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 Jan 2015 Sofia Paderes
Jedd Ong
A swallow
Only ***** its wings
As it falls
To earth.
Well, I need some practice with brevity.
I never heard her say "I love you"
But I did hear her say
"Wake up. Breakfast is ready."
"Here's some extra money."
"Make sure you bring an umbrella today."
"Buckle your seat belt."
"Did you do your homework?"
"I saved a seat for you."
"Be home by ten."
"Are you okay?"

Truthfully
I can say that
I feel love
Not because I hear it
But because I see it.
"I love you" is just a sentence unless you act on it. Show it, don't say it.
 Jan 2015 Sofia Paderes
Jedd Ong
“Guttersnipe.”

Now I need clarify that I
Did a lot of white man pandering
When I told the admissions
Officers from Brown that

My grandfather’s
Language is quite
Smelly.

It isn’t.

And I am done romanticizing home
When there is nothing to.

Our language was but
Brevity,

And it got the job done and
**** I can’t
Explain all that in 150 words
That’s why I chose
“Guttersnipe”
For some dramatic effects I don’t
Know to be true.

Their language was dinner table,
And it brought food home,
And it brought smiles on faces
To kids that grew up knowing no other home,
And to men and women not knowing
Where home was and

Providing some level ground as to who what where
When how and why we were as we were:

Quietly walking,
Chinese settlers in
The Philippines.

It was our way of remembering
Who we were.

It reminded
Us that we

Weren’t greater than
Where we came from,

And that doesn’t make us
Any less great.

Hokkien is Hokkien:

My family still uses it
At the dinner table
To kick off conversations.
And pass the food.
I dramatized my college admissions essay describing where and how I grew up. Or rather ran out of words to do what I really wanted to say justice. Whatever. The point is that my life isn't as poetic or dramatic as I'd make it out to be sometimes - and that I'm still struggling to come to terms with that in the way I tell my stories. I mean, they're no less beautiful after all.

Oh, and for those who don't know - Hokkien is a Chinese dialect mainly spoken by residents of Fujian, which happens to be the origin of many Chinese-Filipinos, of which I am one.
 Jan 2015 Sofia Paderes
Jedd Ong
There is a forgetfulness
To pride that
Will never be cured
By stop signs,

Cold-culled footsteps
Telling you to
Step back,

Traffic stops pointing you
In opposite directions.

"Pride"
Is but a matter of here
And hearing—
Of hear and now—

Of watching the tail ends
Of mufflers blow
You off with exhaust
Smoke and choke
On their spit—

Honking at your pride
And unsure gait,

Leading you into alleyways
Sprawling with brightly
Colored graffiti,
Pink painted faces, misfit

Tongues and a silence
Uncharacterized by
The glamour of the city—

Only this
They deem yours.
They rest all over
whilst I was rooted to the ground,
the water acting like superglue
as my limbs stretched out.

Towards the clumps of land
rods of steal and wood weaved,
to connect and *****
that which we call humanity.

But there were abuse on the rods
formed by hands who'd calloused hearts,
poison coursing through their veins,
but not a single thought was given
for they were innocent in their brain.

Said limbs and rods spiraled out,
as nothing was left to chance,
intertwining everyone's destiny
in majestic flare and grace, grand
like a ballerina's dance.

But the poison was too corrosive,
the termites were too much,
as everything eroded, imploded,
crumbled and buried under
mounds of earth.

But today is different,
a new beginning, a new life.
As if the gods have willed
something better to arrive.

Indeed they came: Ports
forged from purity anew,
where fresh legs are delivered
and old legs whisked away.
For no matter how dark it
was, is, will be,
even during the night,
there always is and will be
a pip of light.
A poem I had to compose as our homework for Literature class. This was the assignment posted by our teacher:

Think of a metaphor for your 2014, the year that was; and think of another metaphor for your 2015, the year that will be.
Write a poem (at least 12 lines) using those 2 metaphors. Typewritten.
Also write a 1-page explanatory paper explaining your poem and the metaphors/imagery you used.
 Jan 2015 Sofia Paderes
Jedidiah
How can a man stand still,
  Yet still lose his breath?

Today, she stood in front of me

There I was
Standing

*Still.
Yehp. that's how it felt. xD
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