A New York Summer Night

'Twas noontide of summer,
And mid-time of night;
And stars, in their orbits,
Shone pale, thro' the light
Of the brighter, cold moon,
'Mid planets her slaves,
Herself in the Heavens,
Her beam on the waves.I gazed awhile
On her cold smile;
Too cold- too cold for me-

There pass'd, as a shroud,
A fleecy cloud
And I turned away to thee....

Proud Evening Star,
In thy glory afar,
And dearer thy beam shall be;
For joy to my heart
Is the proud part
Thou bearest in Heaven at night,
And more I admire
Thy distant fire,
Than that colder, lowly light.

"Evening Star" by Edgar Allan Poe

TECHNORATI TAGS: jupiter and the moon over manhattan

Maraming Salamat po, Tita Cory

Dearest Madame President,

Today the Filipino nation ends it's official period of mourning for your passing. I sense however, that many of us will continue to mourn you in our hearts for much longer. We have you to thank for restoring democracy to our most deserving nation. The world has you to thank for showing us that even a "mere housewife" in a yellow dress can stand up against, and defeat a dictator. You began a tidal wave of people power that did not only sweep across the Philippines, but found it's way to the shores of many nations who longed to rid themselves of tyranny.

I have you to thank for awakening in me, even at a young age, a pride in my people. Pride in our long and tortured history of enduring and fighting against foreign oppressors, and then, oppression from one of her own sons. I was born a martial-law baby, but I never grew up as a martial law child. I knew a little bit about where I had come from, but mostly I knew that it was a place where corruption was the norm, and the "little guy" really had no power. But from our family room in Brampton, I learned lessons that no history book could have taught me. My family would gather each night to hear the evening news from the homeland. From that fateful day in 1983 when your husband was assassinated, until 1986 when you stood before the United States Congress declaring that you had returned as the "President of a free people", we were there in spirit. I learned that I had come from a place of brave heroes who stood up for what was right even if it meant death. But what impressed me the most, was the fact that my people did not regain their freedom, this time around, through bloody revolution. They did it with songs, prayers, flowers, and their own bodies to face down the military's tanks. Equally impressive was the refusal of the military to fire against their brothers and sisters. And so from the Avenue of Epifanio Delos Santos I received my own epiphany.... thanks to you President Corazon Aquino.

As we bid you a final farewell, I know that in the hearts of most Filipinos you are welcomed into the pantheon of Filipino Bayani - heroes who have, through the centuries, sacrificed, fought, and died for the sake of their people's freedom. And so from a grateful son of a grateful nation and people please accept my eternal thanks, respect, and love. Paalam po.

TECHNORATI TAGS: the book of condolence for President Corazon C. Aquino, Philippine consulate, New York City

Prelude in E-minor, Op.28, No.4 by Chopin

oxygen eludes me in this Suffocation of circumstances....

a tremendous ocean encasing and weighing down my existence.... once fluid, it has now congealed into a semi-solid that makes swimming to the surface progressively more difficult.... I claw against the density and fight the inertia of my self.... the glimmering under-surface appears so close that I can almost feel the deoxygenated breath within me bursting out in the hopes of a reflex inhalation of fresh, sustaining air from the other side.... I try to muster all my desire and strength, but it is never enough.... breaching that surface remains an unobtainable goal.... I'm running out of air.... amidst this struggle, I encounter air-breathing-water-dwellers.... they ease me in my struggling, and generously commiserate with me....
they share their breath with me.... and I share mine with them.... this is what will sustain me until I reach the surface.... this gelatinous milieu will soon liquefy, I'm certain of it!....

at least that's what I'll continue to tell myself.... thank you fellow creatures of the depths, my eternal gratitude....

TECHNORATI TAGS: american museum of natural history hall of ocean life, new york city