Heto Na Naman

Heto na naman ang panahon kung saan tinatawag ako ng pagsusulat, 

Iwan ko daw ang anumang ginagawa ko at mas lumapit sa kanya

Siya daw ang bahala sa akin na para bang may kapalit na salapi ang bawat kong titik

Mahirap hindian, o hindi ko kayang hindian

Nakapaglabas na ko ng mga tula at kwento

Pero heto siya hinihila pa din ako sa kanya

Wala kong inspirasyon, tugon ko sa kanya, 

"Sinungaling..." sabay pitik sa aking bunbunan

May mga bagay na hindi ko sa kanya maikukubli

"...wala kang inspirasyon sa trabaho, 

pero sa akin, umaapaw,

na kung minsa'y iyong pinipigilan pa

Ako na lang kasi ang trabaho mo, nagsusumamo ako"

Ngumisi ako, ano pa nga ba?

Oras nga ng trabaho ko at heto, ikaw ang ginagawa ko.

Stayed and Waited

If you're going to ask me what kept me going

or how I survived the chaos I've faced,

It's because someone told me:

"Just stay where you are,

I'll come for you,

I'll be there."

And that's all I did,

Stayed and waited,

and if you are wondering if he arrived:

he did,

he always does,

and always will.

Between Or

I have been asked:
If you are torn between the two,
Tell me what would you choose
To love what you do or do what you love?

If you have asked me this decade ago,
I'd say it's futile to choose the first,
But perhaps I have become wiser now
And so this is how I supposed to answer that:

Love what you do then do what you love.
Polish those shoes then paint on the canvass you bought
Wait tables on weekdays then on weekends be the skater that you are
Be the rockstar, be the poet, be whoever you love to be

And if as of now, you can't yet do what you love,
Learn the art of finding joy in what you do,
Use it as a ladder that leads to your passion
Love what you do then do what you love.

But if you have asked me this decade from now,
Perhaps this is what I would say:
The goal is not to love what you do,
The goal is to do what you love.

And perhaps I'm wrong,
But I know, this one thing is for sure
To love what you do, you must do what you love,
In order to survive the cruelness of life,

Sweetheart, 
please save yourself
from a life 
that is so depressing.

Virtues: Courage

Photo by: Chinkee Calapan

Inhale, exhale, leap

Still you wait for the beat

Wondering if it’ll cut deep

Or maybe you won’t feel a thing

Care not for your heart

It will stop shouting hard

But don’t feel sad afterward

It’s your choice not to hear it out

The thing you should know

Is the truth that time is short

If you think it’s your purpose

Then why do you keep it false?

It’s okay to take it slow

As long as you’re moving close

You may not reach your gold

But at least you have tried a dose

We fear what we don’t know

But that’s the beauty of the unknown

Living a life unpredictable

Only God knows the tomorrow

So have courage and look above

Take that step and move forward

If He knows what’s going on

Then why fear the unknown?

But before this poem end

Fear is essential, I must tell

Seek God’s voice, please be sure

Or useless courage will show

Virtues: Courage

Virtues: Hope

Photo by: Shella Salud

Why do you swim against the current?

                where you feel alone and different

                where things are tough and unkind

                where tears may fall but no one finds

Why do you still hold her hands so tight?

                when she have told you to let her die

                when she have pushed you so hard and far

                when she have given up and never want to fight

Why do you put up that smile on your face?

                while deep inside you’re so much in pain

                while thinking that everything’s not okay

                while believing that later it won’t be fake

Why do you live as if you really own forever?

                though you know you can’t stay any longer

                though life often tastes sour and bitter

                though happiness may turn to never

Why do you still care for this world?

                you see how it rots everyday

                you despise the justice they prevail

                you witnessed how humanity can fail

What is that thing that keeps you going?

                Is it the heart that doesn’t stop beating?

                The passion you always have deep within?

                Or the so called Hope you never stop holding?

Why do you keep on closing your eyes?

                bowing your head and bending your knees

                clasping your hands as He catches your tears

                crying your heart out as He hugs you so dear

Help me tell the world where to get that kind of Hope.

                Because I think everybody needs to know

                Because then maybe the world won’t be so cold

                Because finally they’ll see that with God there is Hope.

Virtues: Hope

Our Story

Romeo and Juliet we became

Untold story –  ours have turned

Against all odds is a funny tale

But tell me, why are we the same?

It would be easier if you told the truth

And now I think, you become so untrue

You caused me to become so doubtful of you

And then the reality was I have been fooled

I cried not because of you

But because you touched the world I live for

How can I be like I was before

If they already turned sour, bitter and cold

How can you be like this to me?

How can you tell how much your love is?

If you can caused doubt on the beat of my heart

Then your doing maybe something not right.

How can I fall

If I don’t have the reality of it all;

If your love for me is safe and comfy

Are you sure you’re ready to catch me?

If you hold the plot of the story

Please make it something so pure and truly

And cast the doubt inside me

Because the truth is, I want to keep our story..

Maybe..

Maybe it hurts because you love the craft, 

otherwise you would not feel a single pain.

Maybe you get angry because you treat it your own, 

otherwise you would not give a care.

Maybe you are so crashed because you are giving your best shot,
otherwise it would not even matter.




Maybe that’s the deal between love and pain, 

that when something is worth it, you bleed and fight for it.

Maybe that’s the thing about passion, 

keeping on and holding on though you know it’s okay to let go.

Maybe that's the reality of life, 

that passion will never be enough, until you get rid of your self-doubt.

The Real Deal

Photo by: Ronald B. Santiago

When you feel you’re a failure
and when you know you’re not okay
How do you deal with the pain
when even tears fail to express?

When your heart starts to quit
but your faith still holds you dear
Tell me how do you deal with it

when you know you’re starting to give in?

When you think you've done enough
and when you had given your best shot
How do you deal with your heart
when everything still falls apart?

When you become so weak
and you just don’t know how to deal
Someone knows exactly what you feel
so come and pour out everything unto Him

And though I know you know the Name
allow me to mention in this phrase
‘In my weakness, JESUS is my strength’
And this is the real deal we need to face.

A Poem For Someone (The story behind)

This poem was produced as requested by my tita yhan, in exchange for a small amount of money.

Well yeah, I felt bad for doing a poem in exchange of money because truly I am a believer of the so called passion -- that you're doing something not expecting anything in return because the joy of doing it satisfies that hunger in your heart and that is something peiceless. But if some people can use their craft to earn a living, why not consider your own talent and ability as a source of income too. And since I am needing an extra income, why not?

But still, this is a passion, so don't get me wrong and I hope you're getting my point. ;)

“KEEP ON”

How can I keep on running?

When there’s a time I feel like quitting?

I guess life is making me weak,

What should I do about it?

A question is meant to be answered,

But how come I became so deaf?

So far from the world I was in,

And so near on the edge of a cliff

Dig deep fearful friend of mine,

Dig deeper in your heart and you’ll find,

The courage that will keep you going,

The strength that will keep you winning.

Life is a one-big-fight,

It doesn’t matter if you stumble and cry.

Feel free to do every inch of everything

But the goal is to keep on breathing..

It doesn’t matter if you can’t find the answers,

Sometimes it’s better to preserve the innocence

And if time comes you feel like quitting,

Hear the sound of your heart, it’s beating