Hyea

I am Proud to be a Filipino
Toribia Mano

I am Filipino , I come from island ripped with sun ,
Where days are green fires and nights are warm
With moon and stars. Girdling my loins in blood
Rich as milk for I was born of sultans , rajahs , kings ,
Soldiers, heroes , who fought to sing the
Poetry of freedom. My house in my land , virgin ,
Brown , wombed out of loam. Volcanic and shells.
Carpeted with rice , corn , coconut , cane , trees,
That rice as temples to grapple wink rains mighty
Rivers furrowing the earth where I talk my shadow
Is marriage of flag gold , trade and spice. Through
A paly bread. I stand with the ancients , for my
Love and loyalty . are as fish to the sea . i am
Proud of my browness Malays , Chinese ,
Spanish , american , Japanese while in my bones
Sleep quietly as a bride. Vangished desires of
Conqueros who dreamt of empires. My duty
And destiny are 33 million brown men.
Planting rice , husking coconuts , throwing
Nets , far int0 the pacific hacking mountains
Of iron , coals , chrome , manganese and
Timber to live . We are one and the same
A moving restless of caravan dark brown
Skins , building a holy heritage of democracy
Piece by piece with our dreams , sweat
And death as a bird builds patiently twig
By twig the brown circle of its nests.
I am Filipino , I believe in the
Goodness and the bounty of god ,
I believe in the grandeur of charity and piece as a cure for the ills of