In the more than twenty years between Marcos and Duterte, where has our country gone? Everywhere around us the world has changed. Meanwhile, here in the Philippines, we are perpetually stuck in the “kilig” and drama of telenovelas, and the promise of easy money from noontime shows. The covid crisis…

47 years you’ve been here in my lifetime out of your 85. Nary a day without you near my mind, my heart, or by my side. Never too far to talk to, never beyond our reach. All my life I’ve looked up to you, all your life you never tired…

Three dozen thoughts clouding my brain, The sun in the distance, shrouded by rain. Got to be busy! Got to get going! A post-workout meal, after gym this morning. Rushed to the florist, rushed off to work! Turn on the computer, print that report! Straining to forget, ghosts from the…

Screaming on top of your lungs! Hoping nobody would hear. Hearing your heartbeat loud as a drum This pain I can no longer bear. Where is the dream? Shrouded in gloomy overcast, Eagerly awaiting the blinding sun, So I can dig and bury again the past. </donvy> Donato R. Vytiaco …

Such joy! Leaping hearts, skipping beats, inspired! The phone rings! Text message! You’ve got mail! Dinner! Decaf? Longing, loving, hoping, grieving. 10 years! 10 days. Futile. Ending. </donvy> Donato R. Vytiaco 31 May 2000 @ 10:23pm

Thought they’ve healed Life rips open and stabs Never really healed Or not completely In that sliver of time Before the wound Oblivious of the end Life was very good Flashes, snapshots, memories Lapses, holes, leaks The past, the present Tangled in a mess A wake up call? Lessons unlearned! Stubborn heart! To what end? What if? Take a risk? Other fish? Life’s a bitch! </donvy> Donato R. Vytiaco 28 May 2000 @ 1244H

Scorching my tongue as I sip, with you in a not-so romantic grip. The burn awakens, brings tears to my eyes - echoing in my head, “How time flies!” I remember quite clearly how it was then, when you swept me off my feet, again and again. Glamor! Travel! Never-ending wonder! Absence did make the heart grow fonder. Craning my neck to glance outside, this restaurant window, with you by my side. People passing, running, rushing,

Snatched the pillow of silence and clutching it tightly, cloaked my head in its peace; I sink, knowing not where I want to go nor where I want to be. Searching for answers to questions unformed, riddles that life presents, dreaming of a life beyond existence. Is love the answer? Ask me yesterday, I am as ignorant as the fool in the crystal mirror – blindly reflecting nothing, neither seeking answers

Part the curtains hung. Let its blinding, bittersweet light - drip from your tongue. Open your eyes to all of life’s beauty. Forget not to make your own life extraordinary. From the moment we come crying to the moment we leave dying - We will forever be remembered by what’s in between. Life’s powerful poetry reads on, contribute your verse or be remembered for nothing… </donvy> Donato R. Vytiaco 18 February 2002