Don’t stay in bed; walk!

Don’t stay in bed; walk!

"... the danger of keeping a patient in bed was often more serious than disease itself." 

Dr Arturo  B. Rotor, MD

Do you remember not too long ago, how after a routine removal of a chronic appendicitis your surgeon kept you in bed for a week or so? The idea was to have the operative wound heal completely; a weak scar would break with the first attempt to stretch out the leg muscles.

Dr Arturo B Rotor was a newspaper columnist Confidentially Doctor.  He served as executive secretary of Presidents Quezon and Osmeña.  A rare endocrine disease he discovered was named after him -  Rotor Syndrome.  

That was the best medical opinion at that time and it was followed by surgeons, obstetrician, and cardiologist. The typhoid patient stayed in bed for weeks, “to prevent a relapse,” and as for heart disease, some patients were told to resign themselves to being bed patients for the rest of their lives.

It took doctors a long time to find out that the dangers of keeping a patient in bed was often more serious than disease itself. Asher expressed the new philosophy in strong words:

“Look at the patient lying in the bed. What a pathetic picture he makes. The blood clotting in his veins, the lime draining from his bones, the scybala stacking up in his colon, the flesh rotting in his seat, the urine leaking from his distended bladder, and the spirit evaporating from his soul.”

Many factors contributed to this changed outlook. Firstly, the development of antibiotics necessitated a revision of methods of treatment. The fever of pneumonia could be brought down in 48 hours, gangrenous legs that formerly would be amputated could be saved, infected wounds that used to keep patients in bed could be cleared up in a week.

Gradually, the surgeons observed certain strange developments in their patients for whom they had prescribed prolonged bed rest. Often,  after a brilliant operation, the patients would develop blood clots along their legs or lungs. Some persons could not even be kept in bed for more than a week or two for their muscles became flabby, or worse, they developed deep ulcers where their back pressed on their beds.

Newer methods of studying the heart and lungs also made the doctors realize how wrong some of their concepts were. It has been shown for example that when you are lying down, your heart does 25 percent more work than when you are sitting up. After major surgery the breathing capacity of the lungs is reduced by more than two thirds; you have to get up to breathe normally.

The modern physician therefore does the opposite of his predecessor.

Instead of telling the patient to stay in bed, he tells him to go take a walk. 

In many cases, the effect on the patient’s morale is nothing short of miraculous. His face lights up, his appetite returns, he takes a long step towards convalescence. Typically, he expresses his regained confidence in one revealing sentence:

“Thank heavens; I can go to the bathroom again.”

Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Lecture,
11th Biennial Convention, September 6, 2008
Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

"Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone" - Wilcox

"It is easy enough to be pleasant,

When life flows by like a song." - Wilcox

Dr Abe V Rotor

In response to audience's request for more inspirational poems, I have chosen The Way of the World, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919).This is a sequel to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Psalm of Life which was aired earlier on Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's-School-on-Air) and posted on this Blog.

Here is Wilcox's masterpiece which projected her to world fame as author and poetess.

The Way of the World

Laugh, and the world laughs with you,
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the brave old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.

Sing and the hills will answer,
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes rebound to a joyful sound
And shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you,
Grieve, and they turn to go;
They want full measure of your pleasure,
But they do not want your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many,
Be sad, and you lose them all;
There is none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded,
Fast, and the world goes by.
Forget and forgive – it helps you to live,
But no man can help you to die;

There’s room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one, we must all march on
Through the narrow isle of pain.

Wilcox believed in reincarnation. She said.

"As we think, act, and live here today, we built the structures of our homes in spirit realms after we leave earth, and we build karma for future lives, thousands of years to come, on this earth or other planets. Life will assume new dignity, and labor new interest for us, when we come to the knowledge that death is but a continuation of life and labor, in higher planes".

In her deep grief over the death of her husband whom she loved so dearly, and for not receiving any message from his spirit, she consulted a popular astrologer Max Heindel. Heindel advised Wilcox.

“Did you ever stand beside a clear pool of water, and see the trees and skies repeated therein? And did you ever cast a stone into that pool and see it clouded and turmoiled, so it gave no reflection? Yet the skies and trees were waiting above to be reflected when the waters grew calm. So God and your husband's spirit wait to show themselves to you when the turbulence of sorrow is quieted."

Several months later, she composed an affirmative prayer, "I am the living witness: The dead live: And they speak through us and to us: And I am the voice that gives this glorious truth to the suffering world: I am ready, God…”.

Here are selections from her works which show the characteristic Wilcox Positivism.

The Man Worth While

It is easy enough to be pleasant,
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is one who will smile,
When everything goes dead wrong.

The Winds of Fate

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
'Tis the set of the sails,
And not the gales,
That tell us the way to go.

Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate;
As we voyage along through life,
'Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

Wilcox’s works can be summarized by the first stanza of The Way of the World, her most popular poem - similarly compared to the masterpieces, the Psalm of Life of Longfellow, Only God can Make a Tree of Joyce Kilmer, Auguries of Innocence of William Blake, among others.

Laugh and the world laughs with you,
Weep, and you weep alone;
The good old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.

Toward the end of her life, she said, "Love lights more fires, than hate extinguishes.”

(Ella Wheeler Wilcox's poem plaque at San Francisco's Jack Kerouac Alley)

Make your Environment Allergy-Free

Dr Abe V Rotor
LIVING with NATURE CENTER
San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

A. Sick Building Syndrome (Things to be done)

1. Install proper air-con and exhaust fans corresponding to the number people, and nature of work.
2. Avoid blocking the air supply and return vents.
3. Clean up water spills and damp places to get rid of molds.
4. Store food properly, and empty the garbage daily.
5. Observe if symptoms are experienced by co-workers, other occupants, visitors.
6. Check equipment and supplies – they may be the source of irritating odor and fumes.
7. Strictly no smoking allowed.
8. Divide area into independent units – office, manufacturing, kitchen or storeroom.

B. Allergy-Free Travel

1. Detect kind and source of pollen
2. Learn the lingo to describe your allergies
3. Ensure you are insured
4. Get checked up before traveling. 
5. Bring medicine with you; bring mask, too
6. Clean the car of allergens.
7. Check before you sign in for your lodging; stay in non-smoking quarters.
8. Drive off-hours (less allergens).
9. Pack own food, if you are sensitive to eating any kind.
10. Be a happy camper; stay safe in the sun. 
11. Stick to your routine/itenerary.
12. Know the doctor or clinic in the area.

C. Allergy-Free Diet

1. Avoid dehydration – harmful to people with allergies and asthma.
2. Clear pantry of allergy-provoking items.

• Milk and cheese
• Omega-6 fatty acids, saturated fats, trans fats
• Alcoholic drinks, caffeinated beverages
• Meat and poultry
• Honey, sugar

3. Stock up on these allergy-fighting Foods

• Fruits and vegetables
• Magnesium-rich foods (spinach, cashew, beans)
• Zinc-rich food (oysters, lentils, legumes, yoghurt)
• Vegetable oil – olive, canola, virgin coconut oil
• Ginger and turmeric
• Spirulina, Chlorella, Porphyra

Museum: Miniature Dioramas of Nature - you can make one yourself

Museum: Miniature Dioramas of Nature - you can make one yourself

Dr Abe V Rotor

These miniature dioramas are among dozens of student projects depicting the biomes and ecosystems of the world. They graced the SPUQC museum for 15 years, and became inspiration to art enthusiasts and budding scientists.

Why don't you make dioramas about nature? Viewing these samples may help you build one in your school - or in your home. Do not attempt to make a big one immediately. You will graduate to that - even to a life size diorama when you'll have the skill and experience. Use local materials - maybe recycled, but remember - aim at exhibiting it in a museum. It must be authentic, complete and beautiful to be appreciated.

Don't hurry, take time, research to make every part true and scientific. Ask your humanities teacher on the artistic part, your biology or ecology teacher for the technical side. Plan well, forget the cartoons and fantasies for the moment. What you are doing is a replica of nature - how it looks, what it is made of, how it responds to changing times, its aesthetics, its function, its appeal. You are now an artist and a scientist!

The Ocean Biome and Coral Reef Ecosystem

Scientists today believe that eighty percent of the world’s species of organisms are found in the sea. One can imagine the vastness of the oceans as their habitat – four kilometers deep on the average (12 km at the deepest, Mariana Trench and Philippine Deep), covering 78 percent of the surface of the earth. Young people create scenarios of Jules Verne’s, “Ten Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” such as this diorama, imagining man’s futuristic exploration in the deep led by Captain Nemo, the idealistic but ruthless scientist. Such scenarios are no longer fantasy today – they are scenes captured by the camera and other modern tools of research. And the subject is not one of exploration alone, but conservation, for our oceans, limitless as they seem, are facing the same threats of pollution and other abuses man is doing inflicting on land and air. The sea is man’s last frontier. Let us give it a chance.

The Tropical Rainforest

The earth once wore a green belt on her midriff – the rainforest, which covered much of her above and below the equator. Today this cover has been reduced, and is still shrinking. The nakedness of the earth can be felt everywhere. One place is our country where only 10 percent of our original cover remains. Even the great Amazon Basin is threatened. As man moves to new areas, put up dwellings, plant crops, becomes affluent, increases in number, the tropical rain forest shrinks. Our thinking that it is the source of natural resources is wrong. These are finite and not only that, the ecosystem itself once destroyed, cannot be replaced. It can not regenerate if the soil is eroded, if the climate around it is changed. It is everyone’s duty to protect the tropical rainforest, the bastion of thousands of species of organisms. In fact it is the riches of all the biomes on earth.

Savannah - biome for safari

Island and Atoll Ecosystems - characteristic of thousands

of mainly volcanic islands in the world.

Desert biome - second largest biome after ocean

Scenarios of Sahara flash in the mind the moment the word “desert” is brought out to both young and old in fantasy or vivid reality. Here are wastelands, so vast that they dwarf the imagination. They may lie at the very core of continents like Australia and North America, or extend to high altitude (Atacama Desert) or altitude (Siberia) where temperatures runs way below zero degrees Celsius. Here, rain seldom comes. It is a lucky place where rain falls, and when it does, the desert suddenly blooms into multi-facetted designs, shape and colors of short-growing plants. Sooner the desert is peacefully dry and eerie once more, except the persistent cacti and their boarders, shrubs and bushes that break the monotony of sand and sand dunes. But somewhere the “desert is hiding a well,” so sang the lost pilot and the little prince in Exupery’s novelette, “The Little Prince.” He was referring of course to oasis, waterhole in the desert. It is here that travelers mark their route, animals congregate, nations put claim on political borders. Ecologically this is the nerve center of life, spiritually the bastion of hope, a new beginning, renewal, the source of eternal joy. The desert is not a desert after all.

Two versions of Maria Cristina Falls in Mindanao

Alpine, representing high rise mountains

Global Warming spawns more floods. Be prepared always

UST Arts and Letters (Photojournalism) Assignment: Photo Essay (Flood Photo Coverage)  Essay 

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog [avrotor.blogspot.com]

 
 It is an opportunity to document the present calamity; it is a chance to use photography to reach out for those in need, to be part of rescue and recovery operations, to share our sense of belonging in the spirit of civic consciousness and true faith. Or simply, as media students and practitioners.  Narrow down your topic.  Examples, relief operations, cleanup, emergency, human interest (saving a pet), local heroes, makeshift quarters, refugees in schools, ingenuity in action.  

                         

Discover the many good values of Filipinos in times of calamity: leadership, compassion,  selflessness, cooperation (bayanihan), and the like. Organize assignment in a folder, complete with running story, photos with caption.  No limit to number of pages.   
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As of this writing, Metro Manila, and the surrounding provinces, are experiencing the worst flood in recent memory. It is the aftermath of Typhoon Gener, exacerbated by intensified monsoon. It is another test on the magnitude of  typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

This article is an update of an earlier post on how we prepare, respond and recover, in times of calamity. Here a checklist to follow. 

1. Keep informed and abreast – Radio, TV, Internet, Telephone, neighbors, cellphone.

2. Know at fingertips emergency numbers for disaster, fire, earthquake, police, NDCC, DECS, DOH, others. Be emergency response conscious of evacuation sites, fire exits, hospitals and clinics,
Secure appliances and items (furniture, documents, books, toys, etc) on second floor or on safe area. Move heavy objects away from harm’s way, these include apparador, potted plants, heavy tools, etc.

3. Prepare for power cut off. Set your freezer to the coldest temperature setting to minimize spoilage if the power is cut off. Have on hand flashlight, candles, batteries, etc. Charge cellphones and emergency lights. Have enough LPG during the emergency period. Keep a spare tank. In the province be sure you have sufficient stock of dry firewood.

4. Have your car, motorbike, ready for emergency. If water rises, secure them to higher ground.
Always see to it that they are at tiptop condition.

5. Check windows and doors, walls and roofs. Reinforce and seal them if necessary. Have handy towels, rags and mops. Seal leaking walls and roof even before the typhoon season.

6. Stay at the strongest and safest place in the house if the typhoon gets severe. Keep away from flood water, electrical outlet and wire, china wares and glass windows.

7. Seal off broken window or door with mattress or sofa over as typhoon gets severe. Secure it there with a heavy piece of furniture. Draw curtains across the windows to prevent against flying glass. Release trapped pressure by allowing it to escape opposite the direction of wind. My experience is to open a window just enough to maintain equilibrium.

8. Remember that a typhoon has and eye of calm. Don’t be deceived; it may appear that the typhoon has passed. It is only half of it. The winds then pick up again, now in opposite direction.

9. When the typhoon is finally through, check for hazards - broken glass, fallen trees and downed power lines, dangerous damaged structure.

10. Observe hygiene during and after a typhoon. Make sure your drinking water is not contaminated. Boil if necessary. Make sure that food properly prepared and stored. Avoid eating food from roadside vendors. Protect yourself from WILD, acronym for Waterborne, Influenza, Leptospirosis, and Diarrhea. Include Dengue, and other diseases.

11. Give priority attention to infants, children and the elderly. Provide them with whatever measures of safety and comfort. Keep them out of danger. Evacuate, if necessary, before the typhoon strikes.

12. Get rid of breeding grounds of mosquitoes, flies, rats and other vermin. Drain stagnant pools, dispose containers with water. Dispose garbage properly. Use pesticide only if necessary. Application of insecticide, rodenticide, and fumigant needs expert’s supervision.

13. Protect yourself from toxic waste if you are living in an industrial center, these include toxic metals (mercury, lead, cadmium), hydrocarbon compounds, pesticide residues, oil spills.

14. Wear protective clothing like boots when wading in flood water, raincoat, jacket, had hard during clearing and construction, gloves, etc. Be careful with leptospirosis, a disease acquired from rat waste through flood water.

15. Protect yourself from road accidents. Chances are higher during and after a calamity because of fallen trees and poles, damaged and slippery roads, non-functioning traffic lights, obstructions of all sorts.

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16. Have your damaged vehicle repaired and cleaned as soon as possible to prevent further damage, specially those submerged in flood. So with other appliances – refrigerators, TV sets, furniture, etc.

17. Have an adequate supply of food and water for the foreseeable period of emergency.
No panic buying, please. 

18. Medicine cabinet, first aid kit.  Check regularly and replenish the needed medical supplies, principally for the treatment of common ailments, and victims of  accidents.

19. Protect your home from burglars (akyat bahay).  Don't fall unwary victim to rogues.  Bad elements of society usually take advantage on the hopeless, like refugees in a calamity. 

20. Keep in touch with loved ones, relatives, friends to relieve anxiety. It is timely to text some kind words to the the infirmed, lonely, aged.  Offer whatever help you can extend. These are times to exercise neighborliness in action. ~

 Acknowledgement: Time Magazine, Internet, author's students at UST Faculty of Arts and Letters  

Vocation Stories of the Traditional Healers

Special Feature

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog

This article is part of a painstaking scholarly work of one of our leading social scientists in the Philippines today, Dr Ronel P dela Cruz, published in a colorful coffee table book -  Isla Fuga: Sacred Scapes. Dr dela Cruz is presently the director of Research and Publication Center of St Paul University Quezon City, and holder of the Mother Mary Anne de Tilly Professorial Chair.  An alumnus of the Asian Social Institute, Dr Dela Cruz is the founding chairman of the Francis Jeremy Educational Program whose beneficiaries are students from the Babuyan Islands. He
has presented his researches in national and regional conferences like the Hong Kong University and the National University of Singapore.

The study revolves on the dynamic interplay between the traditional healers (factor) and their healing practices (process) that continue to create both positive acceptance and transformation from the people (causes) that facilitate changes in the life of the people in the island (effect).

The author considers his encounter with the traditional healers of Fuga as a privilege. As they shared their thoughts, feelings and perspectives, he found himself encountering Filipino souls who had been nameless and voiceless for many generations because of the dominant cultures' marginalization of them. Below is the fruit of his English translations to Ilokano conversations with these healers who are regarded as wisdom keepers, consultants, fathers and mothers of the communities, and dutiful citizens.

  Fuga Island is an island in the municipality of Aparri, Cagayan. With an area of 100 km², it constitutes one of 42 barangays of Aparri along with the neighboring islets of Barit and Mabag. Wikipedia   

Bienvenido Pablo, 70 years old; 31 years as healer (Sitio Mudoc)

      When I was young, our elders taught me how to recite the oraciones (Latin prayers) with faith. This was my initiation, the first step to be qualified as healer. After I memorized the prayers, the power to heal was passed on to me by our great elders. They told me to use the power to heal on Good Friday. As a healer, I encountered many unseen spirits in this world. I encountered them many times especially in the farm and in the woods. These are both good and bad spirits. The aplaw or bad spirits touch and cause people to be sick and they are required to communicate to them. Those who have an encounter with bad spirits have uncommon experiences: they may cut an uncommon tree, kill a peculiar chicken, touch a lone turtle in the woods, etc. People come to see me every time they have sick members of their family. I have been doing this for thirty one years. Many members of the community believe that I can properly diagnose (maimaan) the cause of sickness of my patients.

      I pray every time I begin to diagnose and heal any sick member of the village. It is in praying that the spirit is able to communicate what I should do to treat the sick. Sometimes they are revealed in my dreams. I perform a ritual offering to appease the spirits whom the sick person encountered either in the farm or in the woods. Members are required to prepare food like meat, rice, wine, nganga, etc. as atang (offering). This is a form of communication where I dialogue with the spirits and ask them to restore the health of the mortal being. As a midwife (partera) in the village for many generations, I prescribed herbal medicines especially when the mother has difficulty giving birth. I give them juice extract of young banana leaves. At the same time, I ask the husband to pour water on the roof, catch it, mix it with soil, and give it as a drink to the labouring mother. To ease the difficulty of his wife, the husband wears his bolo on his waist and steps over his labouring wife. After the mother gives birth, I burn an anglem, a piece of old cloth, to drive bad spirits away from the mother and the child. For children who have til-i, I recommend akot-akot to be fried, mixed with water and serve as a drink. Alternatives can be tayyong leaves, or ground garlic. For those who have boils, I use mint leaves mixed with lime (apog).

      They look on me primarily as a healer. That is my contribution to the community. As one of the elders in the village, they also seek my advice concerning communal issues. I can say that I am credible to the community because people continue bringing their sick to me. We traditional healers are on the forefront when people get sick. I gained confidence in myself as a healer through my works and faith. Strong faith is necessary especially when I wrestle with spirits and diagnose my patient. I think this makes me credible to the community. That wellness and good health can be experienced in the community through its healers is affirmed by people coming to see us when they are sick, entrusting their loved ones to us.

      Pedro Agarpao, 57 years old; 27 years as healer (Sitio Bubog)

      My calling began when I asked to pray to St. Mary of Visitacion for three days. The elders in the village asked me to memorize and recite 20 oracions. After three days, I received my power to heal through an apparition. My daughter also witnessed the apparition. We made a nine-day novena as a sign of thanksgiving for the gift of faith and healing. My healing is sustained through daily prayers. I heal for free; I was even invited to heal in other provinces like Ilocos, Baguio and Pangasinan. People got sick because they displease the spirits on this island. When they call me to heal their loved ones, I ask them to intensify their prayers. On my part, I will wait for the instructions to be revealed to me in my dreams. Once I have it, I will write the orasyon and prescribe the medicine (herbal). I even asked them to make a visit to the Our Lady of Piat if sickness stays for a week. Majority of the people in the village believe in my capacity to heal the sick. However, I also demand from them to do their share like prayer and stay away from the abodes of the spirits. When treating a serious illness, I ask the assistance of other healers in the island. As a healer, I am always challenged to be a model to the villagers by promoting good relationships with all community members. In the midst of poverty and difficulties, we always hope and pray that each member of the community will be blessed with abundant life. People see us as a resource. Instead of spending money for their hospitalization on the mainland, the healers in the island are their refuge. Faith in other people in times of sickness is evident.

      Patrocinio Visario, Sr., 46 years old; 33 years as a healer (Sitio Mudoc)

       It all started with a series of dreams where I see myself healing the sick. But I do not know who sent me to heal. So I consulted my grandfather who is also a healer in the village and confirmed that I had the power to heal and that I have to undergo an initiation. He asked me to read and memorize the oraciones (Latin prayers) which I will be using in order to heal.  At first, I was hesitant because we differ in religion but my grandfather admonished me that my calling to heal goes beyond religion. I use herbal medicines coupled with prayers. Aside from this, I also interview my patient so that I can understand where s/he is coming from. I have to admit that there were times that I am not sure what medicine to prescribe because of the complexity of the illness. I prescribe medicinal plants to my patients. When my patients apparently encountered bad spirits in their farms or in the woods, I perform the atang to communicate with the spirits. Sometimes, this is very difficult depending on the strength of the spirits encountered by my patient. If the sickness escalates in the village, I asked the other members of the village to perform a religious procession during day and night to drive away the evil spirits who want to dwell in the community. Majority of the people here in the village recognizes my ability to heal. But I see it as a form of service to them because they come to see/fetch me any time to heal the sick member of their family. It is also a challenge to promote good relationship and wellness in the community. I think this is my contribution. When one is sick, we are gathered together and share our community life - struggles, resources, dreams for the children, and the like. When there is sickness in the village, this is also the time to reflect as a community. Heads of the family come together and devise ways to prevent the sickness. Of course, there are many solutions to our problems but being together during times of crisis is primary.

       In my dreams (palti-ing), I dreamt of many strange and unusual things but they were all in white. I saw a white snake, a white dove, and a white lady who was accompanying me while walking in the woods. Later, when I shared this dream with the elders of the community, they confirmed that I am being called to heal. I also use herbal medicines that are available here. We are blessed with plants/herbs that we can use for various illnesses and ailments. When I diagnose an illness, I also perform the taku to determine if the patient encountered spirits or has a common sickness that needs immediate attention. The entire island is our medicine while it is also a source of sickness. People see me more as a keeper of the island's tradition. When people get sick, I always remind them to treat the island with respect and care. To be called to heal in the midst of allegations that we fabricate our calling to heal is a big challenge. I have proven them wrong that is why until now they still bring their sick to me for healing. People look at our healing activities as a form of damayan. We help each other in times of difficulties.~

The Lighter Side of Life with Meaning

Take a break from worries and anxiety,

look into the brighter and positive side of life. 

Dr Abe V Rotor
avrotor.blogspot.com

                             Along Regalado Ave, Fairview QC

I imagine the lucky child whose day
the baloons make him reach the sky
with singular joy a lifetime it shall stay;
I share the moment following the trail,
remembering my own many years ago.


Senior citizens workshop, Lagro QC

Back to school in golden age is bliss
for all the lessons of yesteryears;
to keep abreast with change and past
and be young again in mind and heart.


Marlo and Laurence. Loreland, Antipolo, Rizal

Fear conquered early with love and care
builds courage to be tough;
who sets on the way to lasting peace
though land and sea be rough.


Six-kilos squid caught in Camarines Sur, Ricky and Leo Carlo at home, QC

Jules Verne is right, in the deep monsters lurk;
they live in caves far from light and sight,
in a kingdom beyond man's reach and claim,
yet end up to his gustatory delight.


Mackie and Lolo. Loreland, Antipolo

Three manequins in the garden at night
by a fountain and fiddling of cricket;
what a make-believe Hula life it makes
of a dreamland so beautiful but brief.


Bonsai show, Pasig MM

Travel to the world of Gulliver,
where once he was a pygmy,
now a giant among the dwarves,
to know the meaning of life.


Authors and publishers anticipate publicaion of a new book,
Philippine Literature Today, C and E Publishing, QC

Men and women of letters - they are writers,
editors, publishers - in silent revolution
in some corner where change begins slow,
page by page, guiding the earth's rotation
where the sun sets and rises at any time
and place, and dawn a renewed devotion.