life behind a portrait

I wrote this composition as a term project in history - Rizal, the Philippine National hero.

 

Is it pale with its vintage color?

Or is it dull ‘coz it’s black and white?

Can you see a glow, a smile or a grin?

The fragile frames won’t even tell.

 

But look at the person staring at you

A hero will speak, reaching for you

Listen not with your ear

For you will only hear silence

Gaze not with your eyes

For you will only see emptiness

Listen with your heart

And only then you’ll reckon 

 

One glimpse and its stillness may look so plain

But it will fool thy soul

As though you’ve seen history

As time will freeze

And moments return

Back when the time

When freedom is unknown

Until . . .

 

There is a man, a hero unfold

Who set the flame to hunger for liberty

To thirst for justice, to lust for concord

  And cease the pain the Spaniards have made

Just a simple dream from where it begun

It turned to legacy that all shall praise

Forgotten no more, remembered forever

His memoirs be kept ‘til timeless bound

 

In this portrait, there is life

A man of brilliance

A hero to all

Dignified  . . .

Honored . . .

And loved . . .

 

Reviews

[Rc R. Vagilidad]

as i was going along with this i never thought of Rizal popping out the sleeves of this masterpiece 'til i read spaniards and interconnect the thought... lovely poem.. this would be given a 5 stars for a project and over-all...