Tapon

Itim na nagkalat
Sa puting papel
Di kumikinang, di nangingintab,
Kahit anong anggulo
Kahit anong tapat sa sinag na sumisilip sa pawid.
Kaya ipinasyang lukutin,
Hinagis sa kawalan. Tinalikdan.
Namamasa ang palad.
Ikinuyom, ipinunas ang mga daliri
Sa mga guhit ng kapalaran
Sa ilalim ng sinag'y sinipat
Halo ang pawis't tintang madilim
Gulat sa kinitang ginintuang pulbo
Parang usok, pumupormang
Ipo-ipo.

Maya-maya pa'y umuulan na't
Humihiyaw ang mga tawo sa
Pagkabulag.

Regalo ng Gitarista-Bokalista-Soloista sa Edsa

Mga yapak na bumabaon sa malapot na mutang tunaw
Sumisilid patungong ugat ng dyaryong kalat na ang tintang
Mas binubutas ng mabigat na pwetang
Sinasalo ng putim at marupok na
Karsursilyo.
Karsursilyong tastas ang bulsa
Sa talas ng kalawangi't putol-putol
Na kwerdas.
Musikerong asul,
Beinte tres anyos.
Balot ng simpleng sandong dilaw,
Malinis ang kuko't
Walang sapot ang buhok.
Boses'y may gintong halaga
Ngunit piniling ibahagi ng libre
Sa mga pusong uhaw sa pag-asa't saya.
Sandata niya'y musika.
Di siya mapili.
Kahit anong makaaaliw, makaaantig
Sa tengang antigo ng mga biyaherong
Sigeng baybay sa kahabaan
Ng Edsa.

Ito'y regalo nya sa mundo.
Pati sa sariling maagang binawian ng abilidad duminig,
Nabubuhay sa pagramdam ng katal-katal.

Wew

Saan naman tayo titira pagkatapos mo mag-college?

Susunod lang tayo kung saan ka maka-trabaho.

Yan ang sabi-sabi.

Umasa. Oo.

Nabigo.

Nanghihinayang. Gustong kumawala.

Gustong umunlad.

Ngunit nasa bangin ang espasyo ng oportunidad.

Ace It!

Tomorrow is the day.

Need not put color on you smooth face,

Need not spray scent on your pulses.

Just be yourself, be you!

You're brilliant.

You're beautiful.

You can ace it!

Whatever happens, remember that you already aced my heart.

I hope I aced yours, too. It would be the greatest victory :)

You Are Gold

I saw you onstage!
Golds hang on your neck.
Clapping sounds covered the smoky auditorium.

See?! All the waiting is worth it.
You are worth it.

Congratulations!

Crutches Away (Card Content Entry)

You're crutches away from me,
Yet you sat down and put your
Crutches over the waters,
Providing me a bridge.
You're just too strong to make a way.

You're sick, I am not, but you're
Stronger. Your spirit, your soul, your love..

Thank you for being that strong for me.
Get well, my Endurance Sensei!

A Jog to a Weak YET Beautiful Friend (Card Content Entry)

Clock ticks
Time to jog again
But I'll be alone on the road today
For you're sick :(
I wish I could help ease your pain.
I wish I could heal you on a snap.

For now, my plan?
Drink a cup of coffee,
Buy a frappe,
Jog to your house,
Let you drool seeing me take a sip on my frappe,

And sing you a, "Get Well Soon!"

No. "Get Well Now!"

Laughing On Fever Heat (Card Content Entry)

We played on a stormy weather.
We got fever. We're crazy.
We're the happiest sick on Earth.
I just hope we don't die early.
We'll have more storms to conquer.

Hey! I can hear you laugh!
You're still alive, I bet. But, if ever you
Die today of fever,
I wish to die too.
We'll happily die together. 'Coz, we're crazy.

But 'til this point in my letter, I had a good penmanship.
This just means I'm perfectly immortal.
And, if I am, you are.

Get well, Bestfriend!

Get well soon, Love! (Recycled; Card Content Entry)

I got something for your pale skin, darling! I was practicing to use the word 'Commiserate' (my English teacher asked me to). I multi-tasked: I practice as I think of you. Here it goes:

As his commiserate hands hold the cup of tea
Towards his sister's lips to drink
An equally commiserate flower bowed down its petals
'Til one fell detached each day
This has long been the form of hourglass of life and death.
But, the boy won't allow it
So every commiserate day of breathing given
His commiserate hands hold the cup of water
Towards the pot's lips to drink
An equally commiserate flower slowly chins up
And grows its petals healthily attached each day
This has long been the form of hourglass of hope and love
And not-giving-up.

Like it? Your pale skin will soon glow, buddy.
Just remember, you're beautiful whichever way.

Sana lang'y Nasa Tamang Kamay Sila Ngayon (Feelingera Post Re Teaching Job Application)

I had my reasons why I wanted to be employed already, wherever possible.

It's been three months already, but nobody from my starred emails asked me for interview appointments. A friend, O, poked me to apply to where she applied, MNOP. The position applied for? Social Science instructor. I do want to be a teacher.. of children, or those younger than my age. But, why not. I am more than ready for anything today (again, i have my reasons why). P, MNOP HR Assistant, told me that the university is in need of Social Sciences instructors for some of the existing instructors are having a hard time doing their master's theses and teaching at the same time, and they don't want to leave their students hanging at the middle of the semester. In this case, I would like to be one with their goal. Who wants to be left on air without any precautions? Well, 'No Classes' signage is a very jolly and relieving one, but not always. Students would soon be hungry for some substance from an empty classroom and quiet blackboard. Another thing, Mr. Q, my initial interviewer, told me that the campus wanted to have accreditation. I don't know why, but my heart for that university gets growing an inch. I felt the need to contribute to its plans and actions for accreditation.

Mr. Q asked me if could teach any more subjects other than Social Science. He recommended me holding a class for an English course. Lol no. Di ko nga alam kung paano gamitin ang live in, live on, at live at, eh. Literature nalang po. Sige po pati, Physics. Lol These are the subjects he wrote on my evaluation paper: Social Science, Psychology, NSTP Literacy, blahblah. I forgot the others already.

I hate how I passed the three stages (initial interview, teaching demonstration, and psychological exam) and failed on the last one (panel interview). Was it how I dressed? How I fixed my hair? Was it between choosing one between the two of us coming from the same university? Talong talo ako sa credentials kung ganon. Why would they choose an ordinary graduate over a Cum Laude? I don't know really. No regrets with what I answered on their questions, for I know that I am speaking from my heart, speaking of the truth. I know that I have defended my answers with compassion. Funny that among the three of us who were in line for panel interview that day, I was the one who felt comfortable and somewhat sure about acing the results (well, of course, that set quietly on my mind). Back to HR Department, P called us one by one. That's when I learned I was not accepted, while the other two, including O, were accepted.

There might be something wrong with me. Whatever that is, I wish my system can change.

I felt sad, yes. Sobra akong nanghihinayang. That was because of the plans, suggestions, and strategies running on my mind for the school as mentioned above. I even felt a tear crumpled on my eyelid remembering how O spoke her mind, when she was with me and my mom, degrading the abilities of the university's students. [NV: Hindi naman sa ano.. pero diba.. MNOP.. yung mga estudyante nila hindi naman ganon ka ano.. Kaya -magsuspoonfeed talaga tayo.] Strong phrases. Nagulat talaga ako sa sinabi niyang yun. Ramdam kong matatalino at may ibubuga yung mga estudyanteng yun (at sinabi ko to kay Mama). Teka. May ganon palang side ang kabaitan ni O. Oh, how I love people.

I am happy for O, yes! I just hate how she thinks about her soon students that way. WTH. She hadn't been with them even for an hour that day (though teaching demo niya nun, hindi students ang kaharap nya, mga evaluators). Lakas manghusga. Sana lang magbago ang perception niya, lalo pa't isa na syang guro, guro ng mga estudyanteng minsan ko nang ninais na makasama at makapalitan ng opinyon.