The town grieves. - dedicated to the memory of Mayor Caesar P. Perez, fatally shot on the night of 03 December 2020

English Translation:
Molawin

a living spring, pure, cool,
flow of love
from the *****
of Maria of Makiling

cradle of the frog Rana
puts the birdwing butterfly Troides to sleep
sings lullabies to Buot, the cloud rat
accompanied by serenades from the passerine Balikasyaw
and the hornbill Tariktik.
dance floor of the monitor lizards
every time the cicadas and the crickets
have their concerts

ancestor of the Lake
mother of the magnificent Medinilla
father of the Jade vine Strongylodon
sibling of the riverine fig and the nettle tree
the true lord of the spiny bamboo,
among tunay ng kawayang-tinik
rattan, shampoo liana, red banana
the vine Aristolochia

Respected by El Niño
Tickled by La Niña
bathing place of the naked man
washing area of the pretty woman

there they play
children weary of the forest fairies –
line fishing, treading, hopping
among the boulders

but
pollution –
silently swims with the flows
like the cobra, that there also grows –
potent,
its venom
poisons, kills
because
humans feign blindness,
are blind.

Additional Notes:
Rana, Troides, Strongylodon, Medinilla and Aristolochia are scientific (genus) names of a frog, birdwing butterfly, the Jade vine, a magnificent-flowered shrub at a vine that serves as a butterfly larval host plant, respectively, all found along the areas of Molawin Creek; their use in this poem is an attempt to illustrate the important role of biology in understanding the intricacies, not only of Molawin Creek, but also of the entire Mount Makiling, a forest reserve in the southern part of Luzon Island, The Philippines..

Marlon Aquino