Market Day

Market Day

 

A lovely Saturday morning, just as usual

A welcome respite from busy days of work

A little lazy to wake up for a hearty cereal

A measly reward for a hungry mouths bloke

 

The ordinary day begins as I march my way

The downtown marketplace some miles away

The multitude of vehicles that ply the route

The procession so agonizingly slow and brute

 

A crowded place of people, a good mix of caste

A throng of dicers and carters in a hurried haste

A deligent merchant for fresh fruits and veggies

A sharp butcher’s knife carving some beef cubies

 

The catch of the day came in iced coolers a plenty

The stench in the air, a welcome perfume to all

The chorus of happy traders persuading you to buy

The haggling for bargain prices, a buyer’s delight

 

A section designate for the wet and dry merchandise

A cacophony of sounds and rainbow colors alike

A labyrinth of slippery passageways to here and fro

A dance distinctly human, shopper’s skill and balance

 

The market’s energy is always a zenith high

The elated moods to bargain and trade for many

The livid colors of goods and characters alike

The sight to behold like a treasure trove of mem’ries.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                Dennis P. Maitim

                                                                                                                June 10, 2008

Emotions

Emotions

 

The sleepy one

Denuded with energy

It wishes one thing

Be made to rest and tire away

 

The grumpy one

Doesn’t care at all

Its snide remarks

Will hit like a lighting bolt

 

 

The happy one

Smiles and sings a happy tune

Infectious at times

It lightens the afternoon

 

The pensive one

Immersed in a deep thought

With life hanging in a balance

Don’t know which way to turn

 

The carefree one

Is loud and lonely

It swings proudly with the wind

And drifted aimlessly

 

The lover one

Is deligent and hopeful

The glisten in its eye

Can blind a thousand eagles

 

The profound one

Discerns what’s life’s meaning

Yearns for an eternal being

As it journeys life intently.

 

 

                                                                                    Dennis P. Maitim

                                                                                                                June 10, 2008

Life as I Know It

Life as I know It

 

A cat with a fiddle

It can’t be true

I know a creature more loved by you

 

A cat may cry, she meows my way

With Its collar made from cowhide

Swings in her neck of furry grays and white

 

The cat will wander into my yard

She loves to sit in the entranceway

As no creature gets in her prima donna way

 

In the quiet of evenings

I may hear her sobbing-like cry

Maybe it’s a mating call, I will never know why

 

At times when a vicious dog

Gets out from a neighbor’s gate

The cat will hide inside my cape

 

A cat with a fiddle

It can’t be true

I know a creature more loved by you

 

 

                                                                                                                Dennis P. Maitim

                                                                                                                June 10, 2008

Rejuvenate

Rejuvenate

 

Sunrise in late summer is always a pleasure

It comes a little later and starting to be cool

The east will glow in crimsom yellow

With wisps of clouds radiating the brightness

To announce the new beginning

 

The birds will sing a thousand times

Today, tomorrow I do remember

Some gathered for breakfasts, some stretched their wings

Perched on the lone stately palm tree

In the yard of ebbing morning dews

 

The blue grass are growing denser

A sight to behold in early morning

With my barefoot, I have trodden

It feels like a luscious carpet of the Turks

Only it is green all over

 

The patch is compact but full

With pockets of morning star and golden box

Arrange in the ethereal beauty of symmetry

Plants in topiary forms of mounds and spikes

Creates a dreamlike paradise

 

Denrobiums abloom in various colors and hues

Gives a hint of eden amid metal bars

A gated garden ensures to protect the flora

With a growing apple mango tree surely creeping

And dominate the shade underneath its being

 

It feels like home, it invites you to stare

If only for a moment, you’ll be caught in a spell

Green grasses, sturdy plants and trees a growing

A real oasis, thriving with life – a garden enchanting

A sight to behold and truly rejuvenating!

 

 

 

                                                                                                                Dennis P. Maitim

                                                                                                                June 10, 2008

She Winks at Me

She Winks at Me

 

The joys of life

A thousand ways in between

To each its own

Makes heaven a place within

 

A man takes a woman

Clings to a union as sacred as time

Promises to cherish

The love, the truth and the passion

 

Their feelings undivided

Through gladness it’s shared abundantly

In due time, life begins again

A miracle that God has blessed unfailingly

 

Anticipation grows

The songs of lark are singing

The rounded belly

Proud cradle to the bundle of joy

 

A day would not pass

Without a new experience

It’s always a telling

The sweetness of young parenting

 

It dawns on you

How great a responsibility it is

A living being

Totally dependent on you

 

Would I measure up?

The man will feel at times

Anxiety sets in

Renewed fears magnified

 

 

It is today, she will arrive

Mixed emotions you can hardly contain

You hear her cry

And you cannot help but smile

 

To hold her tight

To kiss her good night

All doubts are cast aside

The minute she winks at me.

 

 

                                                                                                                Dennis P. Maitim

                                                                                                                June 10, 2008

Drive

Drive

 

Streets are narrow and poorly lit

Potholes and cracks all over the place

Sewer and garbage are scattered around

So much for cleanliness in this side of town

 

If not a house, an ambulant vendor squat the sides

They’ve snatched the streets from proper use

With children playing ball and old women gossiping

It’s hard to tell – where’s the pedestrian’s crossing

 

It would have been fine when everyone

Respects the law and follow the traffic signs

But not in Manila, don’t be a fool

It’s anyone’s guess how you can drive it cool

 

Perplexing to mind how one gets to move around

Streets littered with vehicles in monstrous number

Busy people that are on there way in hasty paces

Order is the least on everyone’s consciousness

 

The gridlock fault, it stems from lack of urban planning

Shortsightedness and too much politicking

Rapid population migration compounded the problem

One has to live with it to eternal flame

 

 

                                                                   Dennis P. Maitim

                                                                                                                June 11, 2008

About Dreams

About Dreams

 

If dreams are made to make us wonder

To inspire us to strive even harder

And make us resolute to continue further

Then it’s okey to dream always to forever.

 

If babies could dream dreams with less care

And imagine things only momma had bare

To smile uninhibited in sleep while your stare

Must be good visions and pictures everywhere

 

Dreams do happen in really deep slumber

Others more vivid and can go in numbers

While some are sketchy you hardly remember

Fruits of a fertile mind, the subconscious seer

 

Some people dream while awake in ponder

Seeing their lives unreeling and in great stir

A collage of the past, incoherently bare

And see new things unimaginable sans surrender

 

Dreams may provide an epiphany as you get older

A realization that there is indeed a great order

A new purpose in life as you head yourself clear

Build a new you and make a proud believer

 

Dreams get you the déjà vu feeling louder

As dreams reflect on your experiences here

Make things familiar and sort ideas better

And realize life has made you a lot wiser

 

Dreams do make us a lot cheerful and happier

Hopeful of the future, a destination we care

Wishing the journey will be great and not bumpier

And shared with our love ones forever and ever

 

                                                                   Dennis P Maitim

                                                                                                                July 4, 2008

Ramblings

Ramblings of a Confused Soul

 

The sunlight is brightest when it is raining.

It is my hypothesis.  I haven’t had the chance to verify this thesis.

The bases for this hypothesis are the following:

·        Water and water vapor act as magnifying glass or prism that increases the intensity of the sunlight that pass through it

·        Rainwater cleanses the air of pollutants and particles that could block off the sunlight

·        Rainwater scattered off a pavement will reflect the sunlight that touches the surface and its intensity is brightest at the reflection angle

 

I love the rain with its refreshing effect on the human soul.  It’s like the body is cleansed inside out with water dripping back to the ground.  However, it feels quite differently when the rain falls down with the sun shining brightly.  You get the feeling of being robbed of your body warmth and comfort.  It is an unusual feeling to get caught in the rain in the middle of a mid-day sun.  Maybe this is the reason why more often than not, a person catches a cold at this instance. 

 

 

Dennis P. Maitim

June 11, 2008

Torn

Torn

 

Tell me, who’s the master, the heart or the mind?

It’s easier if you’re the outsider looking on

But harder if you’re the concerned person

 

Reason above all, transcends principles

It shines off objectivity and is good for all

Even at closer scrutiny, it flies intelligently

 

Emotions have colors beyond normal comprehension

Outsiders are blinded because it defies reason

Yet the heart digs deeper meaning and appreciation

 

You always longed for good company

A friend, a mentor and conducive environ

To advance a career and pursue the passion

 

An opportune presents without much announcing

Laying out a career and handsome pays

With a perceived professional upbringing

 

You got them endeared to your naïve ways

Being good natured in your unpretentious display

They want you badly courting surreptitiously

 

Then, you tried to thank a good ole boss

Whose trust and friendship was quite generous

And said goodbye for fruitful years behind

 

After much talk and closed consultations

You’re not let go and convinced to stay on

Your value and self worth has so much affirmation

 

It pains to choose between two good ways

Especially when you’re torn unexpectedly

No rhyme or reason can ease the journey

 

Dennis P Maitim

June 25, 2008

Together In Solitude

Together in Solitude

 

The stillness in the air

Creates the warmth too comforting to ignore

Soothing to the soul, reaching depths within

It permeates the zen-like feeling

In the tail end of summer

 

Dreams in the pursuit of happiness

Levitates around pillars of granite beauty

Marble floors reflect the emotions

When strength begets surreal understanding

Complementing the balance of perfection

 

The gentle breeze that sways draperies

Inspires an illusion of shimmering sky

Too distant, well lit by the sparkle of stars

Disturbed by droplets of a dying waterfall

Through the rooms’ remarkable pip-in music

 

Little by little, the murmuring floors

Echos the faint sound of some many a feet

Trickling the ear to listen closely

But shutting down the remote feeling

That no being is ever alone today and always

 

 

Dennis P. Maitim

June 6, 2007 (1:15pm)

The Conservatory, Peninsula Manila