Poetry with a Nararo Twist

🥹😥🙏

With fuel prices soaring, the road has become a thief of comfort.

He counts his coins not for a decent meal, but to keep the engine humming for one more trip. He chooses the burn of hunger over the sting of going home empty-handed.

This is is the quiet heroism of a father—working through the exhaustion and the cravings, driven by a love that is stronger than his own physical needs.

(Photo credits to 📷 Ricmar Casagan)

Feelings have been hurt
Words have been exchanged
Emotions were expressed
Leaving lives in disarray.

Wounded souls
Scarred with grief and sorrow
And a feeling of abandonment
Spurred by unhealthy forces.

A loving companion
Is needed to soothe the darkest waters
A moment of hollow fragments
Propelled by unkind moments.

Scarred for life are His children
But very much enlivened by divine choices
And meeting Him, hearts full of praises
For the Risen Lord never abandons His people.

Tears of joyful healing
Coupled with difficult choices
Moving from a stagnant pool of existence
To the unending waters of God's provisions.

He is not yet done with us
Delivering us from our broken pieces
This is the beauty of growing back
Aligned and graced with the Triune union.

May we see the wounds in people
As healthy forces of a deeper communion
Grasping the hand of the other
And welcoming the inner workings of the Spirit.

My scars are just part of the bigger picture
As I leave them visible
Reflecting on their richness
Leading me back to the One who completes the picture.

----Personal Poem (9/4/26)

PC: ICON Ministry 🙏

Tell Me A Story

Our grandparents are full of wisdom
With their graceful presence
Always bringing forth
Cherished memories
Throughout the seasons.

Their inspirational stories
Are what keeps us wonderfully driven
Tales of yesteryears
Passed down endlessly
In all of their richness.

We sit with our eyes focused
Forever on their faces
As they share their wonderful stories
Of all sorts, shapes and faces
Tell me a story, a story of all ages.

Their wrinkled faces
Staring us down
With immense oasis of wisdom
Yep, all I can say is
Oh! What a moment to sit and be full of praises.

As I sit and look up endearingly
It takes me back to those short story moments
With my very best friends
My grandparents
Grand in stature they beautifully rest.

Tell me a story
A story so full of its glory
One that brings life to all faces
Please tell me a story
A story so full of God-driven voices.

I now leave with a memory
Of a life well lived
My grandparents forever remembered
For their graceful deeds
And words of indelible needs.

May we respect our elders
With all they have to offer
Do not be fooled by their old age for they are rare gems
Awe and inspired you will leave
Leaving with a story so bold indeed.

Tell me a story and let me listen
Listening with eyes wide open
As you wrinkle your way through
My wondering eyes
Of a world so different
And very much in a river of infinite graces...Amen.

----Personal Poem 🙏

The Walls of Life

The Walls of Life
Stare me down the lane
As I look at it
Knowing I could be out of place.

They are barriers to all who may
Approaching life
Knowing the Walls of Life
Come at me at pace.

I lift up my head
And with a profound gaze
The Walls of Life stand there
As one meditates.

Be Rooted in Christ
For the Walls of Life will fall away
Trusting in Him
In all of His ways.

Do not be intimidated by the Walls of Life
For they are temporary
And are bound to fail
God's eternal rays are here to stay.

The Walls of Life
Sometimes may appear clear as day
And might stand unfazed
However, people will always prevail.

People pass by and relate
The Walls of Life try and hinder their embrace
May we continue to pray
Knowing God is in His right place.

Break down those walls
And build bridges of hope
For better or for worse
We are here always for a higher cause.

I bid goodbye to the Walls of Life
Standing there in the torrential rain
Waters flow by
And bridges make way, as the Walls of Life fall away....Amen.

------Personal Poem 🙏

A Gentle Soulful Giant

Mr. Mario Codro
You are one of a kind
A gift from God
A wonderful delight

A gentle soul
Humbly known
You stood stall
Making us known

Tikina of Tokaimalo has lost a great soul
Heaven has gained
Another fold
In God's humble abode

A spiritual father you were to me
A great friend
One who really sees
The vulnerability in me

Your words of advice
Something so real
Keeping me going
In times like this

"Auvu vahakaka iho"
Your words
In strengthening me
For I now hear it ever vividly

A gentle, humble soul
With a family making us known
Your welcoming tone
As we approached

We were not strangers to your home
For those big gentle smile
Made us feel at home
In a place, God forever knows

Thank you Lord
For our gentle soul
Mr. Mario Codro
You are a one of our own

My vacation
A time I always look forward to
For I get to meet you
And your lovely family, oh such lovely hosts

Isa Laisana Codro, Sera Naula Yauvoli, Epa and Tukai
You have lost a father, husband and great friend
For all I can say thank you Lord for this wonderful man
See you when I see you, auvu, my dearest friend😭

-----Personal Poem (21/5/25)

Dedicated to a dear friend, mentor, and parent of faith ❤️ moce oha auvu🙏

A Simple Pencil

A simple pencil you are
Noting down memories
Riddled with
Heroic charities

The stroke of the hand
Is a marvel and chance
To write down a few words
As it runs hard

Letters, notes and reflections
A simple pencil to the rescue
But sometimes you need your rest
Knowing it is for the very best

A simple pencil you are
Yellow all around
Like the sun
A radiance that lasts

From one end to the other you go
Ideas expressed
Sometimes lost
As you undergo a test

Sharp and blunt
You wrote
Like an ice skater
On a winter snow

A simple pencil you are
I appreciate what you ask
To note down a few words to last
Memories from the past

So small
Yet standing so tall
For a simple pencil
You do know quite a lot

May we decrease and God increase
Like this pencil as it might seem to be
Small yet knowing
God is there abundantly...Amen.

----Personal poem (18/05/25)

A Blessed Sunday to you all and a Joy-filled new week🙏

May we continue to plant seeds of Hope🙏

In Contemplation I Come to Thee🌳

Contemplation here I am
Just me, your dear friend
With sincere openness I deeply tread
Natural reservoir of life welcomes me
As Our Blessed Lord consumes me.

This juncture of hope offers me
The ideal quiet place to be
In this concrete structure a chair supports me
With the beauty of urban nature uplifting me
As I place my heart and body to thee.

Birds chirping in the trees
And roosters chanting magnificently
While in the slight breeze of silence
I rest myself to be
As the birds of life communicate undividedly.

I search the skies in in awe and wonder
For this ideal space springs forth memories to ponder
I have come a long way in hope and love so tender
Definitely, it has been a roller-coaster ride
Very much immersed in Godly splendour.

Contemplation here I am
In the quietness and meekness I joyfully rest
O Lord forgive me as I grasp your hand
For on this Ordinary tide
I need you now more than ever my dearest friend...Amen.

----Short Personal Poem written in the "Balcony Garden of Hope"🙏

Peace🙏

Peace is flowing like a river
Flowing out to meet you & me
In whatever situation we are going through
Peace must always see us through.

Different living faiths
Enrich us
As our uniqueness
Sustains us.

Dear friends
Let our differences
Tie us
Together in unity
And undying prosperity.

One step at a time
We tread
Down into the river of peace
We rest.

Against the wind
We ride
Unpredictable forces
Always up against us.

Strive for peace
Our goal it must be
One community
Different yet fruitful
We aspire always to be.

Conflicts erupt all around us
Affecting our lives
And many others
Gone before us.

Therefore, stand up & be counted
For there comes a time
We must unite
To face the forces that often divides us.

Slowly, slowly we deeply tread
Down into the road
Where peace meets us
As we rest.

Do not forget
She or he is your sibling
And a dear friend
Thus, be a good friend
For peace and love to dwell in us
That will never end....Amen.

------Personal poem.

PI: Having a delicious meal with a beloved Muslim family in Marawi, Philippines, 2023.

Leaves

Leaves, leaves, and more leaves
All sorts of shapes and sizes
They do come in
As one with nature they beautifully exist.

As they fall on the earth
They lie peacefully and uniquely
With their diversified shapes
Coloring the earth beneath.

Often we take them for granted
Not knowing that they offer
Much more than one could see
Leaves, leaves, oh what a scene.

Everything on this earth
Has a purpose so dear and unique
And for our dear leaves
They offer much more than one could ever think.

As they decompose
They harbor nutrients of old
Bringing renewed life to the earth
As plants grow tall and ever bold.

Leaves, leaves, and more leaves
Filling our compost sites
And opening up a wonderful delight
Transforming into soil, oh what a life-giving sight.

Red, yellow, brown, and green
These are some colours they do appear in
Pure joy to our eyes
As on trees and on the ground, they humbly sit.

I big you goodbye leaves ever so real
Till we meet again
When all is done on this earth
As we look forward to the very next, we rest....Amen.

----Personal Poem collection (written on the 12th of January, 2025).

"Sailing into the Sunset"

Awakening the ocean
A sailor sets out into new horizons
Breaking through countless waves and
Ever mindful of the upcoming days.

The unpredictable weather
Offering the sailor something interesting, yet so clever
One day at a time
As the Master of all sailors provides in His own divine time.

The Spirit leads the sailor
Cutting through the unique edge of nature
Trusting in the waves of emotions
Revitalizing all organs in motion.

New endeavours and new wave of surprises
Sailing into the sunset of endless horizons
Creating new sets of memories
Treasured from one generation to the very next.

Adjusting the sails and
Balancing in his every act
With a motion so delicate
A sailor navigates through the ocean at rest.

The winds of transformation
Fueled and forced as it engages every test
Controlling all corners of the ocean
As he navigates in awe-inspiring motions.

Direct your sails well
To the direction of the wind
Unpredictable as it seems
However, remaining true to all it brings.

May we be courageous and magnanimous sailors
Ever-responsive to every natural phases
Trusting in all the new places
To the next destination, a sailor faces...Amen.

----Personal poem (written on the 9th of January, 2025).

PI: Lau-e-Cake & Yasayasa Moala Seamercy Medical TOD 2015👍