soft grumbles

I sit in the park watching the world pass by.
Children's laughter permeates the air
as they play tag.
Balloons matching
irises, tulips, polyanthas, daffodils.

I used to be part of this crowd

I sit on my bench
mumble speeches to a countless audience
inside the theater of my mind
or lecture teen-age kids
who listen intently to every word
in the halls of my imagination

I see a couple kiss
their heads move from side to side
as if trying to find the right spot
where their lips are sweetest.
People stroll at a leisurely pace
others rush to get to their destination.

I used to be part of this crowd

I should have seen the signs.
When all my friends in the office
had been replaced by a younger set,
I knew. But I was left to my own fearful foreboding.

Today, I have just to content myself
sitting on my bench
for the park is such a happy place.
But it can be lonely, too, on a rainy day

and all I have left in my heart is rain.

# posted by rolly @ 7:51 AM

Pinauwi kami ng titser, inay.
Signal number 2 daw kas
Dilim ng langit
ay nagbabadya ng pagbuhos
ng malakas na ulan.

Malakas ang hihip ng hangin.
Humuhuni ito tuwing dadaan
sa bawa't siit ng ating tahanan.
Kung dumating ang bagyo'y
siguradong magliliparan
mga bubong sa lansangan.

Kaya't hahayo na ako inay
upang magtinda ng sigarilyo sa tulay.
Hintayin mo ako't isang salop na bigas
at isang latang sardinas
ang aking bibilhin
kung sakali mang ako'y papalarin

It is the kind that makes me deaf
a loud bang that echoes in my ears
this silence – a stillness that makes
my heart pump wildly
a realization that I am all alone

I'd rather hear croaking frogs
for they signify rain shall soon come.
I like its patter on my roof
as it cleanses every nook.

I'd rather hear the clanging of a thousand bells
it means that men still believe.
I long to hear the sound of singing birds
as I rise to a fresh good morning.

I'd rather see tiny gnats feast on rotten flesh
for it is a sign of life.
I love to see the rise and fall
my mother's tummy makes.
It means she will wake up soon

Alas today, the silence is at its loudest
And my vision is blurred by tears

rolly