Poems and tankas for the week of April 5-8, 2011

Since I am not yet eligible for OJT (therefore making me the last in my original block to have it by summer 2012), in its place I have committed myself to make a poem every day from April 5 to May 20.

The poem for April 5 discusses the television network wars that go on in every part of the world. Here in the Philippines we have a longstanding network war between two networks: ABS-CBN and GMA 7, with TV5 (formerly ABC5) recently joining in this war. When would this war finally end?

Network Wars


For as long as anyone could remember
No one has won over loyalty to a certain station
Some transfer to the other station, some lose interest altogether
But many remain loyal to a station after many years.

In every station, there are shows that are hits and misses
Some stick around for a while, others fall into obscurity
Yet in every station, a fan has his favorite shows
Fans have different tastes and personalities, that's why every fan is unique.

Many stations compete to become number one
But of course, only one can become as such
From time to time, it also changes as well
That's why it's hard to tell who is king of all.

The poem for April 6 is about the youth and alcohol. Even though I can't drink, many of my friends drink and some have had hangovers.

Why Many Youths Love to Drink


I don't drink, and I won't ever drink
Because it just harms the body over all of its good claims
You can socialize without involving alcohol
But it's hard to do that for most of us.

Our age is an age of discovery
In which we are partly free from our parents,
And want to try everything out there
But there are good and bad things out there,
One of the mixed bags is drinking alcohol.

Here, alcohol is sometimes combined with smoking
Either alone or with friends, it doesn't matter
Some claim that drinking takes all their worries away
And take that claim with it for maybe the rest of their lives.

While we are still young, one of our ways to bond is through drinking
And it shows that we are mild drinkers after all
While there are some of us whose religious beliefs or medical conditions
Overpower tradition and temptation,
Yet drinking is a tradition that will continue forevermore.

Three tankas were made on April 7. Each tanka is not connected to each other and has a unique theme.

Waiting
I've been waiting for
Something that will excite me
But I have nothing
To do right now, that's why I
Tend to be very bored now.

Temptations
Friends or the devil
Can try us within our means
But we must resist
So that we will not be bad
In both deed and the body.

A Church
A white, stone structure
Can be seen from so far away
It's still used right now
Many moments have been made
But the good is more than bad.

For every Friday except on May 6, no poem will be made. Instead, just like in OJT, I will do a summary report of what I've done for Monday-Thursday of the week.

Report:
I have only written poems and had bonding with my friends before class starts on Thursday, April 14. I was supposed to have my cross-registration at UP Diliman on Monday/Tuesday next week, but it failed because students there weren't willing to vacate their slots in Physics 72. I also advised fellow cross-registrants from UP Manila who were about to cross-register in UP Diliman for this summer.