“I left an old cabinet-scented room”
I left an old cabinet-scented room
And to wander the place where jasmine flowers bloom soon
Leaving the place where a people tries to forget its past
To another where history’s remnants till today last
I left the country where people always say “move on”
Yet talks about nostalgia as if they enjoy upon
Such as that of a childhood days sometimes cringe
As that of spanking on their asses or a drinking binge
I find their taste of the past sometimes nonsensical
As opposed to their future dreams quite delusional
While the other values it’s history for the future
The way it values knowledge that’s to nurture
How beautiful Manila is, trying to be the city of man
Yet reality urges us to face life that’s damned
The system whose followers cried much about their idyllic past
Yet that same oppressive past still continuous, how long will it last?
As I wander the streets of Bangkok everything’s in place
As that of skyscrapers, old structures for us to amaze
Be it the Wat Arun, Wat Phra Kew, to a lowly shrine
The old city of angels stood the test of time
That made me wonder why their heritage truly lasts
As opposed to those trying to forget its past?
I guess mayors and legislators willing to sacrifice everything
For theirs these as worthless for a few that to theirs meant something
An old structure in Manila stood by decades end befall
No matter it witnessed times, lives and all
Just for a “modern” edifice out of cold steel and glass
No matter how beauteous it appears, in the eyes of many it is crass
What an embarrassment to hear them valuing a community’s history
When reality I find them benefiting from a continuing past that’s full of misery
Again I left that old cabinet scented airport room but with hopes for my country to carry
That just like its neighbour whose jasmine flowers blossom there’s no need to worry.