Drama On The Golden Prince On The 7th Floor, Cebu City... Poem by RIC BASTASA

i am in a place away from home.
in my room there are two beds
the curtains are double layered
the thicker one i set aside leaving the
silky one transparent so i can see
vaguely the outline of the whole city
as i am on top of this little world
where i may have a holistic view
of this present moment.

i need some definitions of what
solitude is. It does not have the haunting qualities of
the guilty mind.

when i sleep tonight i shall not make creases
on the blanket.
i do not turn on
the TV
I will be listening to the sound of the carpet on the floor
when i walk barefooted and put my hands on the railing
of the window
watching the city glow
the lights of the cars moving
in different colors

other friends may make a call
but i am turning my cellphone off

really, really, there is no place
to replace a home.