022724

I will SECURE you —
Remove your insecurities
And remember to mention my Name
I am here even before you declare.

I will LIFT you —
Remain grounded, your heart I will take care.
Your fall isn’t a failure
When you see things through My lens.

I willl STRENGTHEN you —
Your weary soul, I breathe life!
Your burdens, I will carry
Your tears, I will wipe.

I will always LOVE you —
Nothing can separate you from Me.
My love is complete and just focus on Me,
I will be sufficient for you!

Believe and receive,
Abide in me, My Child…
And trust Me wholeheartedly —
I Am who you say I Am!

022524

Maybe some beautiful letters
Were written not in the bed full of roses —
Some write to make their lovers live,
But some… to **** the blurry pages and leave.

Maybe I could write
Until the last dance of the clock…
And I won’t ask another charge
To keep the thumping of my heart.

And maybe I could write
Until the sun smiles
And meet the moon
And bid each other’s goodbyes.

Until the last drop of blood
Shed in tears, falling like leaves unto my feet…
Until my sleep has left my being…
Until everyday meets no end with an infinite kiss.

022524

Trusting no one
Coz there’s so much foolishness
In the world
They began to submit themselves with.

People die to live as a must…
But out of the abundance of the hearts
Of the cold-blooded wolves,
Some chose to believe on their own truths.

But I tell you —
That even those truths can all be false.
Can I dare you to believe again?
And to relive the life you’re supposed to nurture?

Coz in this world with noises
Of random gongs and roaring schemes,
A Voice will dare you to believe again
And that Voice is the last Man standing.

021924

There’s a poetry in my head
A hymn that my soul sings
And a Voice deep within my core saying,
“Write again, write about my Splendor and Glory.”  

I will exhalt you in all nations —
And I will continually be amazed…
Of how majestic You are.

How You took notice of my heart…
My oh, so weary soul.  
My desperate call for help,
And yet I am so loved by You.

So, so loved that You died
To wipe out every tear…
To bestow the life I’m supposed to live.

You’re the treasure I will keep…
And to truly live
Is to trust You with all I have,
To wait patiently…  
And so help my unbelief.

You are Jesus,
The Lover of my soul…
The Perfector of my faith.

You are the Keeper
Of the key to my heart and no one —
Just no one
Can separate me from You.

013024

Walang ibang saksi
Ng mga binhing kusang umuusbong.
At walang ibang tutugon
Sa walang katapusang paghikbi.

Daig pa ng liwanag
Ang kadilimang baluti sa’king mga mata.
Ngunit tila ba ako’y hindi pa rin handa
Sa mga balang tumatagos sa’king katauhan.

Nauuhaw pa rin ako
Sa mga salitang “Mahal kita”
Ngunit sa bawat pagtagisan ng mga salita’y
Puso ko rin ang kusang lumilisan.

Marahil ang paghilom ay isa lamang panimula
Ngunit sa ngayo’y ang mga pahina’y
Nasa dulo na ng aking katapusan
At paano nga ba muling makasasandal?
Paano nga ba muling magsisimula?

093023

Ikaw ang Aking Bayan
Ang aking Pag-asa’t Ilaw
Sa mga rehas ng kadiliman…
Hayaan **** ang Liwanag Ko
Ang magningning sa Sanlibutan.

Ikaw ang Aking kawangis
Damhin mo ang Aking pag-ibig
Wagas at dalisay ang hain Ko
Kaya’t itapon ang pangamba’t
Sumabay sa pag-ihip ng hanging
Nagmula sa Aking hininga.

Sa dilim ay mas magliwanag ka
Isasaboy ko ang Aking kinang
Sa liblib na wala pang nakararating.
Takot mo’y babalutin Ko
Ng aking pagsinta habang ikaw ay humahayo.

Yakapin mo ang aking pagkatawag sayo,
Maging saksi ka’t magliwanag pa
Habang ika’y naghihintay…
At ako’y magagalak sa’yong pagsunod…
Mahal kita, Anak at mahal ko ang Sanlibutan
Pagkat Ikaw at Sila —
ang aking Bayang babalikan.

070623

Tumatagos ang mga salitang
Bala ang panimula
Balang araw ay yuyukod sa katapusan
Katapusang hindi tuldok ang pagsasalaysay…

Pipiglasin ang mga kandadong walang susi,
Kandong ang kahapong nilimot at nilumot…
Babangon matapos ang paghikbi
Hikbing bangungot sa pagpatay-sindi…

Ikaw ang mananatiling saksi sa aking paglisan..
Walang paalam maging sa gunita ng bukas at kahapon.
Walang kulay na babahagian
Ng liwanag na taglay ko’t iniirog.

Ang iyong akap ang aking baluti
Habang ang sandata ko’y
Bumabara pa sa aking lalamunan.
Ngunit sa pagsiping ng mga tala
Sa kalangitang panatag ang panayam
Ay Walang kukurap maging sa isang idlap lamang.

Ang sigaw na sumisingaw hanggang sa kalawakan
Ay tila pa ilang dipa na lamang
Sa pagitan ng mga segundong
Nagkakandarapang magsipagtagisan…
At ang silakbo ng damdaming moog sa kaloob-looba’y
Bukas ay wala ring katapusan at panimula.

121622

Mga pangarap ay nasa alapaap pa,
Susungkitin gamit ang pagsisikap
Pag-asa at pananampalataya.

Minsan, hinahanap ko pa rin ang sarili —
Habang sa mga mata ng iba'y
Doon pa rin pala ako nananalamin.
At baka sa paligid ay naroon ang ligaya
Kahit alam ko namang
Isa lamang itong patibong.

May mga katauhang nagpapaalala saking
Gusto ko ring marating kung nasaan man sila.
O makihati man lang sa mga bituing
Nasa kamay na nila ngayon
Habang ako’y naghihintay pa rin
Sa sarili kong panahon.

Binabalot ng dilim ang aking puso
Bagamat ako’y lumalantad sa liwanag.
Naghihikahos at nangugusap
Ang damdaming namahay na sa parang.

Nakakapagod palang mangarap
Na tila ba ako’y pinaglipasan na ng panahon.
Tila ba wala nang tala para sa’kin.
Akala mo ‘yun na,
Kaya ibibigay mo ang lahat
Ngunit uuwi ka pa ring luhaan
Pagkat paulit-ulit ka na ring nasaktan.

Saan na nga ba ibabaling ang tingin?
Kung ang lahat ng pinto ay kusang sumasara…
Kung ang lahat ng balik ay pait at hagupit…
Kanino na nga ba magtitiwala pa?
Sa sarili ba o sa kanila?

Sa kabila ng bigat ng aking mundo'y
Nariyan pa rin ang Liwanag
Ni hindi Sya natitinag
Kahit ako mismo ang mang-iwan…

At kung ang Liwanay ay walang kapaguran,
Ay baka 'yun na rin ang dahilan
Kung bakit mas nararapat ko pa ring piliin
Ang pag-usad kahit pa nasasaktan.

At baka sa dulo ng Liwanag,
Ay naroon ang gantimpala
Na kahit ang mundong ito'y
Hindi makapagbibigay.

120522

Kaba ng puso ko’y Iyong pasan
Pilit ko mang labanan
Ang mga delubyong namamasukan
Ay kusa kong ibinabaling Sa’yo ang tingin.

Pagkat kailanma’y hindi ako nag-iisa
At sa bawat giyera’y Ikaw ang aking Sandata.
Ang hiwaga ng Iyong pag-ibig
Ay higit pa sa kung anumang bala’t palaso
Na sa akin ay hinahagis upang ako’y sumuko na.

Hindi ako nagmamataas
Na kaya kong patuloy na tumayo
Sa kabila ng mga patibong
Habang ako’y nakapikit pa.

Ngunit sa aking paniniwalang
Ikaw ang aking Buhay,
Ay Ikaw rin ang magbibigay daan
Sa patuloy kong paglagay
Patungo sa aking patutunguhan.

Sa aking pagbimbing
Ay palagi Kang gising —
Nakamulat at ako’y pinagmamasdan
At patuloy na hinihingahan ng buhay.

Nang sa aking paggising
Ay hindi kung kani-kaninong tinig
Ang aking hahanapin.
Pagkat ang nais ng puso ko’y
Sa’yo ako pumisan habambuhay
At Ikaw ay makapiling at maranasan
Sa mga susunod pang bukas
Nang wala nang pangamba pa.

112522

Sabihin Sa'kin ang tangan **** pangamba,
Mga alinlangan o maging pagdurusa.
At sa bawat patak ng luhang walang salita’y
Ako mismo ang marahang hahagkan Sayo —

Lalapit nang kusa’t aagapay
Kahit ako mismo ang naghihingalo.
Ihipan man ng Sandali
Ang apoy **** patay-sindi
Ay hindi magmamaliw ang pagtingin ko’t pagkabighani.

At walang ibang nanaisin
Kundi masilip ang Iyong mga ngiti —
Mga ngiti **** simula’t sapul ay nakakakiliti.
Lulan ng iyong mapupungay na mga mata
Ay ligaya sa puso Kong
Tanging ikaw ang pagsinta.

Kaya maging sa pagbilad mo sa araw ay kumikinang ka—
Nag-uumapaw ang kagandahang hindi masakit sa mata.
Sa bawat pitik ay umiindak Ka
Musika ng kahapon ay nasasapawan na
Ngunit ang sining Sayong mukha’y
Namumutawi pa rin sa pagningning.

Ikaw ata ay Bituin
At maging sa umaga’y kumikislap pa rin.
Ligaya ang makapiling Ka
Lalo pa’t ako ang napiling maging Katipan.
Ngunit sa pagkumpas nang paulit-ulit
Ng kamay ng orasan,
Paminsan ay ayaw ko nang lisanin
Ang larawan ng nakaraan.

Unti-unti akong namumulat
Buhat sa pananaginip ng gising.
Pira-pirasong alaala’y
Kusa na namang nababahiran ng dilim —
Dilim sa paningin,
Dilim na walang katapusan ang mithiin.

112422

Brutal eyes,
Lament in the melody of hope.
Diverse imagery rolls on each soul
Defining the core of their music –
A genre that is one of a kind
With dustings of masculinity
Making a legacy for this generation.

Each voice has no nerves –
And they’re like a formless water
Searching for an everlasting container.
To showcase the exquisiteness of the Pearl,
The backbone of their glory.

At first, they find no one to understand them
Even branded with hostile names
But they never surrender their flags
And raised the Nations’ banner so high
Even if all their villains did belittle them.

Their chords were like no other –
Their skills, they never hype about
And yet both the moon and the stars
Collided for them
And now is their time!

Some say: maybe it was their destiny…
Maybe it’s just for a while.
But their passion and thirst for their craft are unrivaled –
Always exceeding their best
As if their competitor is their living mirror.

Today, even if the Sun has exposed their grandeur,
Their modesty becomes a plus factor.
The world is their stage,
While A’TIN is their steady sustenance.

They had sleepless nights before
But tenacity led them to so many doors.
Many clowns had backed down
And some even turned from villains
Into aficionados who call them their ‘masters.’

They were born to be a standard –
And they deserve mad respect from every Juan.
Coz they’re not just stars but kings of their kind,
World-class vanquishers that we all look up to!
And this is just the beginning
Of the unfolding to the world of their God-given stories!

122820

Blessed are those
Who hears the sound of His foot
Those who are sure that it was His.
It’s like witnessing the sun
Walking on its way —
As it surely will show up
Upon the rose in no time.

Without a second thought,
The brightest one will eagerly step up
And will bend its ear on the ground.
The sun with its dying colors,
With its roaring upbeat —
May it shed its tears and be rest assured.
And so the sun wasn’t shy,
And it knows no pain.

In the span of time,
It cost me more than diamonds
When I learned by heart “how to fear.”
And to grasp life
With grace as a gift,
I found joy in the emotion of hope.

010120

Let me not forget where I indeed came from —
That even the blood that runs within me
Was a choice of my Father in Heaven
Who answers my cry and filters even my deepest thoughts.

Let me not forget how my parents worked hard for us to move forward,
That I may be grateful to my ancestors (elders in the family)
For paving the way for us to believe
In Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

For as I ponder throughout my days,
It’s like God revealing to me,
“Anak, be faithful in your days
For your generation will benefit
From both your actions and choices”
And so, what can I do away from the Lord?

Let me not forget how the good Lord
Has brought my parents from Romblon to Palawan by His purpose and will.
Their step of faith was a domino-effect
For us to see the glory of God in the time of our encounter —
The revealing of His power and His identity in us.

Let me value even the days that are still unknown to me
The past where they grind for a living —
How they enjoyed walkin’ going to school
And bartering products for school supplies.

God heard their desire not to simply graduate
But granted them land jobs
To which I believe God is glorified.
They tasted being the first generation Christians
For us to experience breakthroughs
Together with the Lord while being patient in His time.

Never did they allow poverty to hold them back
From what the Lord has openly bestowed for us.
We are never rich in material things
But they have instilled in us
The greatest thing we must possess in life
And that is our relationship with Jesus.

Let me not forget how He has lifted my generation (my clan)
To succeed while relying on His Word & sovereignty.
And so during these past few days,
I’ve witnessed how His favor showered
Every member of our clan —
All I can say is praise be to our God!
That wherever we are led,
We’d keep in mind that He is watching over us
And He is always after saving our entire generation.

Let me always rejoice in the Lord
Even in tests & trials of life.
That everything is in His hands
And we are safe in Him.
All the glory and honor of Jesus Christ,
You are the beginning and the end!
In 2020, do reign in our hearts!

050720

People started drinking coffee and staring at Me
From studio apartment windows,
Under pretty white gazebos,
In the open carport,
Busy offices with disinfecting stuff,
Some even paused Netflix on their TV screens.

Some hated Me –
For while I smell sweet,
Only some flowers grow
In the springtime.
And there were some whose thorns
**** the other just to survive.

I watched while hands are being driven to the sky
As if they're waiting for Me,
As if they're prepared enough.
Some collects in pretty puddles on the pavement
So that toddlers in rubber boots
Can jump in and splash their parents –
And they're on it,
I bet the game has started.

Love is sincere –
I make lovers miss one another,
I lull crying teenagers
To sleep in their warm beds
And some keep dancing
Tapping the floor with each move
And they believed I was hypnotized
To delay my visit and their season.
People don't simply watch
And listen with gentle acceptance,
I saw various faces changing masks every day –
Trying to fit what seems an "endless time."

Some were afraid of Me –
As one talks about Me,
Some run away.
So they don't even hear my expertise.
That I wash pretty chalk paintings off
Of driveways in suburbs
And without a second thought,
I can make them clean.

One tells the other,
As if I seep through their ceiling tiles
Turning cozy little homes
Into chaotic whirlwinds
Of anxiety and destruction --
Maybe, that's how their perspectives are.

I love the kids, so playful of their kind --
So I get them out of the pool
While sprinting inside,
Cold, wet, and uncomfortable.
Then I wash the leaves into
their gutters.

I touch the earth with my presence
To feel some semblance of warmth,
And I don't leave the thunder at your home,
I don't break the things that I love,
Unless they let me break their hearts
For what breaks mine.

I am the Rain,
But most of the time, I'm more than that.

072220

Sunsets are portraits
Of beautiful endings —
A reflection of what’s deep within,
Breaking the barriers,
The facade is made of sand.

I can never make a good portrait at all,
But I knew someone Who can...
Then, the trauma of the day even fades
While every burden is like floating baggage...
Thrown into the shoulders of the Oceans.

You just have to let go;
Let It — let It flow.
Washed by the waters playin’ along the shore,
The melody of Peace, of Rest, will soon follow...

Then Hope arises with so, so good endings.
And so I tell you:
I grew up hatin’ comparisons —
But I’m no longer afraid that I just did...
The endings are beautiful,
So wear Faith and Persevere.

020121

Bless the Lord, oh my soul
From the beginning of time,
And beforehand of everything that exists,
There You are —
You’re the Breathe who creates.

I was treasured by Your affection
Even in my mother’s womb,
You call me and draw me near
Despite flaws and imperfections.

I run the race You’ve paved,
And there, I got my battle scars
But my strength, my joy comes not from this world,
Your peace You give to my dying heart.

Praise You put on my lips,
And every moment treasured
In the bending of my knees.
What shall it profit me, oh Lord?
If I gain so much of this world
And then refused and neglected
Such a great salvation!

My inner thoughts, come in
In my mind palace, I’m throwing a party
Just for You and me
Your attention I seek,
Your anointing I thirst,
Your presence I long.

021722

I ponder the days that passed by,
And how I wish I could go back in time
But here I am – testifying the things
That God has done in my life.

Amidst the messy place,
He started answering one of my prayers
And it was an old prayer
And truly His timing was unpredictable.

When God answers,
It is never on our timetable
For He exceeds our understanding,
He exceeds our expectations.

I woke up in His arms today
And I’ve felt that I was in His hands
He carries me and He covers me –
He protects me and He will redeem me.

Tears I pour out on His shoulder
Even if everything seems imaginary.
I saw Him lifting my head
Like a father telling his child,
“It will be alright.”

He says I can trust in Him
And in Him, I can lay all my burdens.
One day, He will set me free
And He will drive away what is plotted against me.

Oh Lord, I find strength in You when I am weak,
I find favor in Your eyes for You have never left me.
I found hope in Your promises
And heaven and earth will pass away
But Your Words will never come to an end.

You speak no lies against me,
You know me so well, my Lord
You keep me on my feet
And I have nothing to boast about.

Lord, You are my Saviour even from the very beginning
And Your truth was never a lie
No one can imitate Your greatness
No one can take You away from Your throne.

I can hear You everywhere I go,
When people encourage me, I see that it is You.
And when they pray and lay their hands,
It is You who touch me.

072022

The more I am afraid, the more that I tremble;
But the more I will look up to You.
So teach me to truly number my days,
That I count them not by the works of my hands
But by the breath of Your Spirit in me.

In my weakness, pour Your grace.
While Your love, let it be blanket to my soul.
Oh how much I fear and tremble before You
All my weapons and crowns
I lay down before You.

I surrender my whole self
And when I boast,
Let me boast of Your goodness
Let no lies come out of my mouth
But let me sing how great You are.