ABC STARS Inspires

Awake, I see the mistress of my throne  Her warmth, her face of beauty and her scent Of rose-milk. But I find, I am alone. Ah raging torment born of love unspent! "Reveille!" You are a boon! I'll make An obsession of my work; I must not rest Or else these thoughts of you return and break Me with their searing yearnings unexpressed. At last "Retreat" is sounded, all is done. And now the crickets chirp a promise of dreams. But the dream is a sad and empty one--- I walked alone, alone on the moon-beams!          The tears I wept are in the morning dew          The winds now wail my want---how I miss you!                                                                                           ...

Image courtesy of posterize at freedigitalphotos.net Image courtesy of 2nix at freedigitalphotos.net It was around this time of the month a few years ago that I traveled by bus to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur. An air of suspense welcomed me at the immigration office of the Lion City. I was held at the arrival area for about forty five minutes.

Photo by cc We met; Our first and last. I greeted you with lead That plowed your breast you gasped for life In vain. We played A morbid game. Your creed was not my own. The killing was dispassionate. Routine. Your fate Could have been mine. We are no more than pawns; Convenient, mute, unwitting tools Of greed! *1960; Naga Times, April 11, 1982

Photo by cc T oday, ah World, I see a lovely light O utcast the shadow of your cloudiest moods! N o ugliness remains. Your hills, your woods Y our seas and skies, ah everything's just right! L oveliness is all around! This sight O f bursting rainbow-ribboned rapture intrudes V oluptuously and rends the gloomy hoods E mbittering my heart and uproots their blight. S corching flames, no longer dutiful, E mblazon all my soul! Ah, one could die D elightedly drunk, drinking glee on-the-rocks! I 'm just that drunk, For all is beautiful! T he fourteen letters hidden here spell why my H eartbeats pound and prance like wild amoks! The Rainbow, Feb, 1966

Photo by cc Ah breath of angel's scent          Ah bundled pinkish cloud Of pure abandonment.          Unblinking suns allowed A glimpse of ancient Peace!          Spoken, yet unspoken, In gurgling "ahs","oggees".          Ah love's fond living token Smiling out my sadness Banishing all badness Cooing out my madness Beaming brimming gladness!          Cradled in my arms          Is one of heaven's charms! The Rainbow, Oct.-Dec., 1969

"...t he magnificence of courtship that eventually leads to the miracles of life." If you go to the Plaza Quince Martires before the morning breaks you will be in for a pleasant surprise. There are a few lush trees as tall as the re-conceptualized building right across the street. Well ahead of the early dawn mass at the San Francisco Church you will be enthralled by the performance of winged creatures of God’s masterpiece: Nature at its best. It is a joyous melody, a testament to the glory of God’s creation. About a hundred or more birds chirp and sing in unison like music to the ears. They converge in the inner sanctum of the foliage and sometimes fly to the nearby trees. I feel one with nature-- a pilgrim in this magnificence we call life. I linger for a few moments just to listen to their songs of praise and to soak in their presence. With their ability to fly, they are the next best things to angels. They are ethereal beings as they soar in the heavens. ...

Photo by cc I think I shall not plant a tree I shall not follow this decree. I'm neither cowardly nor brave I just don't wanna be a slave Of any mortal same as me! God made us free; and free I'll be! Why should they rob me of the joy I've known since I was still a boy? The thrill of growing what I chose- A pili, mango or a rose! That's why I will not plant a tree. I say--- "to hell with this decree!" Why let the loggers roam at will Denuding every virgin hill Then let the burden on us fall? Where is the justice of it all? Poems are made by fools like me But greater fools made this decree! * A song, Naga Times, 1977,    Republished UP Collegian;    other College papers; even in Hongkong    (Acknowledgment to Joyce Kilmer's "Trees")