The hours are fading
And withering in
Upon her blossoming cheeks
Yet ruthless skin.

To my dear old friend,
My first words said.
Oh how far we've come
Won't you share me some?
Some stories of your life,
But not that with a knife.
I'll share mine too
If you give me a clue-
How did we reach
A feisty breach?
Oh, remember that road
With a croaking toad?
That's where it all started
When white clouds darted
Our ignorant eyes for us to see
Now mind's filled with glee.
Seeing familiar faces
From all sorts of places.
Finally rung the bell
There it ended as well.

Sharp eyes watching
from side to side
Each move, blood arises
Wrong word, pulls the trigger.
Water's boiling inside the freezer
Open the door, molten lava.
Look up high, see the stars
coming down with wrath and fury.

Wishing it to rain
Of flaming arrows
Hiding beneath the shell
Of a fossilized snail.
Whisper a name
to a quiet breeze
And finally goes on

**Never to be seen.

Tell me how,
Tell me now.
Tell me why,
But not a lie.

I shall rise from a heartbreaking pain
And you will see that I will reign.
Look deep within and see my sorrow
That's your last peak, there's no more tomorrow.

Can't make me stay
Even for a day
You once saw me shimmer
Now I'll be dimmer

Yesterday was a long time ago
All I could remember was I had a foe
I thought you were a sweet, little angel.
But that is only if one looks from an angle.....

Now they're coming,
Strings are strumming
I have to run
This will be fun.

While the stone awaits in a lengthy span of time,
The blue curtain blankets its soul;
Waiting to turn into dust, into light
Into non-existence
'Till the gems of the sea washes up ashore
Just as the clouds of disarray
Spits out the last specks of light
As it blends with the mist.
And into the far distance, the stone awaits
Down goes the last drop
Won't rotate the hourglass
Its time is up.

Reverse the clock,
Step in and ripple.
Find the key to this lock
Don't need help from people.

All alone you were,
But no need to be afraid.
Don't need to start a war
It's no game. It is not played.

I told you several times,
But you stop and rewind
I'm finally losing rhymes,
Please make up your mind!

Think and you'll see,
It won't go on forever
Your heart wants to flee
The flames of life's fever.

A hollow stone,
Strong and sturdy.
Slowly weakening;
Corrupted by weather.

Try to dab,
Feel the cracks
Whisper one word,
Enjoy it crumble.

Eyes open,
Switch: off
Grinning and laughing,
Repeatedly cursed.

The ground is trembling!
Mother, mother, why is it so dark?
What is that? A glowing beam!
Begone awaken souls!
Run, run, but only to return.

*© Cyrille Octaviano, 2014

My country is an old book with a crumbly, dusty cover;
original and valuable
Like a book, you don't judge it by its cover.
What's inside it is what defines it.
Gently open it;
Read each word with heart,
Uncover its uniqueness
till it brings delight.
Find the book enjoying,
You'll never wish for it to end.
You'll read it one more time,
You'll show loftiness to it.
Oh, fellowmen, we're proud of our country
Even if we're not;
Our mouths say we are, but our hearts deny.
Oh beloved country,
We discerned ourselves
through judging you
because of our own fault.

**© Frank Lloyd Manalang, 2014

There was this little girl,
So innocent and pure
Until there came a day,
a trap-she was lured.

She tasted cruelty;
violence unveiled
before her very eyes.
A surprise was then revealed.

The world showed the truth;
The mask was uncovered,
Behind all the beauty,
Evil was discovered.

She wept and wept
day after day
With her helpless little heart,
the demons came to play

She did nothing more
and nothing less
Instead, isolated herself
from all the rest.

Staring into a blank wall,
Seeing shades of grey
Droplets of blue diamonds
He won't let them stay

Nearing the home,
withdrawing the heart.
Once a week he goes away
paying the debt; playing his part

The storm starts to fade
after he hushes the wind
The rage that once boiled,
froze into a friend.

Sitting here alone
in an empty, tranquil room
I've got nothing left to fear
than time itself colliding

I entered the phase
and went back in time
those teary-eyed souls
helpless and desperately calling

A heart who seeks revenge
being repainted from time to time
All the chaos it has encountered
tragedies, death, and sorrow

Although happiness fills in,
it overflows and bursts
An unfathomable hole
where the beast loves to creep

Eye to eye, we gazed
there, it struck me
This phantom I only met
by then took my awakening

Out of the blue, they came
their voices growing louder
serenity is fading
My solace, abruptly chopped.

"The days of the past formed the future, but I guess the lessons weren't enough."

Home is where my heart first shattered
And sought things unimaginable
Quenching for love and enlightenment,
Seeking for guidance and hope
My days were once evergreen
And raging red as my blood stirs and flows
Denying the pity as each eye stares
Watching each flower bloom
Then slowly rot and perish

A huge pail of liquid was showered upon me
And air turning cold as ice
The room was covered in a blackish-gray cloud
That growled and thundered
Leaving a mark that no one could hide
People see beauty in times of merriment
But I see mine in my hard, abandoned shell
I could no longer speak for no one would listen
Why would I aim for a goal that was never there?
All there is, is a dusty shelf
That mourns and weeps
Waiting for it's master's return
In the days that were long gone.

What is that I see?
Something from afar
I went out to reach it
My savior, at last you've come!

A gentle touch on the arm,
all the memories came before me.
Eternal peace I sought
I found when you came along.

Time seems to go by,
but pause at the same time.
The earth rotates,
but why can't we notice?
The volcanoes are erupting,
but nothing comes out.
The tides are high and strong,
but doesn't seem to impact.

Spilled the water
but did not mind.
Worry not,
it can go on it's own.
Clear it up
it's up to you
Let it dry and
watch it go in a blink of an eye.

You chose to take a step
and there it was.
Colored with dirt
all around and left a mark
You thought it was funny,
but see who's laughing now.
Fine by me
No hellos, no goodbyes.

Like the waves
clashing against one another
Struggling to keep up,
but aware of the power

Rising up,
streaming down
rushing and hurdling
coming ashore

As the sun radiates
illuminating the water,
I can see crystal clear
there is hope.

Under the shade
of my shadow,
where only warmth
I can feel
No judging how it's burning,
but with only "why"
to put it out.

This passionate fire raging,
accompanied by skipping beats
of a drum;
No wonder why I stayed here
it's fuel never runs out.

I've met my downfall
now here I am to rise
spreading thin sheets
of layer
and a finishing coat
of dust

It all began
these tiny orbs i see
in the corner
of my eyes,
a spark that's made
of glee

Tears that seem so plain
never enough without a reason
Always on the back of my mind,
thoughts loose like blood dripping
Can't you see I bear crystals
from picking thorns off a rose?
Every night I dive into the ocean
swimming freely with electric eels