Welcome Back To The Philippines Poem by RIC BASTASA

Welcome Back To The Philippines



nice to hear that you're coming home
for a vacation
i am (shall we say) overjoyed,
is it not an exaggeration of the
anticipation, or just an over reaction,
but just the same

we welcome you to our little abode
the maroon painted gate will be opened
and dinner shall be served: possibly
dinuguan (do you still eat a bloody menu?)
or ginataan (remember the coconut milk
and gabi leaves and some anchovies?)
or pork adodo (we will make it crispier)
and of course, the lechon de leche
(baby pig roasted and crispy to the tongue)

just a little feast and some stories to tell
with some friends, a little reunion, and talks
perhaps about some wounds
(that want to heal) and some miserable things
(i think i must keep them buried alive
in my heart, or these matters may spoil
the party, but i know we have them in some
ways, and the darker the night, the one without
the moon and stars, the more silent and deep
the night becomes, when perhaps we get
drunk a little bit, sad stories become so
relevant and realistic and possibly everyone
will have the desire to talk and be honest and
just be candid about the realities of pinoy soap)

i look forward to your coming, we wait, in fact
we are excited, of course, i will tell susan, and the
rest of the other happy (& lonely) people of this country

that, well, you have postponed your climb of Mt. Fuji,
because your guide met an accident, and as an option
you have decided to visit your country and your father
and his new wife, (something to scrutinize, later)

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RIC BASTASA

RIC BASTASA

Philippines
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