1.

i am near death. My sight is no longer clear,

and i sense the innocent’s fear.My veins are

infected with the poison of Man, as i am left

buried under their branded scraps.What i

would give to see the light of day once more,

and feel the wind softly run through my wet

fingers.Imprisoned in my own skin and

drowning in my own tears,i have been si-

lenced and forgotten.Many times i have at-

tempted to run away to my sister, Manila Bay,

but i am too weak and threatened with excre-

ment.i fear i will die alone, sentenced to a

death by the Man I love. i am invisible.

Towering walls confine me in this abyss-a

contaminated, oxygen-deprived sump. strug-

gling as if entrapped under Ice Sheet, i am

left to just give up.Boats run me over and

tear my skin.I bleed black and smell of death

for death swims in me. i have no soul, for i

have no eyes. i am blind, and so is He.Fatal

fate, bitter silence.Now a wretch, void of de-

liverance a victim of Man’s impertinence only

mine eyes can see. Woe is me, an infer-

tile mother who cannot harbor the future.

 

 

Early in the morning, mothers bathe their sons and daughters

       and gather all their clothing to launder and dry.

            Lovers sit beside me, admiring my lustrous waters,

                    and children swim with me when the tide is high.

                            I feed Him well with fish and drink,

                    and in return he brings me nought.

            But I only wish for his care and thought

        to never abuse me nor let me sink.

I only care to offer Him all of me:

    my vital spirit, innocence, and natural purity.

            I never sleep nor express any fury,

                   but keep my peaceful rhythm calm and steady.

 

But once the floating white man came, He

was prostrated by awe - willing to bring me

illness and shame was this Man’s greatest

flaw. i became a slave to His ignorance and

industry. Save the Children!