Ode To The Philippines (#PoemForACausePH)

Ode To The Philippines

oh, my dearest Philippines, your rich and diverse heritage and culture
has made you the young yet dynamic country that you are
Manila is your heart, where the iconic Luneta park is located
it’s a hyperactive city, vibrant and vivacious
with its high temperature and high humidity, we get disconnected
your walls are adorned, screaming for freedom and equality
by these colorful graffitis reflective of the youth’s jubilant spirit
as your hope, says the great Dr. Jose Rizal

i too was once like these youths, yearning for change, simply change
back in the 90’s a young college student, I thought I was
going to be a lawyer defending the poor and the unfortunate
though a greater part of my youth screamed of pen and paper
in Mendiola, I trudged the University belt with a screaming mind
for change, though looking back 25 years after
no slightest idea of how that change may change
and today’s headline reminds me of how we were taught
to write news story straightforward with no running around the bush
it’s a different story now, as COVID 19 hits the headline
running over to more than twelve months
bringing our tally of infected patients to more than twenty thousand and counting

your economy is in jeopardy, it hit rock bottom recently
your exports of agricultural products have halted
not even your over 200 species of mammals and world’s longest discontinuous coastline
could be a remedy to your dying economy
oh, my dearest Philippines, you survived hundred years of Spanish colonization
followed by the Japanese invasion
not to mention the American occupation
you made it through many wars and through many disasters

today, i cry in silence from the farthest distance
i agonize in pain from a far away place
with my heart oh, my heart’s been battered
my heart oh, my heart’s been pounded
as Odette, yes the devastating Odette challenged you with another disaster
together we will stand victorious  for you
even when our eyes become bleak and gloomy
and our soul become dark and stormy
for hope matters, each passing day

P.S

i am joining my fellow Filipino poets/writers to raise funds for the victims of the recent super typhoon Odette (Rai) thru #poetryforacauseph #poetryfundraising #hopematters.

if you wish to donate or submit a poem for the live poetry reading kindly leave a comment below i will send you details.

thank you dear WP friends..