SONGBIRD’S MELODY

SONGBIRD’S MELODY

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

Songbird of the country

Please sing your tunes tirelessly

On valleys and hills

Sing afloat your theatre of amusement!

You are forever rewarded

With rice, shelter, care

By humble folks who truly cherish you.

Sing!

Sing for them! – the poor and wretched—

They who were left forlorn

By trusted lords

By false guardians of welfare

By deified magnates;

They who are now casting

New lives for themselves

New hopes toward betterment.

O! Songbird so dear!

Lift them up from slumber!

[Writ. 26 May 1988, Proj. 8, Quezon City, M.Manila.]

ON PITFALLS & STARS

ON PITFALLS & STARS

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

Man,

In times when mind’s soaked

in an intoxicating concoction

of rage and fiery resentment

ought not battle against pitfalls

that are really no pitfalls

when gauged against virtues

that they unintendedly unlock

for such virtues are ever present

in the labyrinth of pursuits

awaiting to float to the surface

of riverine Existence

no matter how inconspicuous these are;

they are stars that are forever

habituating the firmaments

in grandiose beauty,

despite dark clouds

despite dark clouds

[Writ. 02 June 1988, Proj. 8, Quezon City, M.Manila.]

SONGBIRD’S MELODY

SONGBIRD’S MELODY

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

Songbird of the country

Please sing your tunes tirelessly

On valleys and hills

Sing afloat your theatre of amusement!

You are forever rewarded

With rice, shelter, care

By humble folks who truly cherish you.

Sing!

Sing for them! – the poor and wretched—

They who were left forlorn

By trusted lords

By false guardians of welfare

By deified magnates;

They who are now casting

New lives for themselves

New hopes toward betterment.

O! Songbird so dear!

Lift them up from slumber!

[Writ. 26 May 1988, Proj. 8, Quezon City, M.Manila.]

ASPIRATION

ASPIRATION

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

O! Aspiration!

You majestic road

To where all are brought

To fate’s myriad conclusions,

You are beheld

As a plane in Pythagoras’ universe

Contained in Euclid’s space

A foot away to grasp in an instance.

Yet how come that you,

In each one’ pathway

Seem millions of miles away,

Far beyond anyone’s reach?

O! Aspiration!

Please don’t appear as any

Unconquerable chimera

To willful beings

To the willful.

[Writ. 26 May 1988, Proj.8, Quezon City, M.Manila.]

ABOARD TRICYCLES, JEEPNEYS, FERRIES

ABOARD TRICYCLES, JEEPNEYS, FERRIES

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

Well they do

Carry you

To your travel’s destination

These tricycles

Jeepneys

Ferries

Hallmarks of tropical Filipiniana

Whose travel trails are mixtures

Of well paved avenues

And dusty rugged roads

They do make your tours

Altogether fascinating and crucifying

Even as the good buses

Flashy yatch and jet planes

That cater your travels

Lead your ocular organs to witness

The tapestry of wretchedness

And inertia of blighted villages

That altogether inevitably erases

The shangrilaic imageries about the tropics

That may gather in your mind

Like clouds over the Sierra Madre

That the Pacific wind eagerly dissolves.

[Writ. 09 Oct. 1987, Proj. 8, Quezon City, M.Manila.]

BANANAS

BANANAS

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

Bananas

are benevolent

providers

of delight

for our tongue,

and fuels

for our body;

they too

can be

the measures

of terror

sowed

by perpetrators

of naked power

in tropical princedoms.

[Writ. 27 Sept., 1987, University of the Philippines, QC.]

REFLECTIONS ABOUT WORK

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

There can be

no savoring the foods

offered by Terra

without working hard for their generation;

no consumption of bounties

in torrential showers

without striving

for their production;

no recital of flowery

words about justice

without active contention

for their fruition;

no pleasant rest

of mind and body

without processing by

the sweatshops of labour;

no blissful state

of realized utopias

without rendering sufferings

from waylaid obstacles.

[Writ. 27 Sept, 1987, University of the Philippines, QC.]

PLAY STATION PRESIDENT

PLAY STATION PRESIDENT

Erle Frayne D. Argonza

PH Prex

Drives Porsche

Dates diva girls

Shoots guns for play

Trusts cronies

He too

Craves for playstations

His leadership craft

Mapped out in games

Happy-go-lucky

Did he render his country

Like toy land

[Philippines, 14 September 2011]

ELEPHANTS RAMPAGE KILL MAN

ELEPHANTS RAMPAGE KILL MAN

Erle Frayne D. Argonza

A man lies dead

By the side

Of a street

In urban India

Killed was he

By rampaging

Elephants

As man

Had enslaved the Elephant

For nigh eons

Is it cause

For wonderment

That the Elephant

Is exacting payback?

[Philippines, 28 August 2011]

EARTHAVEN D’ SAN MATEO

EARTHAVEN D’ SAN MATEO

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

Only a hearsay was the ecotour site Earthaven in ‘99

Shared by fellow Adept Edgard Guevarra who was tasked

To help design and run the idyllic paradise site

Then came 2003 when I was back in the academe

After a short stint in California for tour & work

Did I bring along university students to Earthaven cool

There they listened to wisdom notes about ecology

Spiced by unique lemon grass tea and snacks

Then proceeded to the tough yet fun obstacle courses

At times they crawled by mud as value-cherishing task

To learn to love Earth and her beneficence a-plenty

Finally exhausted we were brought to lake pool

Watered by cascading falls so breezy and gentle

Then took late lunch amid gentle talks & sharings

Earthaven is nestled in the humble town of San Mateo

A town that has grown to urban prosperity of late

Amid mountainous terrain and bamboo groves

The site is wondrous to behold for campsites & obstacles

And retreat from the ferocious city life in Manila

[Philippines, 19 June 2011]

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OLONGAPO & SUBIC

OLONGAPO & SUBIC

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

As American troops finally left Subic naval base

Olongapo now left on its own to peddle its future

Did I visit the corridor of fame in early 90s cool

Like kibitzer cat sneaking in once dirty prostitution towns

Came one occasion when I was with university students

Toured Subic site astride a funny bus with open sides

Then watched baseball at night while eating packed dinner

Till past 9 pm we moved on to bars in Olongapo

From there to hop from one bar to another

Till we noticed that by 4 a.m. we’ve had toxicity enough

As many bars we’ve been to listening to live bands

Chatting peaceably too in band-less sites

Till finally we said goodbye to the fun city

Delivered farewell to the Ulo ng Apo

Saying thanks for the gracious short stay

[Philippines, 13 June 2011]

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STA MONICA

STA MONICA

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

Came 2001 did I come to see this cute tour city

By the southern San Bernardino county of California

Tagged by my father along to celebrate corporate victories

We had fun swimming partying and shopping around

Truly delightful a tourist city this one is

Where wealthy couples bought estates & homes to holiday

My father and I did spend time here too to casino

With slot machines my hands did win some chips

Enough to buy some crafts and quaff tequila in bars

Again did I return to see this wondrous tour city in 2002

Staying by Holiday Inn with biz trainees to boot

This time to hear grand lectures from gurus of success

Yet to bar & dine & drink just the same at end of learning

Nearby is a mountain range so bald and negatively vibrating

Lucky that Sta Monica brings life to the range’s dead aridity

[01 June 2011]

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VIGAN COBBLESTONES

VIGAN COBBLESTONES

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

Cobblestones all over the graceful ancient city

Vigan transports you back in time to Hispania

Stone houses combining Antillean & local builds

Calesas to take you around as carousing traveler

Luna & Crisologo houses lead in museum fame

Basi bagoong vinegar & delicacies for cuisine delights

Abel blankets & textiles from cottage foundries

Clay tablets pottery jars kilned and bazaar sold

Thus came my opportune time to be transported

Came April to May of 2006 a-cruisin’ Ilocos region

Training my project personnel in tours delights

Did I come to visit Vigan on perfect sunny days

Never failing too to amends with wild game pets

My team strutted like orbs the zoo Baluarte

Pony to ride around and ostrich to snapshot

Chimpanzee to clown a bit and tame tigers to squaw

I could only wish that two centuries back

Vigan was much like it is today

Where fun and business blend to shrine the soul

With experience worth sharing to future kids

[Philippines, 15 April 2011]

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CALIFORNIA BEAMING

CALIFORNIA BEAMING

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

In November 2000 and again from ‘01 till ‘02

Did I visit and make home of southern California

Amazed at the prosperity and near-perfected planning

Did I sing along many times ‘California Dreaming’

Making rounds of over fifty of its cities big and small

From Los Angeles and eastern coasts to Nevada’s borders

And downwards to San Diego couples of times spent

Visiting the border to Mexico viewable from the state

So did I come to love someone too

A noble lady from San Bernardino clue

Who treasured me so much she made me speak

Before university students eager for Light

Lake Mead, wild boar hunting, San Pedro tour

Huntington offshore speed boating & fishing too

Sta Monica tour with beers, swims & slot machines

Venice cooling by the coast & buyin’ crafts along

Partying with family circle & grassroots workers

Drinking tequila and Mexican beers to company

And when the opportune moment came

I did grab grassroots work via church work

Counsel & listen to young adults and singles

And making rounds of seminars in diverse parishes

Residing in Ramona’s apartments with dad & sibs

On weekends to party and visit Ontario Mills sometimes

A few times post-party to star gaze for shooting stars

Do gym work right inside our home village

California beaming is what I made of it

The warm peoples of the state to stay in my bosom

A second home truly it was beyond dreaming

[Philippines, 04 March 2011]

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CALAMBA SHRINE & HOT SPRINGS

CALAMBA SHRINE & HOT SPRINGS

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

A privilege it was to visit Calamba many times

From 80s through early 2000s did I come to strut

The glorious home of noblest Asian hero Jose Rizal

A resource speaker for educational tour companies

Accompanied by fellow patriotic professors

We who once served club Education Forum

Ennobling tasks as teachers were thereafter tapped

To showcase Rizal Shrine and Rizal cults to listeners

Enthused students and adults from diverse schools

So did I visit Calamba many times to bath

In its famed hot springs shaped by tour resorts

Into swimming pools warm waters flowed like lake

Bathing in the waters burnt down germs and fungi

In the company of social activists and pals

From among university professors of UP fame

Shrine & hot springs will always be in my heart

To treasure moments of thought sharing and baths

Beacon of Rizal staying in my psyche till old age

[Philippines, 28 February 2011]

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NEWSPAPER CLIMES

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

Conquering the public mind isn’t easy a goal

More so by landing in news headlines a-gallery

Such a chance did finally come upon my being

In 2004 upon endorsing a presidential candidate

As spokesman of a multisectoral coalition twas

In month of January it did come to commence all

How awesome that all the major newspapers came

Reinforced likewise by tabloids of worthy fame

From coalition launching to press cons and all

There was I and mass leaders in news fronts

Headlined in no less than couples of events

As I heralded advocacies that were truly treasures

That social services be for grassroots & mid-class

Twas eventually my short-cut to a palace stint

So was it time to meet boxing hero Manny Pacquiao

Twas too a meeting with cinema star la Aunor

And the young daughter of the martyred Flor Contemplacion

Short it was in 2004 to make of wondrous clime

Yet meaningful a stint for my own future roles

Beyond 2012 awaits my co-founding of larger commonwealth

Colored preliminary by the past newspaper climes

[Philippines, 11 February 2011]

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RADIO GAGA

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

God’s grace it is those exposures to radio talks
Commencing when I was young man of age 23
In beloved Tuguegarao did I share insights fame
On livelihood to folks across the valley enthused

Living by Manila from 83 and onwards
Did I awash in fame a bit for radio talks
As university mentor and civil society leader
Was I invited to talk in many stations famed
DZRH, DZMM, DZRV, Radio ng Bayan
Roland Simbulan’s hosted program
Mentong Laurel’s nationalist platform
And more to count

Likewise did I visit radio stations in Visayas halls
As teacher leader to share insights on issues’ calls
Radyo Bombo in Bacolod and Iloilo cities
And more to go by counting of my hands

Truly thankful to Almighty for such short fames
Did I love so much to enlighten folks & listeners
Till now I open myself to invitations on radio anew
To discourse on issues like they were beau d’ bamboo

[Philippines, 08 January 2011]

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MANILA IMPERIALISM?

Erle Frayne Argonza y Delago

Then was I a leader among teachers
In the 90s decade it came this tall task
For which called was I to make rounds
Of mentors ‘round the country to glee
That aura of mine inspires them to reveree

Then came this news conference in Bacolod
Where I was introduced as man from Manila
Then exclaimed the tv man to shame
That I am agent of Manila imperialism cold!

Shocked as I was and infuriated likewise
Did I regain control of my composure
I was a leader among teachers across the land
Not a local agent of Manila nor its fens

Yet surely there are those who build discord
From petty and asinine viewpoints they breed
Unable to see the world in larger clime
They will perish with shame and dirty slime

[Philippines, 15 November 2010]

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MASCOTA

Erle Frayne D. Argonza

The day has just begun.
Here in my studio flat the air reverbs
With notes of dance music from disco fame
Preparing my psyche for the gym time waitin’.

From here I’m transported back to the 60s.
A tot I was then watching Ybanag culture
From my curious yet ignorant social focals.
There to wallow a bit as my Grandpa struts
The humble sala of our rising new home
Displaying with gusto the music of mascota
Dances with my Grandma to savor eternity
Of merriment and glowful likings for cultural spree
Of our locality we call by thee: Ybanag.

[Philippines, 08 November 2010]

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CANINE DELICACY NO MORE

Erle Frayne D. Argonza


As young a tot I was so supple and innocent
Did I copiously follow my oldies who slaughtered
Dogs for delicacy that they quaffed with liquor

Such was then tradition that withstood no perdition
For its own commission would shoot up one’s esteem
As one who can stand along with the tribes of Pinoys

And so twas my delicacy as a young man thereafter
Who’d make fallows to task and earn my keep
Excellent to quaff with brandy dog meat was
That burned one to brims of libidinal desires to consume

By late 80s my flights of fantasy for canine meat
Was scoffed by my own conscience
No more to eat a friendly pet I finally decided

Till law comes to ban the slaughter and eating
Of canine delicacy that’s now proscribed
The calling of innate wisdom has come to bear at last
For which we followed conscience in daily acts

[Philippines, 27 October 2010]

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