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Philippines Graphic Reader

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...

Tinnitus 

I  It started out innocently. One casual greeting at a time, a nod of recognition from across the room, a synchronized laugh. None of it had to mean anything.     He seemed harmless, at first, quiet and shy, not the sort who could ever be...

Missing People

in missing person’s cases, they only ever see the things that get left behind. never the people. lowercase letters surrounded by dried petals, a sorrowful silence filled the amber skies. desperation crawled curiosity sinking into the deepest parts of skin. a rotting bourbon car stood, peering into wild trees, seemingly waiting. scarlet...

The Average of All Mediocre Success

At two o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, Max, the average of all mediocre success, experienced the lowest point of his music career: Nothing dramatic like being kicked out of a record label’s office under a pouring rain or receiving threats from an irate...

The Old Trees Deep in Manila

It’s on Sunday mornings, When I walk toward stores To replenish a week’s supply of grocery items, That I see you. Old surviving trees. The dignified narra, The unfurling dapdap, And the humongous (and ominous) balete, Still gracing ancient streets deep in the city, Shading the sidewalks, And dispersing beauty: The green leaves, The rough...

Maalwan, Nilad’s Babaylan (Spirit Medium)

Nilad, the largest city in the archipelago, is famed for its magnificent port where its namesake white flowers bloom everywhere. Large ships from beyond the archipelago dock and unload their cargo of dyed cloth, glazed earthenware, and slaves. All who come and live...

Random Pickings

Stranger

You had been here You had come wading to shore Wearing a raiment of corals and sea grass And flotsam surrendered by the sea You had been in...

Bound by the Same Umbilical Cord

Stone and Scratcher after a photo by Frank Cimatu My human knows how to scratch ecstasy and submission out of me, rendering my retractable claws cold as a wet...

The Long Road to Capiz

The dawn had barely broken, the rooster was still asleep, and stillness enveloped the sleepy village of Casanayan. There was no moonbeam for now...

The Backroom Angels Bugaloo

No one, least of all her schoolmates at St. Celestina’s Academy, would have pictured Chona Laon Badoy as the Mayor of San Semilla in...