We are the valley talahib.
\nWe extend the roaming range
\nof wild fowl, deer and boar
\nbeyond the thinning forests.
\nWe are the mountain kugon
\nthat revive the dry gullies,
\ncooling the scorched earth.<\/p>\n
We are the famed marapait:
\nflowers that follow the sun
\nand greet the weary traveler
\nwith a cheerful nod.
\nWe are the roadside weeds
\nthat subtly, in varied ways,
\nnurture and heal the soil
\nand all that feed on it.<\/p>\n
You might cut us down to stump
\nand tinder drying in the sun,
\nyet the land beneath endures.
\nStamp us out with brush fire,
\nturn the earth an ugly black,
\nbut the stolid undersoil
\nwill hug our hidden rootstocks
\nmore tightly into its bosom.<\/p>\n
Trample us under boot, you could
\ndefile us with engines of war
\nwhile uttering mindless profanities.
\nYet soon the hushed lament
\nof angry skies will bring forth
\nthe fabled monsoon storms.
\nAnd through the blackened sod
\nwe shall spring anew, refreshed,
\ngrowing thicker and greener still,
\nmore resplendent in the rain.<\/p>\n
And all the gentle creatures shall
\nrejoice for the land returning
\na great new cycle of life. And we:
\nwe shall remain the humble weeds.<\/p>\n
We are marapait.
\nWe are kugon.
\nWe are talahib.<\/p>\n
\u2022 4 December 2017<\/em>
\nA tribute to the\u00a0Nasugbu 15, to Francis S. on his 47th death anniversary, at sa marami pang ibang mabuting anak ng bayan na patuloy na sumasalo sa pamanang sulo ng rebolusyon.<\/em>#<\/p>\n