by: Noel Zamora

The suns shines bright red over the horizon as dawn dissolves the surrounding darkness. Slowly, like pigments being smeared together, stains of purple fade into maroon, then orange, then pink, till the palest blue emerges and scatters all over the dome of the sky. Again, the miracle of morning unfolds.

I remember witnessing this same miracle many, many mornings before with my father. He would wake me up early and we would ride on his bicycle to the bridge over Cutud. There we would hold vigil for the gentle rising of the sun from behind the lofty lonely summit of Arayat. I would watch in that twilight the water buffalo wade through the golden fields of ripening rice. Behind him walked the farmer singing an ancient kundiman to his beloved, while crickets and cicadas hummed their own little ditties.

But there is no Arayat summit before me here. Instead, I have the day breaking from behind the indigo-shadowed Appalachian range. I watch the thoroughbreds graze on the bluegrass-blanketed hills as the robins chirp away in the shades of the elms. In the distance, an old man plays his fiddle while his young companion wails the loss of his wife, his dog, and his automobile.

I close my eyes as I stand here, a stranger in a strange land. I know that my feet do not rest on the soft, pliant earth of my homeland, yet I find my heart and my soul truly at rest. Yes, this mountain rock may be unmarked by the hooves of the damulag and unwatered by monsoon rains. Still, I stand here, my feet now rooted to this foreign soil, basking beneath the same sheltering sky.

by: QuackerZ

Words softly spoken that even cupid didn’t hear me cry.
Stars are too far away from my heart to hear of my wishes.
I blow a kiss to the breeze in hope that it may touch your cheek.

As you pass by, you arouse me with your sweet fragrance.
Whenever we talk, your words hit me like the mighty sun.
Then you just walk away from me, drifting away like the rolling wind.

My mind clashes with thoughts of you loving me forever.
Storms of tears run down my cheek from all the love I’ve been holding, back away from you, for fear that I may hurt your tender soul.

Out of nowhere I shout out your name in this unknown world to me.
Hoping that you can hear me, hoping that I can touch your heart.
Time passes by and your eyes glow more and more each day to me.

As though you knew that I’ve been thinking of you, and wanting you.
Soon you start to smile more and more every time I’m by your side.
Whenever it is time for me to part, you grab my hand and ask me to stay.
Never have I said no to someone so special, who thinks I’m special as well.

| In a night, when the sky was sprinkling with shattered light.
You let me hold you in my arms, and you just stared into my eyes.
My eyes just open wider, as you told me you loved me and wanted me too.
Speechless and just amazed at what you have told me, I was awoken.

From a dream I’ve been awaiting to awaken to, a dream of me and you.
I reached into my heart, and took out the words I longed to say “I love you.”

by: -misis-

I know weve never been
What people call as lovers
Yet, we both felt deep within
The love we shared last summer…
Cause with the crazyness you’ve shown
My passion has flown
And the glimpse, the touches
You’ve showered
Enveloped me with fire
Coveted my whole body
And burned me with desire…
But time ran fast
Everything has ended
Im living now in the memory
Of the laughter that you gave me…
Now is the return of reality
Of you, just a mere fantasy
Cause with her, you do belong
And me, you played along…
Though we’ve never really been
The lovers, she and you, Ive seen
I dont wanna learn to let go
Even if it means knowing the pain, oh no…
It would be hard not to have
You who I do really love
Ive been hurtin, needin, sacrificin
But with you I’m willing
Willing to wait, risk, and suffer
The reality of my losing end…

by: GoRd

Tonight I think of you again
Same as yesterday and so many nights before
I let my desperate longing shape my thoughts
And take me to my make believe world

First, I give my loneliness wings
And make it wander to where you are
At first sight of you loneliness sheds its wings
And takes the form of immeasurable delight

After which, I offer you the gift of love
And give it freedom to experience you
To envelop you in its wondrous embrace
A gift that makes you cease to want
And seeks to celebrate you for what you are

Then, I kindled passion
And let it burn to its heart’s content
To sear you with its gentle touch
And engulf you in its flames of desire

Finally, I let happiness join us
For what would be expected next but total contentment
Happiness would become my coat and your dress
And towards our home we would go
A home where eternity resides
Through all these wonderful visions
I give order to my distorted world
This escape to our own magical place
Is the seed that I hope to grow our love garden in
So each night I pick up my tools and start toiling
Hoping that the soil would be fertile till its time to sow
And sit back to watch love unfurling.