Tag Archives: poems

Summertime in PEI (poem)

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When the sun is hot and the sky is blue in summertime

even the birds hide to escape the heat because it is summertime

and the heat can be unbearable. When it’s summertime

on the Island all the folk head for beaches to enjoy the summertime

and escape the heat by soaking in the cool ocean during summertime

or shed their winter paleness with a tan they get from summertime.

All the kids are out somewhere in the parks or beaches through the summertime

or dodge the heat in Empire  8 where movies run more often ’cause it’s summertime

and their moms spend more time shopping for the cool air conditioning

and their dads brave the heat at the greens or the club since it’s summertime

and Boomer warns of rain or the chances of it coming all through summertime.

When the heat becomes unbearable and the the people get irritable in summertime

they could not wait for summer when it was still the winter but when summertime

arrives they curse the summer 30s and look forward to some rain in summertime.

 

© Cindy Lapeña, 2013

Poems for Papa on Father’s Day

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by Kitt Lapeña

by Kitt Lapeña

thunder and lightning and papa

  

i was as proud as a little girl could be

at six

with my very own room

and my very own bed

and my very own closets

and a door i could close

to be alone

until the big storm

when thunder roared

and the lightning

turned the shadow of

our neighbor’s caimito tree

into grotesque arms

swaying and reaching

in the blue-white glow

of the stormy night

and the wind

lashed at the windows

and left an open one

banging

and banging

and banging

i lay awake

crouched under my blankets

trying to shut my eyes

not to see

the monster arms

reaching for me

but they did

and i forgot

how nice it was

to have my very own room

and my very own bed

and my very own closets

and a door i could close

and i screamed

until papa came

and papa stilled

the thunder and lightning

so i could sleep.

 

Pasig

7 July 1993

4:10 a.m.

 

…and papa was there

 

it was a dark and stormy night

and papa was there

to put me to sleep

 

i had always wanted to be a girl scout

and everyone’s mommy and daddy

was at the induction

to pin the tiny girl scout pin

and tie the white kerchiefs on

i thought no one would come

and just when they called my name

papa was there

 

mama brought me to my grade school graduation

but didn’t stay

and somewhere in the middle of it all

as i strained to see the tiny faces in the crowd

papa was there

with his camera and his big almost-smile

 

and when my tummy hurt

really bad in school and

i had to get an appendectomy

before the anaesthetic got to work

papa was there holding my hand

and his eyes and shining eyeglasses

were the last thing i saw

floating next to the iv bottle

 

and when i walked down the aisle

papa was there holding me

like a little girl again

and smiling and crying

as i was

 

and when bianca came into the world

i thought i saw papa at the window

in a green surgical smock and cap

and when i woke up

there was a bag of sweets and cakes

and papa

 

and when i die

wherever i go i’m quite sure

the first thing i see will be papa.

 

Pasig

7 July 1993

4:55 a.m.

 

Children of the Earth (poem)

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children of the earth we are born

in the womb of mother nature we are nurtured

we feed at her bountiful bosom and we grow strong

as children of the earth.

we are born children of the earth

we grow strong feeding from her bounty

and when we are grown we forget how we were born

from the womb of mother nature.

we were nurtured by the rich bounty of our mother earth

we have grown. we have forgotten.

we grow fat taking more than our share.

we grow rich taking more than we need for ourselves.

we grow greedy taking everything from the earth.

we have forgotten how we were born.

we have sold our mother to the highest bidder.

we have sold our lifeline to the earth.

we have sold our mother.

we have sold our earth.

we were born children of the earth

and children of the earth we shall die.

children of the earth we shall hunger for more

and when there is no more, we shall hunger again

for what no longer is. for the barren mother

stripped of her glory

stripped of her bounty

stripped of her beauty

and when she can no longer give

how else shall we live?

as children of the earth we shall die

on the barren grounds stripped of beauty and bounty

in filthy oceans populated by flotsam

on bare mountains that will be bare sand

in the bosom of a dead mother

her children will die.

 

© Cindy Lapeña, 2013

 Mother Earth

Baby Steps (poem)

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I’m taking baby steps again

and like a little child I’m impatient

Pushing myself as far as I can

It’s not easy taking baby steps again

When I know I’ve done it before

But sometimes I need a helping hand

As I take those baby steps again

Learning to hold back to get ahead and then

I won’t need to take those baby steps again.

© Cindy Lapeña, 2013

Charlottetown

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New Year’s Day (poem)

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The tree is stripped of ornaments

Wooden toys and bells and balls

All traces of the holiday are wrapped and put away

Melancholy music from A Winter Solstice plays

For one more night the tinsel and the lights will stay

Starry lamps that tint the walls

Will soon be last year’s sentiments.

 

© Cindy Lapeña, 2013

 

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showroom home (poem)

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they’ll come home tonight
to their perfect little showroom homes
straight out of design magazines
clean, neat, and bright
and sit in their showroom kitchen
sparkling, shiny, and bright
eat their gourmet dinners in silence
fancy, balanced, and healthy
then sit a while in their showroom living room
spotless, tidy, and straight
and after a while of watching the news
on their LED TV wall
they’ll retire to their showroom bedroom
matching sheets and covers
heavy drapes, nightstands, and recessed lights
and after a few minutes of bedtime reading
they’ll turn off the lights
pull up the covers
and sleep
without saying good night

 

© Cindy Lapeña, 2012

 

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somewhere in the world (poem)

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somewhere in the world today

there’s a storm, there’s rain

there’s a tidal wave, it’s flooding

some homes were washed away

somewhere in the world today

somewhere in the world today

there’s a storm, there’s no power

there’s a fire, it’s burning

some homes were turned to ashes

somewhere in the world today

somewhere in the world today

there’s a war, there’s unrest

there’s a bomb, it’s exploding

some homes were blown away

somewhere in the world today

somewhere in the world today

there’s anger, there’s sorrow

there’s hatred, it’s spreading

some homes were torn apart

somewhere in the world today

somewhere in the world today

something is happening

not nice, not good, not right

but somewhere else

in the world today

it’s a quiet peaceful night.

 

31 October 2012

Charlottetown

© Cindy Lapeña, 2012

 

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one day at a time (poem)

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I’m taking things

one day at a time

I can’t take more

sometimes I’d like to take less

but life keeps on coming at me

one day at a time

I need to see things

one day at a time

anything more

and I don’t see all I can

but I can’t see beyond what’s facing me

any more than

one day at a time

 

© Cindy Lapeña, 2012

 

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a jigsaw life (poem)

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everyday is a piece in

the puzzle of life

small indecipherable parts

spots of color

innocuous shapes

making sense only

when joined together

irregular edges

each shape different

from the others

small scenes revealing themselves

as pieces come together

the picture never complete

until the last piece

the last day

is in place.

 

© Cindy Lapeña, 2012

 

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the baby in the tub (poem)

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the baby in the tub sat

and the mother of

the baby in the tub

took a call and sat

at her phone to chat

while the baby in the tub sat

and the mother stayed on the phone

left the baby in the tub alone

left the baby in the tub to drown

and the baby in the tub drowned alone

while the mother sat to chat

on the phone

 

© Cindy Lapeña, 2012

 

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