Gloria, walang bumili sa iyong pakana

unti-unti tayong hinuhubaran
ng dangal
pilit tayong sinasanay sa
amoy ng pulbura
at hugis ng .45 at m16
upang huwag tayong magalit
sa paggamit ng dahas
upang mamanhid tayo
tuwing me bubulagta't
binarbikyu ng bala.

gusto nilang
huwag na tayong magulat
sa mga headlines ng korapsyon
at kasinungalingan
ayaw nila tayong mag-aklas

dahil akala nila
mapipigilan ng bala
ang papalapit na sigwa.

887*

and the streetlights
long more than the other
night
they cried for the souls that got buried
in funky print ads of
an elite coffee brand

silence has never sound so
sad.

in grief they torn the
streets
where tears turned to shouts.
red flags waved in place
of bodies thrown to the
ground.

mourning is a bladed weapon.

freedom is not for the meek
freedom is for those who
fight, who dare to die (so that
others may live).

for only when
the east turns red
can we really own that we
must.

*the number of victims of
extrajudicial killings as of
October 2007