RANDOM #31

the image that you see
clashes with what I feel
the distance between us
confirms that it isn't real
the truth is concealed
inside my deepest dreams
and even if you care to listen
you can't hear my soundless screams

RMP
8/30/2015
Winnipeg MB Canada

RANDOM #30

show of force or arrogance
a sign of cracks inside
a brewing power struggle
flocks are being taken for a ride
disrupting social order
in defense of their creed
some say it's a diversion
to shield the source of greed

acts of devotion
or acts of those who lead
the herd won't care to move
if the shepherd says no need
whatever the case maybe
there's the writing on the wall
if justice is to be served
somebody has to take the fall

RMP
8/30/2015
Winnipeg MB Canada

RANDOM #29

"No matter how trivial the source of happiness, I thought, no matter how petty, piddling, insignificant, hackneyed, simplistic, or antediluvian is the source: happiness is happiness." Mark Rowlands

coming out of nowhere
you took us by surprise
the beauty not seen before
is now the apple of our eyes
this might seem trivial to some
that it all started with a glance
but our stillness is now disturbed
by this burgeoning romance

RMP
8/27/2015
Winnipeg MB Canada

RANDOM #28

"Be careful of success, it has a dark side". Robert Redford

busy doing everything

to make a huge mark on this world

we leave no stones unturned

except when they don't strike a chord

to reach the summit of success

we took the slippery slope

just to find out at the top

our beliefs went up in smoke

RMP

8/27/2015

Winnipeg Mb Canada

RANDOM #27

taglay ang pag-asang makaahon sa hirap
tayo ay naglakbay bitbit ang pangarap
handa nating tiisin, handa nating tanggapin
anumang hamon ang sa ati’y dumating

bigat ng dibdib pilit na pinagagaan
upang di mag-alala mga mahal na naiwan
baon sa puso’y taimtim na mga dasal
ang lakas na inipon sana ay magtagal

kaytagal ng oras lalo kapag nagiisa
tulong ng teknolohiya ay pansamantala
ang ngiti sa labi sa pagpikit ng mga mata
kapalit ay lungkot pagdating ng umaga

pagod man ang diwa kailangang bumangon
isantabi muna taglay na mga tanong
kailangang sumulong upang may matipon
nang hindi maaksaya pinuhunang panahon

ganito ang kwento ng buhay sa abroad
kayod kabayan nang mapawi ang lungkot
ganito ang ikot ng buhay sa abroad
may mga tanong na hindi natin masasagot

hindi lahat ng kwento ay pare-pareho
kung may tagumpay mayroon ding siphayo
pangarap ay nakamit, buhay ay nasira
kapalit ng pag-angat ay pamilyang nawala

simpleng buhay nagiging masalimuot
bumigay sa tukso nang dahil sa lungkot
may mga biktima ng pagsasamantala
ng malupit na amo pati na ng embahada

minsan buhay pa ang nagiging kapalit
ng paghihirap ng ilan nating kapatid
tagal ng pagkakalayo may dagdag na hagupit
mahal na hinintay bangkay na nang bumalik

sa mga mapapalad bigyan nyo ng pahalaga
yaman at tagumpay na ngayo’y tinatamasa
huwag din sanang iwaksi sa inyong mga alaala
ang mga kwento nilang kinapos ang pag-asa

ganito ang kwento ng buhay sa abroad
kayod kabayan nang mapawi ang lungkot
ganito ang ikot ng buhay sa abroad
may mga tanong na hindi natin masasagot

RMP
Revised August 23, 2015
Winnipeg, MB Canada

RANDOM #26

padalang inipon
inilagay sa kahon
mga tsokolate
karne norte at sabon
bagong sapatos
damit at laruan
katas ng trabahong
pinaghihirapan

kahit na kakaunti
ang hatid ay ngiti
kahit na kakaunti
lungkot napapawi

pagdating sa pinas
ngayo'y babaklasin
gustong buwisan
ng gobyernong praning
kakarampot na biyaya
nais pang tirahin
yung mga dambuhala
di kayang salingin

kahit na kakaunti
may gusto pang makihati
kahit na kakaunti
may gusto pang yumari

RMP
August 23, 2015
Winnipeg MB Canada

RANDOM #25

“A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity."
[Letter to Max Brod, July 5, 1922]” ― Franz Kafka

The ability to write is in our nature. Yet , in spite of this, we still suppress what is inside of us because we are afraid of how others might respond to our ideas or how they might judge our skills and capabilities. We chose not to bring those thoughts into life because we are so anxious of our own limitations that we cannot even appreciate the beauty and subtlety of what we can do. 

If we have that urge inside, then write. We don't have to be an expert before we start doing it. Proficiency is something we can achieve through constant practice. Ernest Hemingway once said; "the first draft of anything is shit". Perfection in any art form can only be accomplished when we are willing to use our time and resources to improve our craft. Stephen King also thought; " the scariest moment is always just before you start". Once we have overcome that part then everything will be a lot easier. 

According to Maya Angelou, the author of 'I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing'; "there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you". This is the reason why we should  write. We need to keep that thin line that separates wisdom from madness intact. The more we keep those stories inside us, the more we hurt ourselves. The more we are hurt,  the more we stretch that line. If we continue keeping our feelings in isolation, then, we are going to miss enjoying the fullness of life. As the poet Anaïs Nin once said; "we write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect."

RMP

8/17/2015

Winnipeg MB Canada

RANDOM #24

I will be turning 48 at the end of this month. If I am going to live until 90 then I will be more than halfway that age. Reaching this age in an excellent health condition is quite an achievement.  My lab tests results are normal. The same with my BP and target heart rate. My weight is ideal based on my age, body frame and height. Since I started monitoring my runs last March 2014, I have already covered a distance of more than five hundred kilometers, consisting of fifty runs with an average pace of 6 minutes and 24 seconds. I have established my personal bests in some of my runs; 25:49 for 5K, 55:50 for 10K, and 2:11:14 for 21K (half-marathon) considering that it was only last December 2014 when I started running again. And these runs will continue not only until I reach my goal of finishing a full marathon but until my body runs out of steam.

Now the question is, what made it possible for me to do this? The answer is perseverance and discipline. Perseverance because I have to push myself beyond what I thought to be the limits of my physical and mental strengths. I have to relive within me the competitive spirit to challenge what I am capable of. I have to accept that body pains including injuries are parts of the process to improve what I do.

Discipline, on the other hand provided the means for me to put everything in order to accomplish what I want to achieve. I need to reduce my weight and then maintain it to an ideal level to improve my runs.  I was overweight by eight kilograms when I started running again. Discipline made it possible for me shed that excess weight only after a couple of months.  There should be a program that I have to start with and continue doing on a regular basis. Bad habits are to be avoided and replaced by good ones. I should be consistent in doing my health promoting routines and activities; and be extra cautious of what I eat and drink.

Mine is not a perfect template to achieve a healthy lifestyle. This is one thing that I want to emphasize. I still have some lapses when it comes to proper physical conditioning and maintaining a healthy diet. But what I did and still doing right now has brought me to a level of physical and mental comfort. That is to me is more than enough.  The lapses are there to remind me that learning to be fit and healthy is a continuous process. That I can still push myself a bit farther and harder to be more productive and enjoy this gift of life.

At 48, I am also in the point of my career where I have to start again and revive the same competitive spirit in a totally different environment. Unlike in running where I am totally in-charge with the goals that I want to achieve, this time I have to deal with situations that are way beyond my control. Looking at an unfamiliar route, I have to make sure that I have the required tools, expected skills and the right attitude to conquer my fears and eventually finish the race.

Running might be a different pursuit compared with the career that I need to reestablish at this age but the principles for thriving are just the same. Perseverance and discipline will also make it possible for me to reignite the fire of enthusiasm and let it continue burning within me until I finally reach a certain degree of comfort and security. Finally, I can still make use of that obsession I have with running; redirect it towards this unfamiliar path and then secure a space where I can start to work on chasing that elusive dream.

RMP
8/16/2015
Winnipeg MB Canada

RANDOM #21

lumalaganap
dahil sa isang sulyap
kaway ang nagtulak
naglaho ang pagpapanggap
nabuhay ang pangarap
ngayon marami ang naghahanap
nagmamasid, naghihintay
sa mga maaaring maganap

karaniwang kwento
sa kakaibang sitwasyon
mga tagpo’y naglalaro
sa mga imahinasyon
mababaw man ang tingin
layon ay napapanahon
sa bawat kuwento ng pag-ibig
may itinakdang panahon

bakit may kilig?
bakit maraming nagmamasid?
kapag pag-ibig ang paksa
mas marami ang hindi manhid
isipa’y pumapailanlang
sa lawak ng himpapawid
naghihintay sa panahon
na bawat puso’y magkalapit

RMP
12 August 2015
Winnipeg MB Canada

RANDOM #20

a procrastinating consciousness
thwarts all the dreams inside
time’s thrown to a wasteland
by a deserter’s drifting mind
fears overwhelm
the desire to carry on
with every single step
a limit is being drawn

idleness takes over
the mind’s no longer in control
options are running out
there are contradicting roles
a world is shrinking
what’s on sight’s just a mirage
a vision is now a part
of an obsolete collage

RMP
August 10, 2015
Winnipeg MB Canada