Live and Let Live

A SON REMEMBERS 


On majestic hill just before twilight 
reminiscing a wrinkled life in a lite 
Aura of omniscient's intimate dusk 
This woman's single-hood form a great task 
Five decades ago, past ovarian prime 
To complete life she prayed in sacred shrine 
Where then, solitude is a chilling curse 
where one is measured on descendant course 
To a quack non-providence she sought guide 
In tarot card of street sear she abide 
The one last great hope was read in a light 
To have a spouse across the sea and might 
Not by the river she'll be a spinster 
But in sun kissed island she'll shed a tear 
To bid goodbye on prized hymen she wear 
For that single man fate hinge as her dear 

Seasons and faultless reasons toll shifted 
bold decision made heavy cross ,lifted 
Reaching the great land with mighty peak 
fabled birds and flowers not for the weak 
Silver lakes, green canyon and plateau 
A promised land to start a life for two 
She nod to Adam's sire on shallow fry 
Not knowing the depth of his sleekly try. 

The subtle dream it came, short and untrue 
This man's restless youth search new avenue 
The scent of bliss faded to shifting breeze 
Back to the mainland he will find his wheeze 
For his flesh is weak than the woman's spot 
The family life she yearned for was not 
Maternal dwelling she raised their children 
Her true jewels, the songs for morning wren. 
To mourn not even though one angel fled's 
And two came, completed three thoroughbreds 
My two brethren and me as building blocks 
To unfold life ahead on given stocks. 

This mother ever so beautiful in our eyes, 
A saintly soul living on a thin ice 
A form and substance of godly whispers 
I hear to ease pain and all my brothers 
A gentle touch of heart warming delight 
To greet sunshine or endless dream at night, 
In those young days, when the world seems too small 
simple desire is to hear her name call 
To view her coming from a long bus trip 
Is like a pop star of a concert clip 
Our hands waving for her to glimpse 
A smile and gleaming eyes between eclipse 
A pious throbbing, kisses of purity 
We lost fatherly arms's inventory 
Fairly to the man, flaunting Don Juan 
Endowed earthly sins of thousand and one 
Than fix the sheltering clasp of loving arms 
from our own family reaching his alms. 

As childhood plays we numbered in our days 
Mom never ceases to love come what may. 
With a spouse like trojan horse in our mind 
paternal mirage or presence that was unkind 
In twisted vine of the path we've taken 
Her visions betrayed her tender station 
Advancing age on single frail body 
The goal of holding on without folly 
Came unsteady while we grow on quickly 
As the world comes bigger just unfairly 
. 
And when the time reaper's scythe lurks to prey 
darkness got her unfolding us away 
hospital trip are frequent than the bills. 
Our dysfunctional senses came to spills 
Crisis come mocking our fervor wishes 
As if crossroads are bad premises 
No vile of thoughts had come near before me 
But one ambient night was fiercer than wee 
Death was deafening I can remember 
All lights smoldering in darkest ember 
I struggled that night while son's retrieved 
Memories made my sanity reprieved 

Eight days then passed two days before Christmas 
Friends, members of our clans offered a mass 
On day of burial past meridian 
recalling agony all obsidian. 
A wild unrest swirling within my head 
as throat being clogged by a vicious lead 
Some trifling wind innately reminds me 
How the world inside her was epitome 
Of peace and comfort, badly resembling 
Now on this funeral I fight my trembling 
Because 38 years ago today 
She gave birth to me in a holiday 
Leading to mortal life without delay 
Now, I bleed my last sight of her this day. 
As I wept the circle of life I see 
mother's ascension to divinity. 

-Saigon De Manila 
May 12, 2013 

* this poem is a recollection of my Mother's funeral last Dec 23, 2005, on the date of my 38th birthday 

The boat under evening sky

The boat under evening sky
floating in a dead calm water
under splendor moon shining
a fate enroute to somewhere.

The boat under pale sky
maneuvering in deadly water
while sudden storm eclipsing
safe haven nowhere.

The boat under dark pitched sky
disturbed on a black water
fought his doom unwavering
to retire off shore elsewhere.

The boat under urban sky
resting with a Boston bomber
a shelter or death defying
final voyage seen everywhere.


April 21, 2013©


Hovering thoughts of the new Mariner

On my own but not alone
Like an itchy dry wound
I kept looking around to dry land, even wetlands
I think the thoughts from other similar digital land
saw succinct words, typical or symmetrical
about self destruction, truce, solar flare and strawberry fields
auto-pilot including opiate avatar and 2.5
remembering my own pilgrim, foreboding and siblings.
Are these just goat willows of poet's surreal universe?
felt like am a drone on a unfamiliar terrain

A tetra-byte of emotions
All dimensional figures, cube, cuboid but not a void,
All experiences or vent however divide,
All sharing time zone, with context and occupying space,
All intelligent life forms, all bending souls, ever different, in creative words,
All creatures, mythological, nocturnal, domesticated, or in the farm,
All identities,given name, pen name, surname, poseur and saboteur
All sins and beatitudes, from then, now and beyond

This great magnitude spawns us all, and will never be a pawn,
of abysmal overlord or prejudice.
As we go forth and shall forever be
bonded by our own exigencies

-Saigon de Manila
©April 15, 2013


Reflection
(an echo to a failed poetopia)

After all is said and done fleeting begins
Grief, guilt and some soliloquy
Time will sit like a child observing
The innocent heart will ask on his mind
What happened?
To the great circus and merry go round
It was a good ride
With clowns, freak and stunts
The overflowing goods and cheap prizes
different animals abound
A festivities of Neverland
but, was all mirage with no borderline
An imagined highway
All cars are flying
Even cows are floating
However pinching
The fabled nightingales
Turn earthlings to stone.
In the long moment
Of quantum disbelief
We remember
The fallen
As dry as dessert cast away
Dead by night time
Feasted with in the food chain
Fertilizing our chosen land.

©April 13, 2013


Senryu to the listless soul

misunderstood mule
poetry not politics
will lead your pen here

©April 2013


The boat
(chained Senryu for threadtanic )

boat in the dark night
one way of living just right
amidst lurking sight

boat in the limelight
or ship of too crowded site
why the petty fight?

boat of pure delight
matters on our chartered flight
you're free to alight.

©April 12, 2013


Senryu..of his Past

ignoble it may
sordid ways to HIV
he is still our child

-Saigon de Manila
©2013


Miscellany in the Morning

early mosquitoes
I join them with cup of tea
while my spouse tease me

-Saigon de Manila
©2013

Miscellany at Dawn
(a senryu)

An itchy cold feet
while cursing the clock ringings
a day to begin

-Saigon de Manila
©2013


Miscellany at Midnight
(a senryu about early life)

wrong job and bad wife
on my locust eaten years
part of journeyed life

-Saigon de Manila
©2013


Miscellany at Night -30
(a senryu)

Sabbatical leave
for poets and vagabonds
all are friends of mine

-Saigon de Manila
©2013


Miscellany at Night -20
(a senryu to a news job)

new curriculum
to follow on new frontier
curse or daily bread?


-Saigon de Manila
©2013

Miscellany at night - 10
(a senryu before a I go to bed)

old friends and less viewed
golden friendship in hairy paws
snoring wife every night

-Saigon de Manila
©2013


Senryu to new born


A peak of conquest
not consumed by my demons
this new child of mine.

-Saigon de Manila
©2013


Of balls

Either bended or slice
that is how golfer's balls flies
but straight balls are lies.


-Saigon
©2013

Senryu
(..what's left in Heaven)

All vices to hell
but the heavens lured Bragi
to do poetry

-Saigon De Manila
©2013


Toe to Tanggo
(echo to Poe's Sundry thought)

What kind of rhythm does
your toes begets for dust?
Are your sure all dance floor
failed you to grow and felt poor?
Did you out age your dog
and gave you reasons like rogue?
Artisan would sometime weep
Not for the dry wine you seek
But for all the things that gone
before you saw your own grandson.
What loss if at all,
to shrug waves on Bikini atoll?
Like every boatman did
to justify his ungodly deed.
For surrendering is wanton dying,
while flirting is a madman dancing.
So move your shoes untie
Or take a bite on lovely pie.
In the shroud of your past
For every woman to lust
The song of ancestral shogun
a war dance for pagan,
life had just begun.
to sand out your rusty shotgun.


©April 8, 2013
Eastern Time

An Echo for Tiger


Tiger's life is more than the cycle of golf balls,
As a child, he would rather fixed his goals on great Jack -the bear
a chosen universe in his mind next to his own Dad as hero
strong willed
he reeled off the grass with spiked shoe
after thousand balls bounced and fly around
until they hit the mark to continue next morning
playing along his father
stretched his focused mind
envisioning the great end...
a leap into the mortal's mind
player after player had their reign
with out the aim..to shatter records on his pace...
after philandering frenzy or off the media mob..
Down!!! Says the paparazzi's verdict he'll perished..
too human, crumbling on high noon's well .
his run seemed to get to an end
Instead.....today he returned again
in the mixed with roaring Rory and Bubbas's hovering craft
tickets and TV views rocketing high at end of every play
As we sat in our living rooms, marveled
mindful to draw the person
who won once in one leg.
How we felt now championing ourselves.

Saigon De Manila
April 4, 2013



My Childhood Years

My childhood years
Checkered ,blues and tears
Memories that made me smile
Little journey of unforgotten miles
dread and courage
And my whimsy outrage
On my childhood years

My childhood years
Tumbling and running
Why I jump more than crying
With my wooden toys
All are simple joys
On my childhood years

My childhood years
Puppy love and love letter
The last one i will always remember
Like my first kite
And all the things i like
On my childhood years

My childhood years
Like garden lush
Like the summer that will never last
As rivers gone dry
Remembering like how my child first cry
On my childhood years

March 22, 2013


9 Lives Interrupted

There is piece of heaven in such bliss overly
From a felicity of peace - daily;
None had premonition of scratch furniture
Why will completed home ask for more?
My son and I, has pleasure unabridged
before our kindred cat Onion demised

Adopting our moogie is destiny
Quenching needed love quietly
Where money is not assured to buy
the Threshold of life, so pure that we cannot lie.
A companion to our leaps and bounds
Out eventful play of endless rounds.

Six seasons and three force migration
Unspoken stress turned inspiring non fiction
With out manual we gave restriction
O’ his freedom we thought is an obligation,
crude harness like prisoner of war
only to find- a lethal err will scar-

In the solstice of an afternoon beckoning
the absence of purring is deafening.
A stilled body hanging like martyr,
flashback of everything like satire and fear
We comfort all the thoughts we care
surrendering the joy for one last tear.

March 20, 2013


An Echo...
(To J.Kemp)

A poet is in pain delivering emotion
albeit relieved
He cries in every words
that spells his angst.
He does not touched it,
but he paints it in every colors.
He sees the wound of others,
choosing his own as example.
He nurse it on every reader
that may incline to appreciate it.
The lover on the other hand
wanted more for his paramour.
The poet whispers to our soul
The lover caress our mind
In the world...



Where Do This Poet Going?

(a senryu)

Am fried on all sides
not burn-out
tumbling down
to have my first non-earth oven
while my wits are toasting.
Shall I serve it?
unbaked?
Its my artistic choice.
lite
or amber
from a kaleidoscopic mind.

-Saigon De Manila
March 4, 2013



Taho
(soya gelatin)


A walking weigh scale?
or street food early gourmet
competing ice cream.

I dont see it matters,
vendors are sought on first call
like rain on summer.

March 2. 2013






Tale of the Two Wedding Rings

After decades but not an eon hence,
I have a tale of a Man wanted his woman exclusive to his arm
Looking for a token of an everlasting bond
To symbolize more than duties to God,
Kings and law of men

One day, months before planned wedding
This man dug some jewelry on their heirlooms
under the lit of slowly melting candle wax
and a mind fixed to his waiting bride

A broken ring and earrings touches his skin
A serendipity set to happen,
From the dust of time, memories surely unraveled

The next morning
He asked his mother about the thing he'd found
if which he intend to recycle thru a smith
and from those he'll have a ring of their own
As new little bands of matrimonial

" That pieces of gold you have discovered
Is from my youth and also from my mother"
The man was astonished hearing the story unfolding
"She gave that to me as unconditional love
that never gives up hope or faith in my own future"
Then she asked "What can you pledge to her?"

Clenching it to his hand he said
"A commitment and as special bond
For our loyalty and let others know
we are taken from the day we will wear it
to every day we can!"

The aging mom paused and asked more
"Is that all? "And he was perplexed
" Remember, where that jewelry came from,
two pieces intended for two index fingers"
His son can not quench a riddle of a message
she wanted heartily imparted.

"The earring came from my ears and should both your own
As watchful eyes on your every deeds and intentions.
The old ring, being broken should not be hindrance
To look on her shortcomings and even your own weakness,
It's bound to bridge what is lacking in your characters.
It's a shadow you can follow
to return home not to go astray,
and a smile to greet you when the other is afar.
A companion to remember that not one
had abandoned you in any moment of despair.
Its meant to be paired,
Like day is to the night
Not opposite fellows but to be united
in very chance both hands will meet
as true equal halves from the time
you committed to the last day of your lives"

Enlighten, the man continued
"My apology to take loosely the eternal virtue
And daily commitment that seems untrue
I will care the one heart that will wear it
and the two souls it will be created.
The two rings you will eventually see
will forge two families to unity
In every season it's destined to endure
for our dreams in every minutes of our days
Remembering every moment to make it as our last."

And so, on the wedding date that was set upon
The two golden ring was made
Without question of its value
As continuity of the devotion they found
For the bride and groom to say they "DO"
As fate would be with them
For one and everlasting love.


-Saigon de Manila
January 11, 2013

The poetry book

Pages beckoning
waiting cherish cpossession
To whom the eyes toll

These noblest artist
Shared their work's prized creation
Free or under paid..

To whom readers love
Our words will be with them now
Profound writing bliss.

Dec 2012

Haiku 1201

You see a rainbow
Remember God and you too
His arch of Promise

In full spectrum
the circle you will follow
To live in full glow

-Saigon de Manila
12-24-2012