Flying will never be the same
I got scanned, searched and patted
Close scrutiny, widely watched
In the semblance of being free
But aren’t we losing our privacy

Lines at the gates are getting longer
Got to take out your computers,
Take off your shoes, even those belts
Hell, even breast implants got checked
All in making sure, that we are all safe.

Travelling by air is getting quite expensive
First, they reduced your baggage allowance
Today, they charge fees for checked baggage
Now, all overhead bins are overflowing
As travellers maximize carry ons, as these are free.

We’re used to free meals in every flight
Overflowing soda, wines, coffee and tea
Now’s nothings free,  glad to get nuts your way
Most of them, food are on demand and crazy
With simple sandwiches prized as gourmet.

People now pack their lunch or merienda fare
To avoid paying dollars for such simple meals
Travelling by plane isn’t just quite the same
As we used to rave of food miles high in the air
Now, we talk about spending for nothing but air.

written on board Virgin America flight from Orlando, Florida to San Francisco, California
November 21, 2010 (with free WIFI up in the air then)

Her epitaph reads:

        “She is courage, strong will, and love personified”

She was born with roaring thunder, some blistering lightning and a heavy downpour that caused massive flooding.  It must be some ominous sign for the child born that day – her birth date best forgotten by others for the huge damage it brought to crops of the land but cherished by her parents, being the day when the only other girl born into the family, after 4 boys as siblings, had breathed fresh air for the very first time.  It was September 24, 1938 in a small sitio of Banlas in Barangay Azagra, a rural agricultural community that thrives on rice cultivation and copra farming.  The low lying community was irrigated by a medium sized river, a tributary from the mighty Tanjay river that was both a blessing and a curse to the village.  The frequent flooding gave the village a very fertile land that’s best suited for rice farming.  However, when the rice is ripe for harvest and flooding would happen, it brought hunger to the small population that depended it’s life on the fruits of the land.

 She was born into a what we can call a modest, comfortable life, her parents having lands of their own and with life was so simple then.  She inherited the patrician genes of both her father and mother gaving her the bearing with a proud nose and a prestine skin complexion.  As the youngest daughter and a father’s girl, she rebelled against the institution and maintained an independent decorum.  She put her life in danger after having disobeyed her father for the nth time when she took a drink from strangers.  This changed her life completely – now a stickler for rules and self discipline.

 She married young when her father refused to send her further in her studies on the pretext that women were meant to be homebodies, hence, there was no need for higher education.  Her frustration with her father about education made her work hard and determined to never let this happen to her children thereafter.  Her marriage resulted to 6 children but the marraige did not last after about a decade and a half of togetherness.  She refused help from her husband and decided to raise all her children by herself.  She was a pillar of strength, resiliency and resourcefulness in working at odd jobs, selling produce and raising livestock just to make both ends meet.  She faced danger head-on, determined not be put-down by trials and tribulations that was determined to break a soul.  She was steadfast on her faith, believing it will be all right and that her Creator will provide her family’s need.

 She ran a tight ship, almost military in precision and discipline with every member made responsible to contribute what they can for the betterment of the family life.  The day would start very early, with chores to attend to within the house – trivial things like, fetching water from the common faucet, tending the vegetable garden, feeding the chickens and pigs, cooking food, cleaning the house etc.  The day would be quite long and often would end towards eigth or nine in the evening – after work in the rice paddies or selling of produce or school and the daily routine of house chores.  It was plain hardwork nonetheless but it created a cohesive and happy family atmosphere.

 School is always fun and way too easier a life to attend to.  Nobody complained about school work as she never imposed about getting high marks at the end of the term.  Her only dictum was, that the children should study hard as it was the only legacy she can bequeath them.  She only wished she was not deprived by her father of the education she longed to finish.  Hence, she became an ardent supporter and cheerer for her children and their achievements.

 She is a mother first and never ceased to be a mother to her children and even to her grandchildren.  She is the ardent protector and vanguard of the name and legacy she created.  She lived a simple life and even insisted to live like the way it was, shying away from the little life’s frivolities that was already affordable in the later years.  She loved and loved her children the best way she can.  And she sometimes forgot how time flies and that her once small children have all grown up and minded families of their own.  It is really true when they say, a mother never ceases to be one, always.

 She bade goodbye amid the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s.  Once in a while, sinility and old age would ravage upon the once proud woman of sheer determination and astute strength.  A good daughter was with her till her dusk, always caring for her and attending to her needs.  She asked, for the last time, the company of her youngest son.  When she learned her son was coming home, she felt happy and relieved.  After less than an hour, she breathed her last and finally joined her Creator.  She lived a full life and she lived her life just like the way she wanted it.  She lived and she loved - her God, her family, and herself.

 The night after she joined her Creator, the heavens at doing it again!  Deafening thunder roared, razor sharp lighting struck and a dose of  heavy downpour of rain that brought the entire city in a state of blackout.  It took 3 days to restore power after the thunderstorms brought down several power lines and flooded her birthplace once again, the sitio Banlas in Barangay Azagra.  Maybe, that’s how her life should be best described – tumultous and with much aplomb but quiet and serene after the storm.  It was the day she said goodbye – August 17, 2010.

I want to be there
    when you want company to play in the park
    when you feel like gathering the flowers in bloom
    when you feel like feeding the fish in the tank
    when you just want to sit and watch the planes fly by
    I just want to be there, always.

I want to be there
    when you want your breakfast, cereal or bread
    when you take your vitamins in many fruit flavors
    when you get ready for the morning shower
    when you don’t even want to stop playing
    I just want to be there, always.

I want to be there
    when you brush your little teeth, morning and night
    when you play with the flowing water in the shower
    when you hesitate to get out too soon from the bathroom
    when you want your favorite clothes, day-in, day-out
    I just want to be there, always.

I want to be there
    when you want to play your Barbie DVD all day long
    when you scatter your toys, books and DVDs all over
    when you jump in bed or hide under the bed cover
    when you sing along Snow White or Barbie character
    I just want to be there, always.

I want to be there
    when you eat your lunch in the bedroom or high chair
    when you select the food you eat and say “No” to the rest
    when you munch for morsels and spit them out in my palm
    when you drink your water or ask for Coke when you see it
    I just want to be there, always.

I want to be there
    when you’re eyes get droppy and misty in the afternoons
    when you struggle to be awake and avoid the needed naps
    when you roll from side to side and find your comfort
    when you finally doze off to a wondrous dreamy slumber
    I just want to be there, always.

I want to be there
    when you wake up from sleep and come marching for snacks
    when you choose for a chocolate drink, a Yakult or yogurt
    when you ask for your milk, and want it freshly made
    when you want to play even more with darkness forthcoming
    I just want to be there, always.

I want to be there
    when you eat dinner, delicious fried chicken or fish extra crisp
    when you want your rice, hot and steamy or flavored best
    when you love and savor mom’s scrumptious pumpkin soup
    when you wish you always have chocolate or ice cream or cake
    I just want to be there, always.

I want to be there
    when you insist to pull me along and lead to our bedroom
    when you ask for your pacifier and soft pillows to boot
    when you watch time and again the lovely Barbie films
    when you wait for dear sleep to come with a bottle of milk
    I just want to be there, always.

I want to be there
    when you grow up and be the best daughter you can be
    when you love and take care of your brother, I know you do
    when you make your mom and dad proud, today and always
    when you reach your dreams and live a happy life ahead
    I would live the happiest to be there.

This is my baby boy – Dean Matthieu.  He is quite adorable at age 7 months old.

The care she gives

The lessons learned

Through life indeed.

You stumble once

And twice you fall

She’ll pick you up

And hugs you most

Hesitant to let you go.

The comforts of home

Dispel the stormiest days

The aroma of comfort meals

Shared in love and togetherness.

She’s always the Lady

You first saw and fell in love

And she’ll be the ladylove

That no one can replace.

As we grow older

Other women will touch our lives

Some in more meaningful ways

Others, unremarkable.

As we lived on

And be our independents selves

Not wanting the care and love

That our mama once bring.

But she remains steadfast

Waiting for us, always there

Being the very best

Unconditional loving mother.

Dennis P Maitim

August 4, 2009

In remembrance of President Cory Aquino’s heroic deeds for the Philippines

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

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

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

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