I am surprised why you came home grandpa <br />when no river flows from here <br />you can no longer use your bubo <br />your spear is incongruous at your side <br />sorry, I should have asked you <br />but life is so bewildering we could not prevent <br />the plantation from expanding <br />they have papers grandpa and machines <br />that spewed death and destruction <br />nobody has been for us for so long <br />we hide behind our circle. <br /> <br />Yes, your grandsons can no longer soothe <br />their feet in the sweet, cool waters after play, <br />nor pounce on crabs, on frogs, <br />and bring home nature’s bounty. <br /> <br />Do not be sad, grandpa, please – <br />for the plantation owners <br />have given us Progress, inside tinned goods, <br />and aspirin and Mrs. Ramos, the schoolteacher <br />in exchange for the river that once <br />flowed from here. <br /> <br /> <br />*Bubo – a bamboo contraption used to trap shrimps and small fish in Mindanao.<br /><br />Elmer Sayre<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/no-river-flows-from-here/
