You swell some strain on me,
You, middle kingdom!
Eradicating small detachments,
Of both sailors and marines.

They were ranked on islets and reefs,
With an integer of nine –
There in the island next to me,
I’m sure, you know who Spratly is.

Always wanting such detachment
To be eradicated by your own;
Now stationed
On a World War II era landing ship.

Your toy-ships came near me,
With 9-kilometer of the LST.
“It’s there illegally,”
How adamant that be!

I’ve tipped you off already,
Surely will I stand firm!
Then, you’ve countered me on! –
Opting for the ******* of more skyscrapers;
Those that are on stilts;
Now nearby two Reefs & a Bank? –
Nearby my darling Palawan Island!

“There is no room at all,”
For the negotiation on some point,
You’ve declared.

Oh, here’s my friend, U.S.
Left us with course of action to try;
Everyone calm down,
Be less provocative.
For often, he flies over;
Probing some stuffs.

You are the biggest offender, my friend;
In this dispute, you show no sign of slowing;
Or backing, down.
But hey, I won’t give up!

(9/9/13)

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!