The Gift of Poetry
How can I sleep well at night?
With all these things at my sight!
All this sadness,
All this madness!
My countrymen,
Stolen of their might,
Who will help then?
With this burden how can I sleep well at night?
Alas, my countrymen hunger,
While the corrupt plunder!
The corrupt with their evil might!
How then, good sir, can I sleep well at night?
Knowing my countrymen die trying,
And corrupt live on stealing,
Our riches that’s like a string-less kite.
How then, fair maiden, can I sleep well at night?
In my bed, curled up tight,
I try to sleep night after night,
Still how, young lad?
Knowing that only the rich are glad?
Knowing that innocent lives are bereft,
And only sadness is left,
While the corrupt laugh all night,
How then can I sleep well at night?
The corrupt sleep in pleasure,
My country men sleep on streets,
The corrupt sleep on stolen treasures.
How then can I sleep on nights?
As our nation’s treasures are stolen,
Our fellow country men in hunger weaken,
And yet the corrupt still thrive!
How then can I sleep well at night?
Even if many write,
Even if many knew,
What will they do?
How then can I sleep well at night?
Hope I’ve found,
To sleep at night.
Men and women who do profound,
With help from the God full of might.
I thank God above,
For men and women who treasure,
Helping the poor and sharing God’s love,
And help me sleep sound and sure.
Still, I can’t sleep too sound,
Only when I help the poor and oppressed,
Then only can peace for my sleep be found,
And have sleep-well nights blessed.
Lord, please show us the way,
To help those who are poor and in disarray,
Bless us with strength, if it be Your will,
So we can rest calm and still.
Lord, You died for us on the cross,
Allow us to help our neighbor,
And remove all this chaos.
So we can all sleep well at night.
As I try to sleep,
May I not count sheep,
But instead Your blessings,
So I can sleep well without worries.
May all who hunger,
Suffer no more plunder,
May we be blessed,
Sleep and be rested.
May all this unruliness at my sight,
Be turned into right,
I pray to the Lord, Almighty,
So that we may sleep well, nightly.
When these problems are alleviated,
When men and women with goodness innate,
Get up, and fight what isn’t right.
Then I shall sleep well at night.
As I lay my tired body,
On my bed,
May the hungry, with God’s help, be aided by everybody,
And be nice and fed.
As I place my hands to speak,
To God for ever kind,
May we all be humble and meek,
To help others with You in mind.
With this knowledge of helping others,
And with God, the almighty,
May I help my sisters and brothers,
So that I may sleep well, nightly.
Aaron Jason Salvan
To Sleep Well at Night
How can I sleep well at night?
With all these things at my sight!
All this sadness,
All this madness!
My countrymen,
Stolen of their might,
Who will help then?
With this burden how can I sleep well at night?
Alas, my countrymen hunger,
While the corrupt plunder!
The corrupt with their evil might!
How then, good sir, can I sleep well at night?
Knowing my countrymen die trying,
And corrupt live on stealing,
Our riches that’s like a string-less kite.
How then, fair maiden, can I sleep well at night?
In my bed, curled up tight,
I try to sleep night after night,
Still how, young lad?
Knowing that only the rich are glad?
Knowing that innocent lives are bereft,
And only sadness is left,
While the corrupt laugh all night,
How then can I sleep well at night?
The corrupt sleep in pleasure,
My country men sleep on streets,
The corrupt sleep on stolen treasures.
How then can I sleep on nights?
As our nation’s treasures are stolen,
Our fellow country men in hunger weaken,
And yet the corrupt still thrive!
How then can I sleep well at night?
Even if many write,
Even if many knew,
What will they do?
How then can I sleep well at night?
Hope I’ve found,
To sleep at night.
Men and women who do profound,
With help from the God full of might.
I thank God above,
For men and women who treasure,
Helping the poor and sharing God’s love,
And help me sleep sound and sure.
Still, I can’t sleep too sound,
Only when I help the poor and oppressed,
Then only can peace for my sleep be found,
And have sleep-well nights blessed.
Lord, please show us the way,
To help those who are poor and in disarray,
Bless us with strength, if it be Your will,
So we can rest calm and still.
Lord, You died for us on the cross,
Allow us to help our neighbor,
And remove all this chaos.
So we can all sleep well at night.
As I try to sleep,
May I not count sheep,
But instead Your blessings,
So I can sleep well without worries.
May all who hunger,
Suffer no more plunder,
May we be blessed,
Sleep and be rested.
May all this unruliness at my sight,
Be turned into right,
I pray to the Lord, Almighty,
So that we may sleep well, nightly.
When these problems are alleviated,
When men and women with goodness innate,
Get up, and fight what isn’t right.
Then I shall sleep well at night.
As I lay my tired body,
On my bed,
May the hungry, with God’s help, be aided by everybody,
And be nice and fed.
As I place my hands to speak,
To God for ever kind,
May we all be humble and meek,
To help others with You in mind.
With this knowledge of helping others,
And with God, the almighty,
May I help my sisters and brothers,
So that I may sleep well, nightly.
Aaron Jason Salvan
A GLASS OF SPILLED THOUGHTS
(1st Place – Feature Writing in English; 2008 DSPC Secondary Level)
Boom! The ground shook fiercely as I was momentarily blinded by a sudden flash of white. It is common knowledge that milk induces sleep. But it had the opposite effect on me for it engulfed by drowsiness the moment I accidentally dropped the carton. No use crying over spilled milk, I thought.
Where else can this milk be put into good use (except of course in my stomach)?
Since time immemorial, humans have used this rich, creamy liquid for reasons other than digestive purposes. The world famous Serpent of the Nile, Cleopatra, has long been rumored to use milk in her beauty regimen. It is believed that she took long, blissful baths in tubs of milk and rose petals to prolong the youthful beauty and moisture of her skin. A recent commercial showing a fair-skinned woman diving into a pool of milk seem to approve of Cleopatra’s habits. Since then, other beauty products followed in hot pursuit in promoting the glamorous effects milk can do to a woman’s- or even man’s- skin.
Aside from its beautifying effects, some elderly know-alls insist that milk also has medicinal properties. One elderly woman even went as far as saying that milk can soothe irritated or sore throats. She claims it works even better than water. The only logical reason I can sum up to defend this notion is that milk is creamier and richer in texture compared to water, so it gives the illusion of cooling down the scorching sensation one feels when we are inflicted with sore throats. Personally, I think I’ll stick to Strepsils and plain water.
My mother, on the other hand, uses milk in a rather unique and weird way. She places the words SKIMMED MILK on top of our grocery list every Sunday. She then ambles towards the grocery store and picks the brand she favors and immediately pays for the item with a smug smirk on her face. The moment she steps on our front porch, she automatically poses like a model being photographed and asks if we’ve noticed she lost some weight. Out of love – and hope that she will increase our allowance – my brother and I grunt in agreement. The thing is while cartons upon cartons of low-fat milk are perched on the frontlines of our refrigerator, it covers all her favorite fatty snacks which actually are more frequented by my mother. In short, the low-fat milk is just a front. Most people see milk as a life-changer, a healthy drink. My mother sees it as a hypocritical diet savior.
Beauty in a bar, medicine in a carton and diet buddy in a glass. These are just some of the ways people see milk. And for most businessmen, it’s a source of money. For some vigilant citizens and consumers, it’s a ticking health bomb. I got a rag and wiped the spilled milk and got myself a tall glass of milk. For me I see milk in the most logical and reasonable way.
Milk is milk. I drink it!
Adrienne Kristine B. Yenko
WHAT’S ON MY MIND (11 things I would like to do for my country)
(5th Place – Feature Writing in English; 2008 DSPC Elementary Level)
“Let’s go Pinoy! Yes you can do it!” The Philippines is my favorite country because the citizens are successful. There are 11 things that I can do for my country, the one and only Philippines!
11. To be the best musician for my country.
First, I would like to be the best musician in the world because music doesn’t only make me happy, it makes other people happy too. As the lyrics of the famous song goes “Thank you for the music and the joy it’s bringing.”
10. To save my country from foreign invaders
Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini and Andres Bonifacio were the country’s heroes. Someday I would like to be a hero and be a part of history.
9. To be a famous journalist
I would like to inspire my fellow countrymen through journalism. I believe that journalism can truly express my feelings and these feelings are feelings that can only be expressed through journalism.
8. To teach children the good values of a successful person
To become a successful and happy person is everyone’s dream. I would like to make that come true by teaching the values of a good and successful person.
7. To serve my country when I grow up
“Work abroad, work abroad, work abroad!” Is that all I hear nowadays? Am I the only one who would like to serve my country? I love the Philippines very much and I want to save my fellow country men.
6. To help clean the environment
I have a dream. I want the Philippines to be the cleanest country in the world. This will attract more tourists that will contribute to the development of our country.
5. To vote honestly when I reach the right age
Suffrage is one of our rights. It is our duty to vote honestly. I will prevent cheating and I will not let another Ferdinand E. Marcos rule us.
4. To be a good leader and lead our country to the door of success
If I become the President of the Philippines, or any leader of an organization, I promise to do the best I could.
3. To study hard
I also promise to study hard to become a successful person. And if I become a successful person, I can improve the country’s economy.
2. To help the needy and the poor
When I see people with no homes, I feel so blessed that I have a loving family and a wonderful home. I want others to feel like this too.
1. To fulfill all promises I made
The last but not the least, I promise to fulfill all promises that I made, and the promises that I will make. I promise to always love the Philippines.
Those are the 11 things I would like to do for my country.
Eleanor P. Laserna
H0W PEOPLE REDEFINE STEREOTYPES
We live in a society where being “weird” is normal and being “normal” is weird.
Even in the relatively small town where I live, you can bump into all sorts of people with stereotypical personalities. You may have asked Nerdy Guy for a summary of your book report. You may have also cheered for the Hunky Athlete or even blushed when the Campus Cutie confidently walked his way to his next class. Maybe you’ve even tried sharing earphones with Emo Kid who listened to sad songs all day. However, these people – Nerdy Guy, Hunky Athlete, Campus Cutie and Emo Kid, among others – are typical characters of yesterday’s episode. Today, we focus on modern personalities of our generation.
Society has laid out certain rules for us to follow. But people of today hardly follow any rules. When Rule no.1 states “No Rules”, a variety of personalities is born. We learn to try different things, from modeling to taekwondo to web designing. One can dye his hair, put heavy eyeliner on, or rip his jeans and we think it’s normal. In fact the word “weird” has lost its meaning. In this new society, mix-and-match is out. People mix; they do not match. We cling fiercely to being “different”, that we almost cross the line. We don’t want ourselves to become “redundant” in the society so we reinvent our ways as often and as uniquely as we could. This is what we call self-customization.
There is nothing wrong with self-customization and individuality. If Nerdy Guy starts listening to punk-rock music, then that is fine. If you find out Campus Cutie knows how to bake and owns a puppy (aww!) then it is okay. Breaking out of traditional boundaries only means that we are ready to express all facets of our personality. We just have to remember that the moment we start redefining stereotypes, we are responsible in shaping not only ours but also the society’s future.
Katreena Aleda V. Samonte
H0W MAKING CHOICES AFFECTS US
It has been a misery to me why in this life, you are given so many choices when all you really need is just one; why when given two choices, we most of the time get the wrong one; why what makes you happy is always the wrong choice and the right choice is always what makes you feel miserable inside; and just why choosing gets to be the hardest task.
Why do we choose? It is because our choices make our life. Our choices compose the path we’re going to take. It’s what makes our life. When we make the right choices, it makes us confident, it gives us a sense of fulfillment and assurance. When we make the wrong choices, it makes us a lot wiser, a lot stronger and a lot more mature. Making choices can make or break us. But whatever the consequence is, we’ve got to live with it. After all, that’s how we chose it to be.
We’ve been making choices all our life. We choose what clothes to wear, what food to eat, what course to take, and a lot more. These are just easy to decide on, mainly because you are to bear the consequences. No one would get really hurt if you chose to eat a fried chicken rather than spaghetti, right? But what if you are to choose between your mother and your father, between your brother and your sister, between your closest friends and your boyfriend? For me, it’s like choosing how you’ll die. I believe that what makes choosing hard is when you know other people will get hurt in the process. When you chose your father over your mother, she will definitely get hurt. And no one likes the feeling of hurting someone, unless you’re a sadist or you’re angry at the person or whatever. You see, that’s the difference. It’s easier to choose when you are the only one involved, when you are full of responsibility of the consequences rather than when you know that someone will suffer with you, especially when that someone doesn’t really want to suffer. But then again, YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE. You have to choose because the world isn’t going to stop for you. You’ve got to choose what path to take. It will take you a lot of time. It may also depress you. You’ll be bothered by it.
Right now, I am hurting by the fact that my ultimate crush is somewhat courting my very best friend. Well, I’m not really sure, but that’s how things seem to be. Of course, I am hurt. But I chose not to make them see it. And that’s how it affects me. I chose to be silently hurt. I’ll have to live with it. I’ll have to deal with it. It affects me in a way that my emotions are kept inside. After all, that’s life. That’s how I chose it to be. That is my path.
I must say that making choices is almost a bitter reality. Bitter, indeed. Bitter because you are going to be the blame for everything that’s happening to your life. You would have to depend on yourself for everything. But acceptance is what it takes. And we’ll just have to remember, “what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.”
Jazer Ramah O. Salazar
HOW I REALIZED THAT I KNOW NOTHING AT ALL
“I will never let my schooling intefere with my education.”
This assertion was made by Mark Twain and when I saw it, I was completely moved by this statement. At first, I was a little confused by what Mr. Twain wanted to say. How can schooling interfere with education if it is here in school where we are being educated? Questions filled my mind but after reading an editorial about a related topic, I began to understand the meaning of the said assertion.
Back then, perhaps the most elating thing that we experienced was having a “very good!” on our test paper, or counting from 1 to 100, or spelling our name correctly. Of course, all of us were very proud of achievements like these. The cheers and applauses surely gave us wide grins on our faces and gave us the inspiration to study always. I, myself, have been influenced by these things. I had fun when I encountered Mathematics for the first time but as I computed a million times, the fun and excitement turned into agony. After sometime, I felt that I was forced to learn and understand new things. It was the time when I believed that textbooks were always right.
High School turned out to be a real big world of confusion. I was a little disappointed with my grades. I thought my common sense was gone and my IQ went down. I cursed Algebra, Geometry and Statistics. I thought it was the end of the world. But everything changed when I read an editorial about knowledge. The writer said that 1+1=3. I was shocked that such a good writer couldn’t do simple addition. But when I continued reading, I realized that I was wrong. He explained in the latter part that this is so because “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
That hit me. I focused well on the equation that I forgot to view it in other ways. My past knowledge preoccupied me too much that I couldn’t open my mind to new ideas. And that’s when I remembered the assertion “I will never let my schooling interfere with my education.” I was completely enlightened about this idea. I realized that same thing that the writer realized. I was learning by rote, taking education word for word, and in the process, I was taking education for granted.”
We learn a lot more things outside the four corners of our classrooms. Yes, schooling may help each and everyone of us. We learn more things that give us new ideas but we must not close our eyes to other ideas. Somehow, schooling brainwashes us and makes us believe that we know everything. It makes us believe that we’re smart enough because we know how to get the standard equation of a hyperbola, or we understand the difference between informational and directional process. We must not forget that grades don’t make a student and that following formulas do not always lead to the right answers.
We shouldn’t be so captivated by our “knowledge” that we can’t accept new ideas. As the editorial so eloquently puts it, “The more I learn, the more I realize that I know nothing at all.”
Ma. Clarissa Eirene S. Tinitigan
HOW TEXT MESSAGING AFFECTS ITS USERS
Cellphones are indeed a necessity in everyday living nowadays. In fact, it even gives the user a much comfortable way of relaying messages or greetings to another person. This is done mostly through text messaging. Just press on the keypad, and it is a message sent already. However, there are pros and cons to be considered when talking about text messaging.
Near Presence vs. Far Presence
Text messaging could either make the presence of loved ones nearer or farther from you. This mainly depends on how you are going to handle your relationship with other people.
For instance, your parents are working abroad and you seldom have means of communication. But through texts, you are able to greet them anytime you want to however far they are. However, people who are near to each other still resort to text messaging when they could just contact each other personally.
How ironic, isn’t it? Those who are far from each other become nearer but those who are nearer become farther.
Word of Honor vs. Easy to Cancel Appointments
During the time when cellphones did not exist, people had the so-called “Word of Honor” where they always meant what they said. For example, if a group of friends decided to have lunch at 12:30 p.m., they had to mean it. It is because they had no other way to cancel the appointment but to meet each other again. But now that there are cellphones, people could easily cancel an appointment. What’s even sad about it is that some people cancel it at the last minute before you are about to leave.
SMS Language vs. Cyborg Culture
“Lobat” is a term used when the battery of cellphones is about to get drained. But we also use it as a metaphor for physical exhaustion. “Lobat na ako.” While the existence of this term is an indicator of modernity, could this also signify a more mechanical and artificial experience for Filipinos?
Marcella L. Sintos
The Angles 
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