Jaded Sights

 

Resound of whispers fill
The empty summer shed
Echoes of cheerful greetings
Remain when light faded.

Lackluster sights paraded
Conquered the gray skies’ stage;
To serenade the half-dead
Imprisoned, forgotten.

Some days of wanton madness
Ripples of thrown strength
Unmindful of the bounces
To come as walls repel.

Armed like a seer with glimpses
Of blurred visions in dreams
On to the depth of nothingness,
To merge with raging beats.

The purest shade of pastels
Define the darkened shapes
Collage of brightest colors,
The shadow of disgrace.

Like dainty clouds and laces
To grace the edge and planes
Gild of the shelves and cupboards,
The image of your soul.

Copyright: Leofina Jane G. Galleta
All Rights Reserved. ©2008leofinajanegalleta

How “Small, Big Things” Works

“I dream of a world where abundant love binds the heart of each person. I envision a future intertwined with links of kindness and love… Then I can say that my quest for a better humanity is possible…”
// leofinajanegalleta 

posted with vodpod

The Declaration of the Rights of Children

EVERY CHILD, without exception, is entitled to these basic rights and opportunities:

- The Right to Love and Be Loved
- The Right to Receive Quality Care form Responsible Parents
- The Right to Individual, National and Cultural Identity
- The Right to Adequate Nutrition, Housing and Medical Care
- The Right to Free Education
- The Right to Enjoy, Play, and Recreation without Fear
- The Right to Protection from Hunger Neglect, Abuse and Exploitation
- The Right to Special Care, if Handicapped
- The Right to Live in Peace, with Freedom and Dignity
- The Right to Grow up in and Inherit a Healthy Environment
- The Opportunity to be a Useful Member of Society
- The Opportunity to Develop Abilities, Individual Judgment
and a Sense of Moral and Social Responsibility
- The Opportunity to Enjoy these Rights without regard to
Cultural Identity, Race Creed or Nationality

UP CLOSE and Personal

MY TIMELINE… Just a simple visual presentation of how it had been…

posted with vodpod

Afterglow

 

Under the feet of the Heavens
A world slowly crawls
To match another world within
With nothing, but its own to hold.

Silence descended to whisper
The clue to weave the beads
To whisk away the lurking fears
That came to live within.

Alone, it seems but fragile souls
Planted along dreams to unfold
Scattered in the sand; murals
As future merges with the past.

Seen on the edge of overhang laces
Arrays displayed by passing moments
To show the roads and bends traveled
Like afterglow,never forgotten.

The pilgrim’s track goes on to trace
Pathways to lead on heaven’s feet
With lively steps and faith as cloak
The rod of hope will bring you home.

 

Copyright: Leofina Jane Galleta
All Rights Reserved.2008leofinajanegalleta

Unsung Hymns

 

Constantly I sing the tunes
Of riddles and mazes in rhyme
With burning desire to seek,
Why I am what I am.

Hidden in assumed faces
In a world beyond reality
Where each one plays a part
As each fairy tale unfolds.

Could I possibly have,
A moment of contemplation
If reality exists,
In this world of illusion.

Here, in the dim path ways
Of intertwined kaleidoscopic thoughts
I come across those eyes that reflect
My unknown realities’ mirror.

Shed into light by searching tunes
Embedded in the laughter of serenades
Its silent power opened the inner eyes
To end my quest for understanding.

And there you were,
My beacon of soul who stirred
To life long-buried cries from the ocean
Of anguish echoing deep longings.

A child’s lamentation beneath
A mind of steel, cloaked
With indifference amidst praises
Of adoring eyes from well-wishers.

Then finally in full circle
Quest came to end, the search is over
My own enigma came to light, at last!
Born from the depths of your eyes.

A lonesome child lost in the cold
Battling the tide struggling to stand
To overcome the storms, rising
With each passage of time.

Didn’t I know a fragile child
Lies deep within a nurturer’s heart
The unsung hymns now, I could sing
The truth in your eyes brightly reflecting.

Copyright: Leofina Jane Galleta
All Rights Reserved. ©2007leofinajanegalleta

Silent Sigh

 Seek me not
From the abyss where shadows reign
Mound of empty spaces,
My escape.

I reside
In unseen dwellings, I run to seek
The warmth of unknown shelters
My soul’s refuge in the darkness.

Keep me not,
Alive within the confines of words
A silhouette of dreams untold
Your own mirage.

I survive,
Through constant motion
Like circling ripples of echoes
The rhymes to honor shapeless shadows.

Tell me not
Rhythms of eternity’s breath
Nor hum the tune of newborn hope
Sounds of my passion.

I weave the whispers
Of notes and beats you kept
Confined inside your mind
Like throb of veins, alive.

Promise me not,
The rays of tomorrow yet to come
Soft, soothing touch of morning calm
Your paradise.

I’ll come to you,
Like a mist of twilight to fulfill
The promised moment, your soul’s desire
My silent sigh.

Copyright: Leofina Jane G. Galleta
All Rights Reserved.©2008leofinajanegalleta

Listen

Listen,
Heed to the knocking soul
Of the past imprisoned beyond
The memory of dreams that fade.

Listen to the sigh
Of the passing hours, ticking
As reality blends in, caught
Up with the present.

Listen,
To the mocking beat
Of the blackened heart’s rhythm
Digging to expose the truth
Beyond the sweetness of pretension.

Listen to the breathing
Of the earth that shouts
From the tomb of agony that holds
The remnants of evil desires.

Listen to the fading waves
Of hope drowned in the sea
Of guilt, home of the unrepentant
Souls in illusionary thrones.

Copyright: Leofina Jane G. Galleta
All Rights Reserved.©2008leofinajanegalleta

Bend..

The strong winds,
The captain to stir your shadow
Yet, your soul’s anchor
Is not your own.

Smile appears
In abrupt, shines
Fueled not by your heart
But cast by empty lamps.

Borrowed light flares
To show collages
Of sights and glow
Mocked by the tide.

A test of trick
Given by time
Yet truth slightly
Poke outside.

Unwittingly,
The curtain fell
The heavens heard,
Thrown back some spell.

What would become
Of newborn shine
Coated with radiance
A real find.

Will the promise of day
Bend the knees to a bow
Sweet surrender, equal
To the vastness of sky.

 

Leofina Jane Galleta

Copyright by: Leofina Jane Galleta
All Rights Reserved.©2008leofinajanegalleta

Uncouth Edges

Adorned with fallen hinges
To frame the emblem’s grace
Badges for some unpardoned wish
Foreshadow memories.

Whispers of forethoughts sent
Like prayers, to build the fragments
From a lost fortress’ ashes
Forgone, your citadel.

Silence remained to serenade
With sounds of healing hymns
Free up imprisoned, longing thoughts
The foreground of your dreams.

Raven clouds came descending
To steal your skyline’s bliss
Terrains, slopes were tarnished
A universe ruined.

Yet still, oblivious faith resides
Inside long battered heart
Embers of hope transcend
To wipe, traces of mire.

Emerge, a world; enthralling
Uncouth edges to grace
Defined by intertwined slopes
You mind’s refuge; solace.

Copyright: Leofina Jane G. Galleta
All rights reserved. ©2008leofinajanegalleta

Senses

Take me in,
Breathe in the wilderness’ scent;
Smell the fragrance to revive
Each fiber of your soul.

Just feel,
The softest touch, for wounds to heal
Descending from the arms of sky,
To mend your broken dreams.

Seek me out
Not within the slopes and valleys, but
Within your thoughts, where I reside
Find my shadow on your journeys.

I’ll come to you
Along with the morning mist
Riding with the soft newborn rays
With me, I’ll take; Heaven’s embrace.

You will hear
The whispers and shouts I sent
Resounding on the depth of your senses
The tunes of peaceful reverie.

Yes, I am the serenade
The song of tomorrow’s meaning
You’ll see and hear as you’ll seek,
The pathways and hills of your dreams.

Copyright: Leofina Jane G. Galleta
©2008january17leofinajanegalleta

Alive

Listen.

Alive
Deep within.

Hear,
The sound
Of newborn beats.

Feel,
The breath
As forces stir
Sweet pleasures of awakening.

Rise,
With passion
You feel within
Like radiance of life
Gift of morning, transcending.

Look,
For sparks
An offered gift
Settled on heaven’s feet
Praises waiting to be claimed
To commemorate the time conquered space.

Seek,
From beyond,
The comforting sights
Adorned with glaring lights
Lonesome strands of tears abound
Some brilliant lie like rhinestones’ shine
The badge of freedom that you desire.
 
Copyright: Leofina Jane Galleta
All rights reserved. ©2008leofinajanegalleta

 

Echoes And Beats

 

 I hear through the breeze
Your heart’s sighs
Though your voice
Remains mute.

Hope’s rising,
Behind the lines
But why, what binds to block
The path of dreams you desire.

What if, it is your eyes
The passage to reach
The gates of paradise
Home of eternal delight.

Listen, as the heart sings
Tunes of newborn hymns
To fill the empty spaces,
Echoes of beats within.

 

Copyright: Leofina Jane Galleta
All Rights Reserved. ©2008leofinajanegalleta

Whispers of Twilight

 

Looming ahead
Unlit nights to bear
Life’s weakening beats
Your very soul’s demise.

Nothing’s left but traces
Of time like shades of footprints
Frozen on the sand to remain ‘til
Gentle waves claim through a kiss.

Far, distant look, unblessed a sight
Blinded by falling, lonesome strand
A tear graces the empty space
As spirit dies with the light fading.

Gather flickers of tiniest hope
To breathe more time and life
To perk up tiny, slow strides
For one more dance with time.

As twilight descends to seal
The passage of day, you wait
For heaven’s whisper-like embrace
To incarnate fast-fading breaths.

Copyright: Leofina Jane Galleta
All Rights Reserved. ©2008leofinajanegalleta

Alpha’s Lyre

Sweetest melody rises
As fingers touch the strings
For newborn songs to be sung
Along with never-ending streams of faith.

Allow the breathing of the sounds
Give life to the young buds
As dreams’ remnants slowly fade
And clarity merges with sunlight.

From the feet of the heavens
Hear my soul, calling aloud
As wishes unfold with the early morn
To wake the soul, while Heaven’s eyes follow.

Let Alpha’s lyre play the reality’s game,
Hide not from the pain of seeking and trying;
Bravely walk with your cries, not just sweet melodies
False hope will never win; truth will forever reign.

Cloak of wishes and dreams slowly creeping in,
Put to life by the fire, embers slowly growing;
From the bed of slumber, now comes awakening
Waiting there to be free, from the valley of dreams.

Copyright: Leofina Jane Galleta
All rights reserved. ©2008leofinajanegalleta

Hidden Sanctuary

Along pathways of cobblestones
Taken by lonesome, orphaned souls
Remains are but deserted walls
Not even embers to behold.

Nothing but memories reside
Gone are the gaiety and life
Vestiges of charred posts, dry fountains
Resonance, signs of faded schemes.

Echoes you hear, still resound
As silence creeps to claim the sound
Of fading whispers reign to last
Loose ends, anguish of distant past.

Still, the beats of rhymes keep on
Alive like warm transcending hope
Abundant words keep pouring on
You scrawled along forgotten walls.

Yet, graceful lines never falter
Radiance breaks out to lit
Some mystery might take the wheel
Your guide towards a world of bliss.

Adorned with silence is a world
Kept confined beyond the walls
A home of dreams inside your mind
At last, you found your mind’s refuge.

Enchanted moments fill the space
Most tender touch to heal
Soft, sweetest sounds, ever soothing
Hidden sanctuary of your soul.

Copyright by: Leofina Jane Galleta
All Rights Reserved. ©2008leofinajanegalleta
15 April 2008 9:05:12

Fading Dream

 

  In memory of an “almost”…just a backward glance,…

Enchanting eyes searching,
In search for elusive dream
Captured within the mind’s stream
Alive, and yet still unseen.

Dreams go on transcending
From dusk till the birth of morning
To rise with the sun to conquer,
Fading hope like the morning mist.

Heart’s sigh goes with each beat
Ardent wish for just one glimpse
Not knowing meant agony rising
As if the soul is slowly dying.

Maybe, a lifetime’s cross to bear,
As time will fade forever and steal
Sanity that binds reasons with pain
Left is an empty hole within.

 

 

©2007leofinajanegalleta

 

Heaven’s Gift

 

The night’s curtain stripped, fallen
Unmatched grandeur casts a spell
Show me the flames of dancing shower
Delightful sight, wishes conquered.

Fire’s embers remained to fill
Shades and remains of night in passing
Desires were kept, conquered to fade
Like ashes thrown to the wind.

The future holds glorious moments
At dawn to match, fibers and glitz
Intertwined souls blessed to wait
Dewdrops to fall tomorrow’s kiss.

Feel with eyes closed, the burst of calm
Descends like morning mist to swathe
Taking away the painful hours
As comfort came from tender arms.

Slowly, hope stirred back to life
Sparks along with sunlight’s smile
The lightest touch sweetest desire
Caress to heal the weary mind.

Radiance, once felt embraced the soul
With future’s promised bliss to hold
For love to fill the voids and gaps
Gift from the Heavens, you desire.

Leofina Jane Galleta

Copyright: Leofina Jane G. Galleta All rights Reserved.©2008leofinajanegalleta

On Compassion And Social Service

Nightingale’s Hymn

The lavender sky kisses the earth
As the Nightingale prepares to start
Humming the notes of tenderness
A soulful serenade.

The music sheet’s still unblemished
Keynotes await to be revealed
As time goes on or stands still
To listen to a masterpiece.

Nightingale’s heart slightly trembling
With whispered sigh of uncertainty,
Blends with the beats of drums and lyre
Creating newborn sounds and rhymes.

Taking the stage in purposeful strides
The Nightingale’s voice comes to life
Singing with faith, with risks, with tears
While peaceful night listened and wept.

With eyes alive in an inner world
The Nightingale bowed to behold
The moon with brilliant beam, waiting
With smile, as the citation begins.

Some unsung sighs suddenly pour
Along with each unspoken word
Wishing for accolade to tame
The raging sea of unwritten hymns.

Could it happen if Faith prevails
If it is written, signed, and sealed;
Would unborn seeds of promised bliss
Sprout and grow amidst the heat?

Sweet voice echoes, soulful hymns
On hidden treasures from within
With chunks of thoughts, with hopeful wish
As the serenade ends with tunes of bliss.

Copyright: Leofina Jane Galleta
All Rights reserved. No portion of this article is allowed to be copied, modified, or use without the author’s permission. ©29april2007leofinajanegalleta

A Backward Glance

When I was five I was like a shadow to a man of few words but who exuded undeniable strength. A man with a gentle spirit who seldom raised his voice, he was the only person that I know who could command silence in a crowd by his mere presence. Sure, he defined what a man should be in my eyes: Tatang Itok (the late Salvador Galleta) was my grandfather, my sun and compass, the bulwark of my childhood.

As I sit here alone, my mind goes back to revisit those many days I spent with him when I was young. I can still see clearly how it was like then. The memories are still intact and very much alive. Simply difficult to resist is the urge for me to take you back to my childhood days with my dearest Lolo.

Somehow I always looked forward to the half an hour ride on the back of his carabao (water buffalo) as we followed our almost daily trek to the family farm. For as long as I can remember, most of his waking hours was spent in that small parcel of land that the family owned. He raised a variety of vegetables and root crops in this peaceful and quiet place, which was located in the middle of rice fields at the southern part of our barrio that runs along the river. Tatang Itok, (as I fondly called him) built a small “nipa” hut at the corner of the property. This place became my second home. This small piece of land was my childhood paradise.

Life was very simple then. As my Tatang Itok started to do his farm routine, I would also start by taking a river swim. The solitude of sitting by the river bank, watching the occasional ripples as the water cascaded by was interrupted with playing with my clay pots or building clay miniatures. The place was cool, shaded with bamboos and fruit trees. After hours spent diving or wading with the water buffalos around, I would hear the loud voice of my grandfather. That would mean it was almost time for lunch. We had to cook lunch then during those times that we didn’t bring our baon (lunch bag). Tatang Itok would use freshly cut bamboo stems to cook rice. Imparted with the nice aroma of the green bamboo, the rice cooked this way was simply heavenly. With a small earthen pot, we cooked vegetable soup from various vegetables cut fresh from his garden. We would eat lunch under the trees, with the cool breeze wafting from the rice fields and from the river beating out the noontime heat.

I usually fetched our drinking water from nearby springs which flowed into the river. My grandfather made a water jug freshly cut out of green bamboo, a big one for him, and a small one for me. I was a little clumsy, so sometimes tripped and fell and I got scars as souvenirs from tumbling down the steep pathway every now and then. To prevent this from happening repeatedly, my grandfather and I fashioned a ladder from the steep incline from the farm to the river bank. Helping Lolo carve the steps for what we called our “stairway to heaven” was fun. For a five-year-old kid, it was such a wonderful game.

Of course our day was not complete without our “siesta”. Despite the work that he needed to do, Tatang Itok would take an hour nap after lunch before he resumed doing his very physically tough job. He used to say that no matter how busy and hectic the day was, rest was essential because accomplishing our goals depended on the state of our mind and body. To induce me into taking my siesta, Tatang Itok would tell me stories (one of my favorites as a child). On other days, he would read comic stories from Bannawag (the only Iluko magazine at that time) until I fell asleep.

I would spend the rest of the afternoon by chasing dragon flies, or climbing trees, or sculpting clay into miniature utensils like basins, cooking pots, cooking stove, drinking cups, vases, etc. O

ccasionally, I would fly my kite in the open rice fields. When I got tired from these activities, I would take my small umbrella, my water jug and my small backpack with snacks, and I would charm my grandfather into allowing me to ride on his carabao as he plowed the farm. Of course, he would allow me and kept me wrapped around his tiny little finger (or, was it the other way around?) by telling me stories, sometimes about his own childhood. I would be there, on the back of the working animal, eating my snacks or absentmindedly twirling my small umbrella as I listened to my grandfather’s stories. Those moments were like a joyous eternity until it was time for us to go home.

Days rolled into years. I loved those leisurely times when he would teach me tunes and lyrics of folk songs as he played the guitar on early evenings. I enjoyed the riddles and puzzles as part of his efforts to teach me the use of logic and thinking quick on my toes. He would tell me then that the mind needs to be sharpened by constant practice. Of course, I would be my usual self, with all the tantrums and stubbornness. My punishments would be his silence. He won’t talk to me until I owned up to my mistakes, offered a course of action to correct them, and apologized for everyone of them.

When I started school, Tatang Itok was my beacon for self-reliance. Even at that early stage of my education, my Lolo exerted a guiding influence in my discovering and enhanching my intellectual abilities. He didn’t believe in tutoring me or spoon-feeding me per se. I had to work on my lessons alone although he would be there to assist if I needed clarification. His rationale was for me to learn to rely on my mind and judgment even at a very early stage. I think he was right, because it became very useful when I started joining quiz bees and other academic competitions. My grandfather was my “other” coach, and I did well most of the time.

Truly, some good things don’t last. My childhood took a severe jolt when Tatang Itok left us in this lif