| ONE TIME YOU WERE MINE There was once in my life That I fell in love with; There was once in my life That a man I truly care with. Summertime turns to winter, Days turns to years But my heart felt sad... Because those feelings were left within. One time I had a dream You were kissing my lips; One time I had a dream Your arms were entangled with mine. One time I had a dream Your embrace was so warm; One time I had a dream That Lem was mine. And yes, those dreams came true! So I cherished the time that I have you, I cherished the moment that I've kissed you, I cherished the second that I've hugged you. But I know, dreams will come into an end. So now, I wanted to thank you For the memories we have and shared; I wanted to thank you For the love I felt was real and true; I wanted to thank you That once in my life I have you. |
Olivia Ibay
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Rural Maid
By: Fernando M. Maramag
Fernando M. Maramag was born on January 21, 1893 in Ilagan, Isabela.
He was a well-known poet and newspaperman during his time.
They glance, sweet maid when we first met,
Has left a heart that aches for thee,
I feel the pain and fond regret-
Thy heart, perchance, is not for me
We Parted: Though we met no more,
My dreams are dreams of thee. Fair maid;
I think of thee, my thoughts implore
The hours my lips on thine are laid.
Forgive those words that love impart,
And pleading, bare the poet’s breast;
And if a rose thorns thou art,
Yet on my breast that rose may rest.
I know not what to name thy charms,
Thou art half human, half divine;
But if I could hold thee in my arms,
I know both heaven and earth were mine.
Kristine Recolizado Sapla, Philippines
“You seek the Truth! What is Truth? What you still feel to be truth today you will recognize even tomorrow as error, in which, however, you will later again discover grains of truth! For the manifestations also change their forms. Thus your seeking continues, yet amid these changes you mature!
Truth, however, remains always the same, it does not change, for it is eternal! And being eternal it can never be clearly and truly grasped by the earthly senses, which are familiar only with the change of forms!
Therefore become spiritual! Free from all earthly thoughts, and then you will possess the Truth, will stand in the Truth, and will bathe in it, constantly surrounded by its pure Light, for it will envelop you completely. As soon as you become spiritual, you will swim in it.
Then you need no longer study so painstakingly what science has to offer, nor need you fear errors, but you will already have the answer to every question in the Truth itself. Moreover, you will no longer have any questions, because without thinking you will know all things, will embrace all things, because your spirit will live in the pure Light, in the Truth!”
~ Abd-ru-shinThe God Stealer: Filipino Identity in Fiction
By F. Sionil Jose
The story begins with two officemates Philip Latak (an Ifugao from the Mountain Province now working in Manila) and Sam Cristie, an American on the bus to Baguio.
Philip (Ip-pig) now lives in Manila against the wishes of his immediate family, particularly his grandfather who intended to bequeth to Philip his share of the famous rice terraces. They are on their way to Baguio for one purpose: Sam wants to buy a genuine Ifugao god as souvenir and Philip was to help him find an authentic one through his local connections.
Philip is a Christian who no longer has any respect or affection for the Ifugao customs and religion.
He considers himself a city boy and has no inclination to return to mountain life. Despite this attitude, his grandfather is pleased to see him and decides to throw a big party in his honor. On the day of the party, Sam and Philip discover that no Ifugao is willing to sell his god. And as a last resort, Philip offers to steal the god of his grandfather because he feels it would be his way of showing his gratitude to Sam for giving him a rise at work. The consequences of this act are severe.
The next day, his grandfather died because he discovered that his god was stolen. He also informs Sam that Philip will no longer be going back to Manila. Curious, Sam looks for Philip and found him working in his grandfather's house. Philip poignantly explains his reasons for choosing to stay in the mountains:
"I could forgive myself for having stolen it. But the old man- he had always been wise, Sam. He knew that it was I who did it from the very start. He wanted so much to believe that it wasn't I. But he couldn't pretend - and neither can I. I killed him, Sam. I killed him because I wanted to be free from these. These cursed terraces. Because I wanted to be grateful. I killed him who loved me most...” a faltering and stifled sob.
In the dark hut, Sam noticed that Philip is now attired in G-string, the traditional costume of the Ifugao. Furthermore, Philip is busy carving another idol, a new god to replace the old one which Sam will take to America as a souvenir. Philip's repudiation of his Ifugao heritage may be extrapolated to mean that Filipino's rejection of his own roots and its replacement with colonial values.
Philip- Philippines
Sam- American (Uncle Sam)
It is significant that Philip steals the God for Sam out of gratitude.
Thus is it the Filipino gave up his most precious symbol of his past traditions to the Americans as an expression of gratitude?
And by giving this symbol away, the Filipino murders his own roots. Again, we see Jose's thesis:
The colonial culture has been a negative force in the Philippine History and hence, the tru Filipino is the tribal Filipino, or the poor Filipino least touched by colonial culture.
Jose presents the Filipino as confused, emotionally disturbed and helpless, plagued by the fact that he repudiated his past, or that he could not do anything to help the suffering.
