Once upon a time,
They were happy
Like you and I.
There were smiles on their faces
And they were gleaming
With joy.
But things went downhill
And one day-
We became the fools.
We became ignorant
To the reality.
We became fearful of
What could be
And we became
Forgetful
Of who we once were.
And now we see them starve!
We see hunger knocking
On their wooden doors,
Then come barging in
Like waves that crash
Along shore.
Welcome, hunger.
"Have you come to feed
On my innocent child?"
And yet-
We continue to watch
Knowing not what to do.
Tell me
Men-
And the children of Adam-
Tell me
How you perceive
Your brothers and sisters
Hunger stricken
With their delicate hands
Clutching their bare
Stomachs?
Tell me
How you feel
About your dead brother
Lying in the soil
Because of a war
You started?
Tell me
A million times
How sorry you are-
Though you may not be-
About the times
Your eyes witnessed
A crying child,
Whose tears
Were collected in puddles
Along the Nile?
Tell me
Why your mother
Clutches onto you
For hope,
When you offer nothing back
In return-
Tell me
Why we sit around
When Malcolm X
And Martin Luther King Jr.
Took their stand
Amongst thousands
Of people
Calling for a better world?
Tell me!
We've come thus far
And now- it's time
To turn back
To God.
It's time we take our stands!
It's time
We open up our hearts
And let the droplets
Of rain
Pour into them.
It's time we stop
This persecution
And rip apart
The darkness-
Letting our torches
Lead the way.
And so
I take my stand
Against this jury.
I stand
With all my free will
And hold the torch
Towards the billions of stars
That scatter heavenly
Around the moon's beauty.
I stand
Waiting for you
To light my torch.
I stand
With my head up high
And my eyes looking
Forward,
Waiting-
Waiting for the jury's response.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Aden Grey Poetry Contest
PoetrySo Aden, for those who didn't know him, loved poetry. He was the one to get me into it. The first poem I ever wrote was for him, about him. This is something I meant to do a while ago but I kept avoiding painful memories. This is a poetry contest of...
