Haha!
What a marvelous year it has been
Surely, there were ups and downs
Dark corners explored
Sharp twists, and turns
Hurricanes along my path
Earthquakes that shook me down
Marvelous..
Just marvelous...

To think I thought I wouldn't survive the journey
Well... I was proven wrong
By He who is.
Yet again He has brought me to my victories (just how He promised)

But it wasn't that bad...
Surely there were giants to be slain
Dark forces that opposed me along the way.
It really isn't that bad...
As long as you don't fight alone.

To win a battle is Triumphant!
but to share a victory with comrades...
Is a whole different feeling!
To fight by their side
Just gives you a whole new purpose...

Praise to the one who says, "I am who I am"
For He is who He is!
None can interfere His divine plan
For His sons, and daughters!

Although,
There's still a long way ahead of us
And that's for sure.
Although,
We can not see what lies ahead
He has already cleared the way...
For you,
And for me
So, fear not.
Just watch how He fights for you, and I
And you'll see...
How His mighty hand strikes down
Who ever dares go againts us.

365 days
The first time I met you
365 days
I came to know you

I remember the first time
My eyes met yours
You might think I'm crazy but
I've never seen someone as fine as you

I remember the day
The day I saw a different side of you
A side..
Of something..
Real
Of something
True
And slowly, but surely
My curious mind
Was drawn
To know...

To know
                every bit
of detail
                  about you

From that jolly smile of yours
Which (somehow) brightens my day
To those eyes that captivate
And leaves me with no words to say
seriously...
How beautiful can you get?

Still I am here
Just here
Forbidding myself to run after you
But here to protect you
From them
and from me...
For I am not a fool
To take what is yet to blossom even more
because I know...
You can move not just me
But even
the Greatest
of **Mountains

Through His mercy we have survived.
Wrath sparing
Temple and parthenon,
Synagogue covered
In moss,
Castles ****** but unbowed
For us to
Remember.

Allowed us to keep
Corners of
Eden:

A bedroom wall slathered
In picture frames,
A front porch dusted with snow—

Fragments
We tore away with

Tears clouding our eyes.

The last time I saw you
We were trying to blend orange into green
In a huge painting for a fund raising auction.
Surprisingly, I see you again in yet another colorful adventure,
In a dark room with bright blinking lights where
We gave 80's dance moves to pop rock songs.

Then we plunged into the night and let
Our laughter and high pitched voices pierce the chilly air.
We balanced our books as we hurriedly jaywalked
Through the 10 pm traffic jam.

Though the ads in the mall were right at our faces,
You pulled me to a big blue aquarium
To marvel at the goldfish and guppies
Staring at our shiny eyes the same way.
We tried to understand the math
On how our corals cost 3 times more than the States
Even if we have 20 times more species than them.
We couldn't, but we swore to each other we'd stop it.

And as we shared a glass
Of too much ice and no more tea
We fought back passion filled tears
When we told each other story after story
Of our government's inadequacies.
We argued, but finally agreed that
It's not over population, it's urban planning;
It's not poverty, it's inequality;
They're not imbeciles, just ignorant;
And our nation maybe unfortunate,
But our trust is not in fortune, but in grace.

Then as we bid each other goodbye,
Unsure of when will we even meet again,
I prayed to God that
If our school chaplain becomes the president
I'd like him to appoint you and me as the
environment and finance secretaries.
I thanked Him too because
Now for the first time in my life,
I'm not ashamed, I'm not embarrassed but
I'm happy
To be a geek
Because you are with me.

Viva Sto. Nino!
Come let us celebrate
The boy Jesus
Our King, our Savior!

Colorful banderitas drape
This town street.
Here comes the
Pagan parade
Going to the church,
Lead by gay majorettes
Flaunting their legs while
Blowing kisses to the priests.

There is a river
Of people each holding
A portrayal of the living God,
A glossy Sto. Nino statue
Dressed in peasant clothes,
A chef's uniform,
A crisp black suit,
A traditional Chinese costume,
And a striped swimwear even.

Some people are masked
As zombies and ghouls
Quite like Halloween in January.
Their face paints start to get
Smeared in their sweaty cheeks
In this scorching 2 pm sun.

At the middle of the parade comes
A pick-up decked with a stereo.
A portrait of lady in a bikini is
Taped on one of its speakers.
As the parade moves on
The kids moshed and fist pumped
To tribal rhythms and hiphop hits
With cuss words in every beat.

The sun is setting and
The celebration finally arrives
At the crowded church plaza.
People make their way,
Inching slowly to the grand church door.
The great parade ends in a bang, well
A slap rather.
A ***** boy hits
A lady's behind
In yellow micro shorts.

A brawl erupts
In the midst of the crowd,
In front of the saints
Petrified in the stained glass windows.
The mass starts soon after
As if nothing happened.

*Viva Sto. Nino!
Come let us celebrate
The boy Jesus
Our King, our Savior!

I said I’d never write about you again,
but I suppose I’m just as good at lying
as I am at leaving.
I’ve forgotten what your voice sounds like.
I always criticized you for not letting go,
as if the weights around my ankles
weren’t made of my faults
and everything I wish I could take back.
You told me today that
you’ve found love again.
I hope he finds flowers growing
from all the cracks I created
in your heart.
I hope he sees galaxies
in the darkened voids
I left behind your eyes.
I hope he understands
that you are full of splintered doors
on rusted hinges
that need to be loved and not repaired.
I hope he is nothing like me.
I’m sorry my words left scars.
I’m sorry my silence
reopened them constantly.
I’m sorry I was too busy
loving myself,
instead of loving you.