I always hated the scorching heat
Summer always brought
I could never escape it

The undesirable feeling
That came along
Was the kind of warmth

That was too warm
And uncomfortable
As the heat engulfed my body

In an embrace
I could not free myself from
Not allowing me to function

Travelling the span of my entire body
Like critters all over my skin
Leaving me soaked in sweat

You were the cool breeze
That pressed against my forehead
An angel passing through

In this free trial of hell
I don’t know if you’ll leave
Seconds after arrival

But I thank you
All the same
For the comfort you bring

At least
For a little while
I had a taste of heaven

Sa unang tingin, mabibighani
Iisiping napakaswerte
Tila kasingsaya ng mga tumaya
At nanalo sa lotto
Nakapipigil-hininga ang ganda
Imbis na pumikit upang manalangin
Na magkatotoo ang hiling
Pilit na dinilat ang mga mata
Sa pag-asang
Masulit ang bawat segundong
Nariyan pa
At maaaring masilayan
Tala ang tawag ng iba sa kanya
Tawag ko naman ay bulalakaw
Sa unang tingin pa lamang
Kinatatakutan na ang paglisan
Dahil ang mga bagay
Na nakapagbibigay ng ligaya
Madalas ay nawawala

Pilitin man ang dumilat
Hanggang hindi na kaya ng mga mata
Kinailangang pumikit
Ilang segundo lang, isang saglit
Pagmulat ng mga mata
Nawala ka na
Napunta sa lugar na hindi ko na mararating
Hindi na maabot
Pagmulat ng mga mata sa umaga
Bigla akong nagtaka
Mahal ko, saan ka nagpunta?
Kung di ba ako pumikit
Hindi ka rin mawawala?

Naririto lang ako, naghihintay
Kahit abutin ng dekada
O ilang taon
Umaasa pa rin ng pagkakataong
Masilayan ka muli
Kahit pa ika'y
Isang bulalakaw

As you read these words
You may be busy
At war with your drowsy eyelids
Struggling to hold them up
Like Atlas carrying the Earth on his shoulders
Its heavy weight making you want to surrender control
And allow them to drop down

You may be startled by the overwhelming brightness
From being accustomed to the dark
Never fear
You'll get used to it eventually
And find the brightness comforting rather than blinding
Drawn like a moth to a flame

It's time to wake up, sleepyhead
Today is another day
For you to conquer
You decide what will become of this day
And the next
And the one after that as well
For as long as the sky is up
And the sun still shines every morning
Each day is yours for the taking
Seize it
Don’t let anyone take it away

I underestimated the power of poetry
When I was a child
I thought poetry meant having lines that rhymed
When I grew up
I realized poetry had more to it than rhymes

There was raw emotion in poetry
There were moments when prose would never suffice
When you wanted to pour your heart out
But prose would not allow it
Somehow the reins loosen
The stanzas come into being
Like how water spills from overflowing dams
Crashing
Its release obviously long overdue

But finally
The water level has become stable
The quiet has returned
The heart has bounced back to its usual rhythm
After extracting all the plaque within
After encasing all worries in words, in stanzas, in poems
Peace at last
But we know that calm simply means that another storm is yet to arrive

Another poem is yet to be written
But until then, goodbye for now, old friend
Until we meet again