Shape poem

 PSALM OF LIFE

BY: HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

 Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

FILIPINO BELIEFS AND TRADITIONS 

In selected filipino play

"THREE RATS"

The play three rats was written by Wilfredo Guerero. He was a Filipino playwrite and theatre artist. He was borrn January 22,1911. The play as a female character named Nita portray the traditional Filipina women who is gentle  and innocent.She is a house wife who only stay at house and do the household chores.Being tied to the marriage of her husband Gonzalo ,women those day are not allowed to socialize anymore.The people during early times were very conservative thus a married women were forbidden to have an affair to another man since it is consider as a greatest sin in the law of god.Since people those days depend on the belief of the church She is also symbolizing how weak women are during early times. It shows when her husband hit her while trying to stop Gonzalo from poisoning Adrian. When Gonzalo discover the secret  relation of Nita and Adrian he became  fierce.Filipino also have a  strong  family ties like kinship,  it  shows  when Gonzalo really treat Adrian as his brother.

"SABINA"

The play Sabina was written by Severino Montano. He is born on December 12,1980 at laoag, Ilocos Norte. Sabina was the main character of the play who is not born in a rich family. She is the only daughter of  who lives at Kawakan. She may not born in a silver spoon but she really compensate for her happiness. This happen when she fall  in love with Mr. George Price a foreigner to their village. She has a strong faith that their love story would end int a happy ending.Filipino those time  were family oriented people thats why her family disagree about their relation because for them Mr. George is a stranger that might b ring harm to their daughter Sabina. But Sabina choose Mr. George rather than her family and relatives. She didnt listen to them as long as she is happy even the villager gossip about her. She even gave herself up to Mr. George. Because of her love, her naivety, her stupidity and when the truth revealed that she could never be married since Mr. George has already a wife. She then realize that she disgrace her family thus she killed herself. It portrays that  filipino were really family oriented.

"NEW YORKER IN TONDO"

It is a classic Filipino play by Marcelino Agana Jr. It is a satire written in 50's. It is about a girl named kikay who goes to New York. It is a common nature of the Filipino who greatly admires and imitate the tradition of a foreign country. Thus she acquire all the New Yorkish style, looks, language and manners. This thing was very evident to er when she came back to her home town at tondo.She was was being mentally colonized by the foreign tradition.She was  being brainwash by the culture of New York and she even  bring it to Tondo her home town. Being nationalistic was vanished to her she prefer to be a NewYorker rather than being a Filipino. Her mother was also carried by her and try to speak in  broken English. It is also a tradition of a Filipino where in have a close relationship to their friends that sometimes they  treat them like their sister.  She was once a simple girl who sell rice cake . But Filipino sometimes were ambitious and want to uplift their status in life. Filipino were oriented about the  marriage preparation like engagement. 

" THE WORLD IS AN APPLE "

It is written by Alberto S. Florentino. This play show cruelty in life. Filipino people determines social classes in the society, those who are poor is being humiliated by those who are rich. When Mario was fired out in the factory and lost his only source of living.Those who are in the  position were powerful and those who were in the lower classes are often became a victim  by their greediness.The richer get richer and the poorer gets poorer is the  belief on how Philippine society is being describe with.Filipinos foundation are laid with the spanish culture who had an attitude of crabmentality it shows when Mario lost his job just because of stealing an apple this portray how a powerful man try to push down Mario from the depth of poverty. Gloria is a devoted believer of God that for her will help them from poverty.Pablo is a symbol of temptation. People was sometimes easy to be tempted when crises of money arouse.

"SEPANG LOCA"

 It is  written by Amelia Lapena Bonifacio. In this play it portrays how Filipino were devoted to believe in a saint that could give a miracle like having a baby. Women who are not given the blessing of having a baby perform a ritual like dancing and praying in a saint. That form them will grant their wish and prayer. It shows how religion greatly affect the life of a people. Another Filipino perform "Bayanihan" on which the villager help a family in transfering their house. It is one of the proudest attitude of a Filipino.

HALF

HALF....

He said, give me one!

yet always receiving half,

A child asked the man 

So young, innocent yet demanding.

Half was not enough, he complained

but never receive one, at least

A bachelor asked the man

So mature, knowledgeable yet ambitious.

Time passes by, power and wealth 

are not enough for him,

Yearning for more he asked

greediness and selfishness prevail.

Lately he said, give me half!

but never receive any one 

An old man asked the greater one

Old and sinful wanting forgiveness.