Bahay Kubo on Wheel

Abe V Rotor

I followed a bahay kubo on wheels,
along the highway though brief;
someday a bahay kubo on wings, too,
or one cruising the sea like ship.

Oddities make our light world,
for they take us to fantasy
with our feet firm on the ground,
they make us feel life easy.

Fancy lifts the spirit when it sags,
like a string tuned to a song,
or a bow and arrow fit strong,
that we rise above the throng.

We live the days of our childhood,
momentarily turning back
the hands of time in a once fairyland
in the magic of a nipa hut. ~

Bahay Kubo or Nipa Hut is a symbol of Philippine culture on the countryside, where life is simple and cozy, reminiscent of ancestral lifestyle and ethnic art.
Compact models are popular for urban residences and establishments like restaurants, like the model shown here. Photos taken by Leo Carlo Rotor along the highway crossing the fabled Banaoang Pass on a newly constructed bridge. Santa, Ilocos Sur.

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