To a Beloved Poet, in a Time of Protest

By Raymundo T. Pandan Jr.

Beloved poet,
You who wrote
So fervidly
Against 
Our past despair,
Why have your lips
Fallen silent now?
Where is your 
Feverish tongue, 
Poet of my youth?
Why has 
Your face grown 
So pale and withered 
In its repose?
Speak now, 
Or let your silence 
Forever warn us
Of what fools 
We will become
When we have 
Convinced our mouth
To swallow 
The new, official lies.
Speak to us now, 
Or lose forever 
The sole remaining
Spark of ember
In your troubled heart,
Your soulless heart 
That once burned, 
Dear poet, dear friend
Of mine, so bright 
For our wretched country.