The Nightingale Lamp

I wrote this poem a year ago for my mom. It's my gift to her for Mother's Day. I used my previous profession as an inspiration and unified it with my mom's efforts and sacrifices for me. I integrated history, symbolism and reality in this poem.

The Nightingale Lamp


Through the perilous battlefield,
Pits of death, the soil has yield,
Shadows of darkness have come to reign,
Enthroning misery and nurturing pain!

In the gusty winds, light of hope flickers,
Gasps for breath rumble as monstrous thunders,
Muerte! The Crimean valleys resounded,
The cradle of death has turned thou astounded.

But in the middle of obscurity,
A woman comes with a light of placidity,
On her gentle hands, the lamp of faith rest,
A glimpse of vitality, thy life dearest!

Nightingale’s lamp has leadeth thou back,
To precious life, thou have almost lack,
That radiant glow that shone thy path,
Steered thy way against mortality’s wrath.

In life that is real, scores of battle abound,
The echoes of despair and despondency sound,
But through His grace, a being emerges,
Bearing the lamp of hope, with light that encourages.

In my life a Nightingale lamp has glowed,
From its radiance, thousands of dreams have flowed,
Fulfillment and success would never be bright,
Without the hands that held that luminous light!

Oh precious hands that protect the light,
May your lamp forever shine at human’s sight,
Like a Nightingale lamp thou have brought life,
In the midst of life’s dreadful strife

photo from here

When Rain Falls

"...when it pours, so does thoughts that make our tears fall with it. "

People are complaining and dying of the intense heat brought about by El Nino. The rain that fell today is indeed a great relief to many. I took advantage of the cold night, for tomorrow, the sun might comeback to torment me. With an iced cola, I went out and dipped my feet in the cool water that filled the pond in our garden that was previously dried up by the hot summer.

I disturbed the serene pond as I playfully paddled my feet in the water. I watched as every splash spread havoc to the entire pond. Suddenly, a large frog jumped out of the now agitated water and leaped over my lap. Like a reflex, I suddenly stood up, and shook my whole body, to drive away the terrified frog. I decided to just sit on a nearby chair for I might invoke other creatures from the pond if I disturb its serenity further.

Then, thoughts in my mind began to jump from one to another, like a schizophrenic's flight of ideas. Different thoughts...one idea leading to another, until they all ended up with sad thoughts. Issues..frustrations...failed plans...ambiguities...Now, I feel sad. I wish the rain would just fall again to conceal the tears that are rolling down my cheeks. Well, I'm not really crying. I could just imagine the MTV-ish scene.

Finally, my flight of ideas led me to a thought:...the rain…it washes away all the dirt, gives life to dying leaves and soothes the uncomfortable heat that we feel. But when it pours, so does thoughts that make our tears fall with it. The darkness and the coldness of the surrounding sometimes, make us realize that the same environment is existing within us…the feeling of emptiness.

photo from here

Going Back to the Political Scene

It's a big come back for our family in the local politics. After my great grandfather,the first Filipino mayor of our town, died in office, and my other grandfathers and grandmothers served in various municipal and district positions, political blood has slept for a long time in our family until my uncle ran for barangay office more than a decade ago. Now, he's running for a higher office, bringing back the family name in the local political scene.

Well, this political comeback was not warmly welcomed by the family. For years, our family has been living a peaceful life until we got involved in politics again. It drains every ounce of peace in the family...creating false issues, threatening everyone's safety and revealing the real identity of "family friends".

You know politics in the province...or should I say, in the whole Philippines, people think that candidates would be extra helpful during this season and they really take advantage of this. We cannot blame the people, because this practice has been tolerated by politicians for several generations. This is the reason why every morning, my mom wakes me up to answer the needs of a long cue of sick and "sick" people in our garage. The sick is expecting for cure while the "sick" wants financial aid, and spend this to gamble or buy alcohol. That's why as much as possible, we don't give them financial help. Instead, we give them the remaining drugs from our yearly medical mission. Sometimes, my mom wakes me up in the middle of the night to attend to someone who was cut with a saw after being picked up on by a gang. After applying first aid, I have to rush him to the nearest hospital..and I was just wearing a robe and boxer shorts.

Aside from the the daily "medical mission" I do in our house, my tito also brings me along to his campaign rallies. BP check up is really a powerful magnet that attracts people to the rally. People really love having their bp checked. Well, it does not really do anything to their health. They either feel ecstatic when they know that their BP is within the normal range or rationalize and justify why their BP is high, and convince themselves that it is just a temporary elevation of their BP.

Well, that experience opened my eyes to my life ahead, as a part of a known family in my town--- Chrsitian, traditional and conservative. Even with my young age, people begin to look up to me and treat me with respect, like my ancestors who once governed our town. That's why I have to live up to the public's expectations and being exposed to the public pushed me further into my closet.