Time flies by slowly, steadily... it is like
there is nothing worth rushing for.
Yet every second feels suffocating,
every minute feels longer than the previous.
Waiting slowly kills the feeling
of everything that might, for an instant,
make the day brighter.
Counting the passing days one by one,
suddenly the way it used to be seems
extremely far, distant.
The angst is pulling at every nerve,
playing with every thought,
that perhaps all there was
is slowly going to fade away.
Yet a promise, a few words shortly said,
keep my heart surprisingly at ease.
My sanity strains to survive,
but what can I do,
when all I long for is
to hear your voice.
I rarely eat my breakfast out
But, as a special treat,
We took our guests to Effy’s,*
Hoping that we’d get a seat.
It’s half a block from where we live
And breakfast gets a crowd.
We took a chance, though, and lucked out.
(Reserving’s not allowed.)
Surprisingly, the outdoor spots
Were filled, despite the heat,
But in the room inside, we found
A cool and calm retreat.
A varied menu let us choose
From middle eastern meals
To pancakes, wraps and sandwiches,
All with their own appeals.
We ate, we drank, we chatted
In a pleasant atmosphere,
The buzz of fellow diners
Adding to the Sunday cheer.
A break from a routine
Can often bring about a smile
And a state of satisfaction,
Even if once in a while.
*Effy’s Café on the upper east side of Manhattan
Here it is the grey monster
Sadness
Sticking it tongue
Poisoning my head
But surprisingly
Giving me verses.
368.
The Plea of the Offspring of Makati
Oh Father God, let me win millions of pesos in Philippine Lotto lottery
Let's see how the world will treat me
If I already have lots of money
For sure even my fans in FB
Will increase surprisingly
Hear me, oh hear me, my Father God Almighty!!!...
Hearken to the Plea of the Offspring of Makati!
By Your will, the world shall see
A great enterprise rising from this country!
An enterprise that shall uplift the many
And magnify Thy mercy & glory!
An enterprise that shall rescue me
From their lynching & lingchi literally and/or figuratively
An enterprise that shall show to the many
Your glorious miracle not yet in history!
Be our hope & foundation of prosperity
Make me an instrument of a new dawn for humanity!
-06/11/2015
(Dumarao)
*My Prayer Poems for Ultimate Victory Collection
It has been a rough week.
Monday was dog-eared and dozing.
The world ended on Tuesday -
so not a great start.
Wednesday, not surprisingly,
did not know how to break the news.
The planet carried on being essentially global
while millions of people seemingly not to care
that they were no longer there.
There were many afterlife tragedies,
rumors of leaky unsustainable beliefs,
suicides were tried but to no avail.
Everywhere there were catastrophic failures
of restroom facilities.
Thursday dissolved quietly
unwilling to confirm or deny its existence.
Those still able to crawl to work
did so in their dreaming skulls.
Friday absentmindedly tried to begin again
then remembered.
The few who thought it might only be
a cosmic PowerGrid blip
were assured by ghostly astrophysicist
that the world would return
and apologized for all the fuss.
However, as happened,
the weekend really was the END.
and there out of nothing came hope
for peace harmony and justice
he knows only too well that he cannot control
events situations nor other people
only has the choice of how to respond
wishing wanting demanding procrastinating
had got him into his own distorted shadows
to the brink of an abyss near a canyon of tears
anger resentments and fears threatened all values
yet love tolerance compassion and self-respect
brought him closer to reality and the chance for a future
he does not wish to fight any longer
but is ready to stand up tall for himself
and now what seemed to be crumbling
a once beautiful mosaic turned into tatters and shards
offers building blocks for healing and recovery
in his meditations he saw faint images
of Munch’s Scream and Gaugin’s exotic beauties
surprisingly no Guernica of Picasso
but the peace doves are present
songs are no eulogy any longer
and hope came out faith and surrender
Tiny little crumbs you offer.
Mostly too little too late.
Surprisingly sufficient keeping you in the game.
Don’t push your luck though.
I can tell the well’s running low.
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
(Overheard at an Ecopsyche
Workshop)
The blue pill
Or as we like to call it,
“The self-with-nature seminar,”
Allows one to
Walk in fairly unkept woods
Surprisingly unaided
But regularly looked-after by an Eco-adjuster
Herself a blue pill graduate
And certificate holder.
You also receive
An animal mask
A booklet of
Fire ring songs
Plus, tips on how be a
Tacky-Tack eco-influencer.
You might even get the courage to say
Out loud:
“Corporations be damned!”
No side effects have been reported.
The red pill,
Our
“Cynic in the woods advanced program”
Will make you frothing-at-the-mouth-mad
Overflowing with eco anxiety
And as obstinate-uncompromising
As
Greta
Tintin
Eleonora
Ernman
Thunberg.
You’ll likely be arrested.
You might even lose
University tenure
And be on many ‘no-fly’ lists.
You’ll wake every morning
Knowing that you have not done enough
To save the planet.
“What’ll it be?”
“Two blues please.”
"Why not leap before I look?",
I asked, and called a number in my book,
(Would, one day, I be on the hook?)
and surprisingly this lady, fair,
said, "Yes, I would love to meet you there".
(Would I be caught, unaware?)
Her eyes, her lips, her voice, so sweet -
I was a dog, expecting a treat.
(But was I in trouble, deep?)
Soon, I thought I was in love
with my little turtle dove.
(Was it from below or above?)
Her dream was to be a bride.
Soon we stood side by side.
(Would it be an E-ticket ride?)
We lived happily of course...
until we got a divorce -
(two hundred thousand reasons for remorse).
In the middle of the darkest night,
I make a surprisingly large sight.
In a boundless appearance in times.
Mercifully fleeting, swirling, and patterned climbs;
Swift, laborious, and icy blasts;
And horrible in some places that are forecasts.
I constantly change with the site,
Never the same but always a sight.
With moving wind and howling sound,
Bringing a low climate close to freezing ground,
Covering the land in a pristine blanket of glistening
Snow. Some snuggle indoors in comfort, not listening.
I am never alone. My frosty white mornings bring
Tranquil calmness to those and countless creatures to spring
As I embrace. Then silence is broken with the sound.
Of the crunching footsteps. On the frost-covered ground.
With the energy of nature and the activities of human fun,
I host a unique universe of life under the sun.
I am Winter, a magic in a world of great wonder.
Engaging and entertaining, ladening life snowed under.
In the middle of the darkest night, I make a surprisingly large and boundless entrance. Mercifully fleeting swirling pattern with swift and icy, horrible in some places. constantly change with the environment, never the same but always changing. With moving winds and howling sounds Bringing low temperatures close to freezing point, covering the land in a pristine blanket of glistening snow as some snuggle indoors in comfort, asleep. I am never alone. My frosty white mornings bring tranquil calmness to those and countless creatures I embrace. Then silence is broken with the sounds of the crunching footsteps. On the frost-covered ground. With the energy of nature and the activities of humans, I host a unique universe of life.
prickly but surprisingly sweet as a pear
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Halloween setting
How fitting
Greyhound bus like no one has ever seen
Through the back roads, Shortcuts forbidden paths into small towns and major cities
Darkness falls
Passengers don’t have a clue in what’s ahead
Their Greyhound Bus Driver dressed in all black and a touch of red as Dracula
Blood Thirst
Passenger’s outburst
Mysterious reactions throughout the bus
Within the darkness comes a heavy Thunderstorm
Suddenly a swift flash of lightning
Images appear of rising spirits focused in front of the bus on the road
Surprises unexpected, but drew attention causing a chill
Chiller tail without fail
Passenger’s scream and their heart pounded
Noise of heavy chains making a sound
Atmosphere interchange
Moans upon moans heard
The Hound bus has been attacked by all goons
The goons chant, “They want human flesh
Hunger pains agony
Years of wanting, but not getting
Closer, Closer the goons came
Ever so close being almost there
Pondering passenger’s feeling suddenly, surprisingly, and worried
The how, when and if
Trick a treat
Do you have candy to eat?
Halloween sweet in treat.
The morning after I tried to die was just like any other. My Grandmother called me from the kitchen, alarming me that I had slept-in too late. My face was puffy in my eyes, cheeks and lips. My body was fatter and more stocky. My color was all-well returned back to my head, with my nose a bright red. I had taken most of the pills in my prescription bottle, surprisingly nobody noticed the amount of them that were missing. Even though I was breathing, I have been dead for months.
The morning after I told her I was better off nowhere, in the thirty degrees heat, I left. I figured it made no matter where I found myself in the world anyways, for I was just a problem made of atoms.
The morning after he told me he loved me I took his blindness and handed it to Jesus, Jesus healed him like he did the others, and suddenly he was just a boy who had said three words he’d never mean.
The morning after the dog left, I saw his footprints embedded in the living room carpet like cement. I saw him moaning and crying at the door like the ghost he was, begging to come back.
The morning after I woke up, I wish I had not. But that's just life.
I've observed my thoughts
They naturally flow through my mind
Some true, some scripted
Some redundant, unkind
These are my memories, creating emotions
They're my unique experience in this life
Viewed from a platform
Sometimes exposing a neurological strife
We must turn through all the pages
Go beyond the human history of time
It is there we find the answers
Stamped in our ancestral climb
Like waves in the ocean
That relentlessly pounds the shore
The past flows through us
Like a stranger knocking at our door
We try to avoid this stranger
We’re frozen with fear
But the knocking keeps coming
Year after year
It's the ancestral sound
Of those who came before
Surprisingly, the noise lessens
When we open antiquities door
Now the waves begin to subside
As does the ancient battle in my mind
I become the true observer of the thoughts
They're clear and kind
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