months ago (June 2006, to be exact). I never got around to finishing it and now I've decided I don't want to finish it anymore. And so I'm posting it now. It shall remain like this forever. By the way, I started writing this poem after a conversation (via Gmail chat) with Mungkey, a poet and a college classmate. It started with me asking him about his "signature" and ended up with us talking about how sad and painful it was to be in love with women who are way out of our league. He said he wrote some poems about such predicament and I thought why wouldn't I do the same.

admiring a rose from a distance

it was not what i hope to find
but over green fields there it is
a flower so pretty
and i go lurking, admiring
the rose from a distance

the gentle breeze touches it
and i am moved, filled with
joy and peace and wonder
over the distance i felt it
such beauty and grace, such color

i have to move closer
to see things clearer
but as i walk towards it
the colors begin to fade
i'm at a lost, what's happening

and then i saw it
a blood red ribbon tied around its stalk
a kid made you his
i come closer and you fade
beauty and color and fragrance all

or is it the flower's choosing
to fade away as i draw closer
i don't know, how, why can cruelty
be inside such beautiful creature
i'm at a lost, what's going on

Monday, October 2, 2006

Grace, beauty, and kindness


Once upon grace, beauty, and kindness you truly became my friend. It was when I almost said goodbye. I wanna play the meeting again and again inside my mind. The moment that you stopped being an acquaintance and became a friend. After that, the moment that you stopped being a friend and became a best friend, my closest friend. I was determined to get close from the start, but as I inched myself closer people noticed. And they had other things in mind. None of which involved me being this close to you. They labeled my intentions and took it upon themselves to build a wall around you and another, even taller one, around me. At one point I was the one building the wall around me. I was frightened. I almost gave up. But I didn't and I am glad. I'm glad I didn't stop talking to you, despite my confusion and assumptions and doubts. I'm grateful you didn't stop talking to me. I'm glad I continued walking this path. Imperfect it may be, but it's the only one I know.

I don't know if you consider me your best friend or a close friend. But does it really matter? I decided to make this an unconditional friendship. You don't have to name me your best friend. You don't have to call me your closest friend. It wouldn't change a thing. I would still consider you my best friend. I would still call you my closest friend. Any closer and you would be a sister. A sister that I had and then never had since Emily died when she was seven (I was four).

Sometimes when I close my eyes, I'm transported to a world where you and I are more than friends. That I loved you beyond friendship. That you loved me beyond friendship. But when I open them, I'm transported back to this world. A world where only the first is true. Where the latter is uncertain but didn't matter.

I will be who you want me to be. I will be what you need me to be. Our paths have crossed and then didn't cross. Even if our paths will never cross again, even if in the future the roads we are taking are forever perfectly parallel to each other, never intersecting, never meeting, I am happy. I will find comfort in knowing where you are, where I am, and at what direction we are moving. I will find comfort that at one moment in time, at one point in my life, you became my closest friend. That at one point in time, a time I will forever treasure in my heart, we met. We met the moment I almost said goodbye.

Note: This attempt at prose poetry (yes, such thing exists, google it up) is inspired by an angel feather that tickles me everyday.

"But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."[Chapter 10, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone]

In the timeline we call life, there are brief magical moments that changed its direction. Meeting a friend, no not the time we learn each other's name, beyond that, the exact magical second that somebody truly becomes our friend, is one of these wonderful sparks in our timelines. Small compared to the rest of the line. Barely noticeable. But if we squint our eyes a bit more and a bit longer, they're there for us to cherish. Forever.