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Philippines Graphic Reader

Life According to Marlin

My name is Juan Marlin Madero and everyone thought I killed my father. When the policemen drove me over to the Oslob Police Station yesterday morning, they clamored among their squad for the return of the death penalty for people like me.     Only a...

Of Sunrises and Sunsets

1 Night falls I hear crickets And the sound of waves As the sea marks A quiet day Towards a somber weekend 2 I have lived with face masks And face shields For years And where did they get me? I learned to greet With muffled voice And learned to smile With my own eyes I learned how to...

YUSARI

1 “The fish are small,” Amir lamented. “The catch is pitiful. They won’t fetch a good price. I’m afraid we can’t raise the money for the operation, Papang.”     Amir’s rough, hard hands deftly manipulated the blade, cleaving through the dolphinfish with precision. Flesh, sinew,...

Kalahig

In memory of the hundreds of trash pickers who perished in the garbage slide at the Payatas dumpsite on July 10, 2000 From the skeleton Of disemboweled mattresses Bent scrap of metal You honed to pointed perfection To stab at the refuse of the world In this moment’s defeat You...

Traditions

The red-orange hue of the fading sunlight cast a pale glow on the walls of the house. It indicated that the summer night would be warm, if not hotter than the day that struck 39 degrees. The old Sombreto stared at passing birds...

Two Poems on the Philippines

Sampaguita The flower sold;their faith restored. The Philippines: A living Beach House A living beach house is what the Philippines is.A place with endless fiestas and parties, Filipino culture isimmersed in. The tropical beaches to relax along the coastline, and partiesmeeting lasting friendly faces and their grinning...

Random Pickings

Sometimes, I Am the Leaves

Aimless and astray—“I won’t go far”But most times, I am lost in the intricate streets and manmade blocks Not knowing the way back to your...

Fritz and the Llama

Fritz and the llamaLive in the desert.Fritz waves Hi to a camel.The llama spits at it.“How rude!” says the camel.“She’s my sister,” says Fritz.Fritz...

Parivaar, Family

As the plane prepared for the final descent, I could see Lap Kok’s blaze of lights. For a while it seemed the universe had...

If I Could Be Free

“I envy all of them.” I greatly pitied myself for just observing what was happening around me. Sitting up straight in my bed, I...