About

As a child,
I remember sitting at our lively dinner table,
listening for hours,
as the older folks,
told folk tales, stories, jokes, and anecdotes…

As a teen,
I spent endless moments-
chatting with my friends,
outwitting each other-
with the corniest jokes,
and the silliest stories,
till our eyes filled with tears
from all the laughing…

As a teacher,
our classroom was transformed,
into an academic hearth,
where students gathered around in a circle,
where nothing was sacred,
and everything was subject to “intellectual” scrutiny…

As a global citizen
politics and religion offer an infinite source
of controversy and issues,
that make for interesting subjects
for irreverence, discourse and scrutiny…

I have also experienced
the effects of the stupidity
of our way of thinking and lifestyles
and seen in the effects of climate change,
Through super typhoons
And droughts
That have destroyed lives,
Farms and homes

As an elder and storyteller,
I now have the chance
to share the stories
that i have heard, told, and retold…

so that we may celebrate our culture,
with care and respect for each other

so that we may live lightly on this planet,
and push for change and create action

that will preserve our environment for the coming generations…