"Alay na Tula" ~ Leon Quiaoit

Walang panuntunan
ang alay kong tula
at di rin natitiyak
kung batayan ko ay tama
basta ang alam ko'y
sa puso nag-mula
ang mga talinhaga't
nilimbag na kataga

"A Piece of Cloth" ~ Leon Quiaoit

Is it just a piece of cloth ?
without meaning to stay aloft
Like a book without a story
filled with empty words

Can it stand by its own?
without a land to rest
No firm hand to lean on
and heart to become a strength

A flag is something we cannot eat
nor it can pay our debts
But is it just a symbol?
of the freedom we now possess

It is the shadow of great men
and their heroic dreams
A reminder of the past
of courage and sacrifice

It has witnessed victory
and the agonies of defeat
In advance and in retreat
patriots knew not their fate

The land they dearly loved
is now sheltered with a flag
A cloth stained by blood
for the sake of our youth

Shall we then find the grace?
and stand erect today
Shall we open up our palms?
then put upon our chest?
And pledge with certainty
to honor a piece of cloth

Prayer for My Friend ~ Angel Tenorio

Dear Lord,

I kneel before you today,

For a dear friend of mine,

I don’t really know how he feels,

I don’t have an idea what he’s going through,

But I know,

He is hurting,

His soul, grieving,

His heart,

Yes,

His heart,

Is breaking into a million pieces…

Lord I am lifting my friend to You,

I know there’s nothing, us - his friends could say,

and…

There’s nothing, us - his friends could do,

To take away his pain,

To stop his heart from breaking… from bleeding,

To keep his soul from grieving.

You are the only One who can help him,

You are the only One who can comfort him.

You are the only One who can take away his pain,

You are the only One who can stop his heart from breaking, bleeding…

You are the only One who can keep his soul from grieving.

And so Lord, I lift my friend to you,

I pray,

Heal him,

Heal his heart,

Heal his soul,

Heal him, I pray, dear God.

~*~

i wrote this poem for my friend Noel, i am truly inspired by him, and it grieves my heart that his heart is grieving right now... and so i pray to God that he's going to be okay...

lie ~ angel tenorio

you held my hand,
but it was not mine that you see,
you smiled at me,
but you're not looking at me,
you imprison me in your arms,
...but your thoughts are not of me...

we were always together,
but you were never with me...
you were always near,
but you were far beyond my reach.

i have you,
but i never had your heart...

Pity ~ Angel Tenorio

alone, dejected...

cold, almost lifeless,

my heart,

bleeding endlessly,

imploring,

please rescue me....

hide not your face from me,

hide not your soul from me,

hide not your heart...

don't you have pity?

can't you see me?

slowly, achingly fading,

unto the realm of the unreal?

slowly frozen

to lifelessness of heart,

slowly diminishing

to the thin air of the undead...

rescue me,

i beseech you,

save me,

i implore you...

help me,

from completely fading away,

unto the eternal damnation

of the undead heart...

save me...

infuse in me,

your empathic blood,

beat in me,

your heart,

breathe in me,

life.

~*~

"Diploma" ~ Leon Quiaoit

Anak ko gising na
at salubungin ng ngiti
ang bagong umaga
mainit na almusal
ay nakahain na
may'ron ding pandesal
na pabalot iyong nanay

Anak ko lakad na
at masiglang ihakbang
ang iyong mga paa
ihanda ang sarili
patungo sa eskwela
pagyamanin isipan
mga guro'y pakinggan

Anak ko alam mo
ang iyong nilalandas
ay para sa'yong bukas
Malugod na timbangin
ang mga gawain
at mga tungkuling
kailangang pasanin

Anak ko alam ko
isang araw darating
bitbit mo ang ngiti
at diplomang minimithi

~*~

"Our Journey" ~ Leon Quiaiot

Our journey together is not a magic tale

nor dream-like story that is grand to tell

But within our hearts in our simple ways

we wrote the story that binds our love

Through all those years and the phases we trekked

the pleasing moments and those trying times

The sunny days and cold lonely nights

we will treasure, we have endured

Our family, our home, our hopes and dreams

With our prayers, we're just passing by

O, Can there be greater that a man can wish

than journey in life with a great loving wife

~*~

a poem for his wife Sarah Gaticales Quiaoit...

envelope~ angel tenorio

with a smile she handed me,

a pretty brown envelope,

"read it, and understand every word,

for it will surely help your heart",

she said.

when the envelope reached my hand,

it is as if i received an ice,

it's heavy, utterly heavy,

and cold, achingly cold.

curiosity beckoned me,

open it and see...

so open i did,

and looked in it.

it was just a piece of paper,

and seemed nothing much,

but when i started reading,

life evaded my heart!

i have shunned you a long time ago,

i have started to live my life,

not worrying about you,

in fact, i have almost forgotten about you.

now you've come again,

cunningly took the opportunity

of her good intentions,

you've come to trouble me again...

you've come to bring me pain,

you've come to bring me back my hurting,

you've come to stir my peace...

but i tell you,

yes, i will remember the pain,

i will remember the hurting,

but no, this time...

you won't be able to trouble me,

you won't be able to move me.

so try hard if you must,

but you won't get what you want.

ghost~ angel tenorio

i welcomed the new day,

as happy as i can be,

hopeful,

expectant,

of great things to come my way...

i brushed elbows with the gentle wind,

i exchanged smiles with the roses,

i shook hands with the mango tree,

i kissed the cloud's cheek today!

i was happy and singing all the way,

from sunrise to sunset,

i was most content!

then....

then the roses withered,

the mango tree swayed violently,

the gentle wind turned to a howling,

and the clouds....

yes, the clouds turned grey...

i shuddered at the sudden change around me,

i closed my eyes not wanting to see,

and as i grope to escape,

i touched something very cold, and i slipped.

as i looked up to see,

speech evaded me,

how could you be here?

how could you be here!

ghost, detestable ghost,

how did you find your way to me?

how did you manage to track me?

detestable ghost?

life~ Angelita Tenorio

little by little, i'm falling away... slowly, i'm
fading to the wind, a grass amidst the dessert, obstinately seeking
your oasis, life's evading me, how long will i have to seek you more?
how long do i need to hold on more? how long do i have to wait more?
before i get to you? before you breathe in me ...life.

life...

life...

...will i ever find you? will i ever get to you before i completely fade away, diminishing to the wind, to the sky? will i ever get to see you? touch you? feel you? hold you? breathe you? life....

...seek me, find me, breathe me...

life.