Photo Credit: http://latarablanca.org/SCR%20page.html
I don’t earn much
in my day
and I always
have to save
to buy the
things I need
to stay alive
-mostly food and water-
but it’s so
very nice
when I buy candy
at the store
I don’t need it
I want it
It’s the only
sweet thing
in my bitter life.
It’s no secret. Street children will do anything to earn money, no matter how hard (or dangerous), to survive. I remember seeing these kids everywhere in Manila…
Photo Credit: http://trinitychildrenshome.com/photos/
Hardship
I’ve reached the bottom
The worst part
I’m not alone
See my cart
Filled with invisible, heavy stones
It is my livelihood
I push it everyday
Through the streets
Come what may
On my sore little feet
Each bottle equals money
Plastic, glass, or tin
Small or super-sized too
In my cart they all go in
All day it’s all I do
A simple transaction
Get paid a small fraction
To buy a tiny portion
Of bits I could fashion
Into something I call “food.”
Day 7 of 2013 November PAD challenge.
When I was a young girl living in the Philippines, I was fortunate enough to have the privilege of sometimes eating out in restaurants.
I don’t remember the names of the different restaurants anymore, but no matter which one it was, they were there too…
Day 3 of 2013 November PAD challenge.
The Last Time I Was Here
They were serving deep fried fish
Big bowls of white rice
And an unknown dish
Smothered in thick brown sauce
There were drinks of every flavor
And coconut juice with ice
Each plate a different color
Oh wouldn’t it be nice
If everyone could freeze
And I could just sneak in
A quick, silent breeze
Tasting every dish within
And I could tell too
That my brother wanted a taste
But there was nothing I could do
Except leave in haste
Today I am here again
Same window, same spot
Standing in the rain
Cursing what I haven’t got
A path paved with taffy
A strawberry flavored river
Powdered sugar dusted flowers
And rocks made out of toffee
Clouds of cotton candy
Hills of scoops of ice cream
Pink lemonade brooks and streams
And an ocean of coffee
Lollipops grow like weeds
Truffles sprout from trees
Caramel flowers bloom in threes
And cocoa roasted almond seeds
Each bite comes with a dose of bliss
(With vitamins and minerals packed in)
And zero grams of fat to keep me thin…
A fictional paradise it truly is!
Poetic Ponderings 