hanging on
amid the storm--
a feather



busy day--
inside the house, everyone
is wiping the rain



dinner
by candelight--
monsoon night



black out--
can't even see
myself



morning calm--
sparrows on the wire
sing as usual

sunset--
walking home from school
ducks



awake
under the full moon
a water lily



there it goes,
the prettiest bird
I've ever seen
leaving me alone
by an old pond

Clark

a white man
walks to his villa--
scavenging crows



the allies' flags
fly side by side--
headstones



Clark Air Base is a former US Air Force base, located in Angeles, Pampanga, about 40 miles (60 km) northwest of Manila. It was argued to be the most urbanized military facility in history, and was the largest American base overseas. The base was converted into a special economic zone after the American military left the Philippines in 1992.

Mount Data

September 12 - After around nine hours of travel from Manila, we reached Mount Data, Mountain Province. This is where, twenty years ago-- September 13, 1986-- then President Corazon Aquino signed a peace accord with the Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA), a rebel group fighting for autonomy on behalf of the indigenous peoples of the Cordillera region. We were there to join the so-called dolnat, or "warming-up" of the peace pact.


Mount Data--
where the war ended
calla lilies bloom


September 13 - the day of the celebration. On a very cool morning, the CPLAs had their breakfast in a tent under the pines. I learned that many of them hadn't met for a long time.


aging pines--
comrades in war
meet again


The speakers during the ceremony had a common message: after 20 years, peace in Cordillera-- and the rest of the country as well-- remains fragile. Autonomy and progress are yet to be enjoyed. But despite the failures and hardships, hope keeps on burning.

a scoop
of the vast cosmos
Big Dipper

I waited and waited
but the clouds never left
the peak of Mayon