I Stopped Comparing Myself To Others Poem by RIC BASTASA

Bong is happier with his private practice
of law in Ortigas.
i CAN deduce that from his smiles
as he toured Europe
for tax shelter
His conscious is clean
posing like Alexander the Great
at the Acropolis
at nighttime.
I like his pictures at Vatican
Must be heavenly there
Cool and huge
architecture
simply amazing and i still have the wish
to do it better in
Amsterdam

Rey loves to shampoo his
Beagle in Chicago
Puts more time on his dog
than himself and it makes
his happier too

Guess i am happier here too
Tropical climate
How can i imagine surviving
in the snow as thick and
cold as
a forest uninhabited by
monkeys

I don't rhyme sometimes
and does not get the correct metaphors
for my existence
but well, this is my choice
and i still love it.

i can't waste my money on a round trip
ticket to Rome
or Greece
I haven't even savored yet
the seaside of my own place.

TOmorrow i am going to Ponot
climb a coconut tree
swim in the river
and dry my naked body
on top of the cliff.

I can fish and eat my catch.
I can walk faraway and sleep
where my feet want to rest.