The Photo Shoot

This might be the photo shoot of the lifetime 

In this zoo one hour from Manila

You tried fun for more fun

I am on vacation you said

And happily took the offer

Two shots for fifty pesos

Own camera

It was cheap when you convert

To dollars, like trying to convert

The weather into a drier sky like New Mexico or Nevada,

The orangutan smiled

You sat

One more pose, the trainer said

Trixie, shoulder

You sat, she complied

Two shoots and done and out of here

EEEE! The loud cry from the donkey

In the other fence startled Trixie

EEEE! You tried to shout

As she grab your neck, tighter,

And tighter, till your breathe 

Became air.

Danny Says

I belong to Ryan

A dog is what they call me

In the human world

To make me more human

To sit and listen

To orders

To get a treat if I follow

Their command

And when I stand

The toughest act

They stand with joy

And pet and kiss me more

Embracing the Hearing Loss

True story, mine, embracing the hearing loss,

Wearing a gadget, supposed to help me hear

I still use my smile

With all the noise and sound I heard,

With all the chatter and laughter,

Yours is not the one

You are just next to me, eager to chat 

and know me, being polite,

I cannot hear you

Let embrace this life to be,

Until sci-fi change the script, I hope

Before my last breathe 

The Office Visit

A new friend asked

Is this how I speak

To my patients at work 

Such poetic verse

Ah of course

It can be

Let me show you

How it's done

Mr Smith my friend

Your cholesterol is too high

Cut your steak into half

Give it to your dog or wife

Mrs. Jones my dear

Sugar can really kill you

Stop the Coke and walk

The dog with night

You see my friend

Life is short and can be ugly

Why not say it with fun

A music to both our ears

Sis, I am Pregnant

Your news is shocking like electricity 

What can I say you want my plans

To a man who shouldn't be a father

I pray to God for both of you

What can I say you want my plans

Plan A will be, go for abortion

I pray to God for both of you

Plan B will be, give birth and give up

Plan A will be, go for abortion

Against my heart against your heart

Plan B will be, give birth and give up

Breaking my heart and breaking yours

Against my heart against your heart

Plan C will be, ask wife to F**K OFF

Breaking my heart and breaking yours

Let there be light, let's have coffee

Going Home

The smell of the pine plus moisture,

I stop to collect myself,

Am I home?

Home is where the heart is, they say.

(No. This is just the airport.

Your smell is jumping too far ahead,

Your heart is just beating too fast,

The way you walk to the terminal)

Then maybe I should walk

Like grandma, with her lotus feet,

Or like the traffic in Manila,

It is just a trick, for this second and longest flight.

The Answer

And you ask me to mix two

A Sagittarius and the ox, the east meets the west

Somewhere in the time tunnel over the Pacific ocean

This is what you get

Shoot the arrow, just do

And see where it falls,

It is what it is

Work as hard as you can,

The home is built on industrious hands

Do onto others what you want others to do onto you

I am a shy student of Confucius 

Asking astrology

For an answer

And what an answer it is.

Bye

I walk away with a box

Of memories, friendship,

And appreciation, feeling

Like a millionaire, a lottery

Winner who became an

Accidental resident sixteen 

Years ago, in this land of

Enchantment, with a better

Understanding of who I am,

Where I need to go.

Fried

Oh yes! I am jumping

From one frying pan,

Into another frying pan,

Just the way they fry the

Doctors these day, sautee 

Them with electronic medical

Records, prior authorization,

Malpractice, paperwork

After paperwork, but

At least this time, the kitchen

View is different.

Last Day at Work

It is no different 

Than standing at that edge

On top of Stratosphere Casino

North of Las Vegas strip

855 ft above ground

With a jumpsuit

And a cable attached

That sunny and windy day

Asking

Why am I doing this?

The Modern Doctor

1.

The Secretary 

I type as fast as my three fingers will go.

Risking a carpal tunnel syndrome,

I caress the mouse with my hand.

Multiple task, you say

Listen, think, type and search

By the way, one more question 

I hope to graduate with a degree

After my MD

would it be SD, or SA or SM?

All with the word secretary

2.

The Pastor

I rather be in a chapel 

At least God can recognize me

In black than in white

Your tears are enough

To fill the holy water bowl

I fear its overflow

Tissue after tissue I pull

Hoping to make a plug

Like the kid in Amsterdam 

3.

The Cop

I asked you to pee

The drug that I gave you

Better float with a spree

Regulations I say

With handcuffs in my hands

While handcuffed to the chair 

You have the right to remain silent

With the narcotic contract you signed

A pain to a pain

4.

The Parents

Can smell your smoke from the waiting room

Like a smoke detector I beep

Warning! Warning! Warning!

You are a seventy year old boy

With a cigarette of a teenager

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Let us make a deal

You clean your act

I cut your facts

Win! Win! Win!

5.

The Teacher

Now your eyes are wide open

Is that my gut?

Your cheek is pink as the lining

Now I got your attention 

Time for another lesson

Fluids, fiber, fluids

Keep the gut moving

Like the snake shifting two hips

Side to side

6.

The Car Dealer

Spare the details but keep the deal

The benefits as I say

The risk as you fear

Give it a try, go for a spin

See you in three months 

And levels will be fine

Remember to tell your friends 

What a sweet deal you got

Controlled but not cured

Preparing for Tomorrow

Someone took my favorite spot

for the last sixteen years,

I parked my car in a new spot

and sat.

Is it sad to leave or am I excited?

You guys love to ask

those kind of questions.

I sat

For few more moments,

for me to collect more courage

in this cold morning.

I can sense another cold

front, inside the building.

New Man in Town

To delete as many stories 

as possible,

to erase each foot and print,

to shave every hair of memory,

I stood beneath the arch in Chinatown.

Call me Chung, call me hey, call me whatever you like,

I am nobody, just another walking body with slant eyes

looking for a job, the job of forgetting who I am,

short of hitting my head into coma.

I am here! San Francisco,

Take me as your son!

I offer my wife beaten heart,

a bit useless

but still warm and beating.

Last Day

It is a sudden snowy day- briefly.

Is it the Sandia Mountain saying goodbye?
Throwing their clouds,

to say-

Snowbound.

It is a blowing windy day-as usual.

Is it the valley saying goodbye?
Hauling the gust of wind,

to say-

Wind blocked.

It is a bright sunny day-nothing odd.

Is it the New Mexican sun saying goodbye?
Warming up the tears,

to say-

Flooded.

It is a day of mixed weather,

as confused as my heart

can tolerate-

until our car passes the city limits,

beyond where the tumbleweeds

can chase.

Someone I Know

To see again and catch up

Of lost conversations and could be

Life together, the could be and the

Would be, something we can only wish, some days 

What if I give you the biggest hug?

Could I squeeze out the lost time

And longings and kisses and joy?

Something I could only wish,

Some days

What if you ask, why didn't you come, as promised? As if a promise is a sentence, that can

Only be served by jail time, jailed

In my lonely heart.

Something that I could only wish, some days, is here.

Last Visit

I thought I have a chance

For a last visit

During my last weekend

To see your last smile

Towards your last mile

Of this last life, I hope

The last handshake 

The last time for you to say

The last "Good, good!"

The last lasting impression 

The last visit

First time at your home

But I am one day late

News

You catch yourself reading

the newspaper of the new city,

trying to adjust, you said,

slowly,

to a new life.

Old stories of crime, hate,

corruption and election

in front of your new address.

Dianne, Goodbye

How do we compress sixteen years
into one hour,

like they compress your broken shoulder

with pins and plates 

into one,

this Saturday afternoon,

my last weekend in this city.

With tales of management,

family break ups, hopes

and pets, just like family

recounting feuds or holidays,

even we are only related

by designations like MD

and RN, in this place

we called home 

temporarily.

Raped

I exposed what I have,

Even it means swallowing the pain

One more time,

In the name of treatment

Those who violated my body

And trust, now and before

Just like drink I washed down,

Sweet and deadly.

This time it's called

Psychotherapy.

Trio

If you allow them,

they will pull you into their world,

put on you a pair of wing notes,

and let you fly.

With enough vibrations of atoms in the room,

to get you above and beyond 

the four walls,

wondering, what happened?

You cannot drive

With every angry word that you utter,

I can make a new house.

With every piece of metal that you throw,

I can make a new car.

The fall was deadly, not on her

mind, but her whole attitude.

Saying you cannot drive,

is a sentence to isolation.

My heart breaks to see her cry

out loud; to see her collapse

from once a strong pride.

How can I help her

when my own wheels are broken.

We cannot drive

but we walk with three legs

combined.

Playing Chess

Never heard of the place called Albuquerque,
until you see it black and white,
in your driver's license that year.

A Uhaul truck with a minivan in tow,

that's how you stroll into town,

living next to the golf course.

Since then you moved around the city,
like a chess board.

The knight move was deadly--divorce.

The next knight move was a blessing,
new love,

with a life better without Prozac.

Bishop calls for a quick three years stay,
a house where you practice your golf pitch,
to pitch away stress after work.

Now it's time to leave,
not the rook, nor the Queen can help.

It's just beyond their reach, another game.

The Man with a Backpack

He must really want me

To write about him

I see him again today

At Starbucks 

His backpack, professional 

Ready for Mt. Everest

His hair, grey

Ready for nursing home

His skin, dark

Ready for a discussion about race

Why does he roam 

the neighborhood?

At the library, with a book

At the bagel shop, with a book

At Starbucks, with a book

Always the backpack 

Always the grocery bag

He must really want me

To write about him

Are you really homeless?

Ghost

Imagine your full container

of shampoo 

on the floor

behind you

as you take

your first shower

after the move 

into a house you got

half price

The Dream Last Night

2/17/16

You showed me your toes,

torn was the skin, no bleed,

I seem to recognize your face

although blurry, the feel is right.

Your angled jaw and pointed chin,

like the beautiful Chinese princess

I told you before.

Now that I am packing, boxes

after boxes, memories after memories, laughter after laughter, 

like the dishes on the going away

party, trying to put everything in 

one tray, to bring with me, when 

I starve for a friendly smile.

The Stranger, My Wife

2/15/16

The more anniversaries we have,

the younger my wife becomes,

and the more I wonder

if she is a wife or a daughter.

We used to court each other

like adults, word for word,

having adult activities like sex.

She still call herself little darling

and when she gets in trouble,

the precious little darling,

but now the name matches

the moves, like when my daughter 

was a little darling.

The only thing I am certain

as we move to an unknown city,

she will express her anger 

like popping a can of Coke 

and when the fizz is over, the anger

is gone.

The Buffalo Clinic

2/16/16

Buffalo they call it, as if

somewhere in Yellowstone,

as if my new orange Hermes tie,

is the bait for a new enemy wolf,

coming out from a secret room

somewhere called 

first day at work.

Father and Daughter

2/16/16

The picture next to his left ear,

I slowly remove, afraid to spill

the water from the waves

crashing Pebble Beach golf.

He smiled, one last time,

probably knowing, he can play golf

with God, everyday.

I emptied his golf bag,

wiping each club, slowly,

waiting for them to tell, each

story with the sand, the loose

fallen leaves, the freshly clipped

grass, and to smell my father's 

sweat mixed with his excitement,

watching the ball roll into the hole,

rest in peace.

MRI

2/16/16

I felt trapped 

like an earthquake victim,

the fourth time, with jackhammers 

breaking the concrete of my pain,

which led me here the first place,

trying to figure out the source

of my pain, while adding more

anxiety, making me more 

trapped by my own imagination.

Escape

2/17/16

They call it compression fracture 

L5, as if my vertebra was a piece

of tofu smashed and squeezed, a

diagnosis just to keep me in the

hospital, away from my wife,

who needs my feeding.

My feeding for my wife, regularly 

at 12 and 6, who forgets everything, 

except to breathe, stare, and lay down.

I carried the IV bag, put on my

shirt and pants, quickly running

the corridor maze like mouse,

jumping into that yellow taxi, 

to catch the feeding time.

Intro

Just joined an online writing class.
I am a poet.
I enjoy writing poems.
I will make my writing dream a reality.