Mindanao In Mourning Poem by RIC BASTASA

i know of a place
my grandfather once told me
a promised land

mountain ranges
lakes and seas
hills and valleys
blue skies
rain and waterfalls
wild deer and pigs
and birds and
buffaloes

Mindanao

the place
unexploited


rivers and shrimps
and crabs and
shells

my great grandfathers
speak well of this land
where we have lived
with pride
and peace

Mindanao
our inheritance

my grandfather when
he hears
how the farmers are
killed
asking for rice
instead are given
bullets

Mindanao
now cries and mourns
for months
and years.....