Life Is Beautiful Poem by RIC BASTASA

And she writes me today without any attempt to cover
in any way
Her honest situation from New Jersey,

“Here I do all the work for my children
Unlike in the Philippines where I can have
A maid to do the chores for me
Like I have to do the laundry
Vacuum the floor
Cook and prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner
Clean the toilet, the living room, the kitchen
And the bedroom

What could I do
I have to make the most of it, right?

Here we always move from one
Place to another
My husband has to go from
One business trip to
another business trip
one state
then another state

And we have to tug
The kids along
For fear that the big kid
On the other block
That kid on medication
(I may be paranoid)
may harm him
the other day
he pushed rod
on the pool and good
that I was there
to straighten
things and
help.

Here I really have no time
Meeting friends and
Chat and party
Unlike in the Philippines
where mama cooks
and the party
begins with
friends coming
and the laughing
and talking
begin
for hours
and hours
we were never
conscious of
the time

here there is simply so many
Work to do
daily chores
choking me
as i have
already told
you
I can’t even have enough
Time on this laptop
And write you long emails


But despite
nonetheless

I will always remember
What you always tell me

Life is Beautiful
What can
I do
But make the most of it,
right? ”