From a solitary fan a light thrum
of air switched to the lowest
holds a laptop from burning
the entire bedroom to itself.

The streets begin to crawl but time. And space
is a contradiction. This side of the road is unable
to move beyond an inch during rush-hour. It begs

One leaves the highways for the narrow streets
meandering to unknown parts. A bridge
crossing a dead river finds a rough patch
of lush green harboring defiant roots.

Everything is suspended except time
when radio news shut down weary eyes
and petrified smoke gently rise above
incensed road burning white translucent

A tribute to freshman years in Architecture and the influential monuments of the University of Santo Tomas, Manila