Memories ( On Reading David Bates' Childhood)
(03/24/05)

O lovely and sweet memories,
Of rebellious youthful air,
Like Mindanao's field and forest,
That needs tender loving care.

Witness the opulence around-
In recklessness I wander;
Asking questions on that surround;
Grasping lessons sans surrender.

Who loves not celebrations,
Birthday, fiesta, and school dance,
Puppy love and infatuations,
Freedom in the tender world of chance?

Human nature of revelry;
Living what's in store for life;
Train the body and the psyche
for the future toil and strife.

Fill young days with love, not a terror
And let me sing my own song;
The young person commits no error
As a member of the throng.

Let me play with joy and fearless
In a world of great abundance;
Let my spirit flow and endless
Curb with God's loving guidance.

You cannot stop the river's flow
On its inherent mission
Gleefully it really must go
Or change its destination.

For the youth, it is like a fountain
Filtered by a friendly sand
Its life-giving waters sustain
Withered field and thirsty land.

Youthfulness is the spring of life;
Coming from a tender bud;
And precious love until its ripe,
Needed for the growing lad.

Young and pliant can be molded-
The growing pains to cherish;
Doing the best and being guided;
Lessons from past memories.