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Philippines Graphic Reader

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...

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...

Random Pickings

The Heart Wants What It Wants

Such a slim volume but how sharply it connects, the Reader muses, feeling as though a door were creaking open as Annie Ernaux’s “Simple...

Threads of Courage

The night the war reached Cebu, Maria woke to the sound of distant explosions. It was April 1942 and she had just turned fourteen...

MEMOS

To the Woodcarvers of Betis 1 if i could feel the cold hardness of wood, would i also know your will, woodcarver, your will to hew a soul out of a...

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...