Men have excess desires. They build houses as high as the skies.
But men are insecure too. They need stairs to escape. For protection.
Stairs come handy for graceful exits. Especially when things boil down to danger or shame.

-Oliver Patino

 

Some say that you are born to be something or someone.
Some say that the things that you want to be will have to be in you.

I say you shouldn’t be afraid to show people what you can do.
I say you are not born to be anything or anyone.

The only thing you’re born with is a chance.
A chance to be who or what you want to be and be passionate about it.

This child has a lot of promise and before you know it
he might be a famous actor or a successful businessman.

Just know what you want to do, work hard for it,
stand up for it, be passionate about it, and go for it!

-Alyssandra Maniri

My home,
nested in the pink of the summer, water smoothly lapping the shores,
inviting a swim, a paddle, a sojourn on the glassy surface, maybe a picnic?
Come with me to lie beneath the blossoms, listen to the hum of the bee…
if you listen hard enough you can hear my heart beat…
beating for my home.

-Sally Moore

Outriggers docked in a bay shelter is like an array of choices.
Should I take outrigger 7, 2, 3 or 4?

Life is an array of choices.
To get to where we want to be,
we have to ensure that we pick the correct passage.
A great singer picking a song
that is not fit for his/her voice quality
may lose in a singing contest.
A soldier in the battleground
who does not pick the right strategies to combat his nemesis may perish.
A successful career means selecting a course or employment
that locks in with your talents and abilities.
A great relationship is a relationship of choice…not of chance.

Would it be no. 7, 2, 3 or 4? It’s your choice and yours alone.

-Luchie Flores

I wonder
what street signs
are found
on this lane ---
stop?
Caution?
Yield?  
One-way?  
Four-way?
 
-Carmeli Chaves

forgotten

i wonder if behind your stoic gaze
i will find fire like your saffron robe
or coldness not unlike ancient statues
carved out of silent and defiant stones

if I stare long enough
and be quiet long enough
and listen well enough

will I glimpse the fierce spirit beneath the calm
hear the real voice within the chants
divine inner longings within the prayers
long obscured and forgotten
by ascetic rituals and discipline

-Happy Ballesteros-Raagas

My first glimpse of the islands,
glaringly white,
well balanced villages
with the simplicity of the houses…
what a lesson in architecture!

-Corette Buri

 Best Friends

When we’re ancient, we’ll reminisce
about all the laughter, cuts and bruises,
frogs in the creek caught in our pockets,
our first kiss, finding god, disappointment,
Love, and aches.

Best Friends are the meaning of life.

What a gift to get it so young.

-Lesley Wright

Sitting, waiting
Breathe in, breathe out
Focus
Cities are built, cities crumble,
today, tomorrow
Focus
Breathe in, breathe out
Sitting, waiting.

-Felicia Wong

No, no, this is no time for discretion,
there must be light, colour, movement,
the sparkle of simmering silk, a time for rejoicing.
For the glamour and exuberance of youth is sacred.

 
-John Rock

We come with different colors, race, religion, and culture.
That's what makes humanity beautiful and worthy of recognition.
What we need, however,
is the ability to appreciate human diversity in various sections of our society
and be truly grateful about it!

 
-Ryan Luna

The heart remembers most what it has loved best…
Words are not of hate and anger…
words are not of evil…
but of sweet, purity and love…

-Adisara

Leaving

You leave tomorrow
taking my heart
but I will not cry
for pain is my mother
her breasts taut and tender
with milk of desolation
will nourish me
while you are gone.

You leave tomorrow
bringing my soul
but I will not mourn
for sorrow is my sister
her heart beating and sighing
with songs of sadness
will keep me company
while you are gone.

You leave tomorrow
leaving me alone
but I will not grieve
for solitude is my brother
his veins throbbing and ebbing
with solitude’s tears
will keep me warm
while you are gone. 

 -Happy Ballesteros-Raagas

Many ways to travel on this path…unknown
Will I be alone on the journey…hope not
We are all constantly travelling
My calling for a better spot.

Must I just look forward…unseen
Why forget where I’ve been…time passed
Wandering uncertainty step by step
More and more adapt I become.

Make mine a smooth path…understand
With friends lending hands…when lost
Warm the lonesome new moon nights
Make the dark midnights alright.
 
-Midnight Nike Panusart

Endless as it seems
The road to nowhere
The clear white clouds up above
The rickety crooked fence up ahead
No one is telling, no solid plans
Whatever adventure I find at the end of this road.

 

-Therese Pearson-Neri

There are no strings attached …
The world is rough…
With so many lies…
No need for any approval…
Life is what you make it…

-Ryan Rivero

Oh those happy, carefree days of youth
How I long to return to thee;
Playing with friends as the summer heat raves,
Together we leap into the water’s cool embrace.
What joy, what sheer delight!

-Amy Rodil