the organ grinder by mark-almond

here comes the organ grinder
with his little dancing monkey
i remember they used to play outside
the house when i was young

a man who mended chairs,
one who sharpened knives
and a lady who sold lavender
with laughter in her eyes

its funny how the time goes
and you never seem to notice
till they’re gone.

i remember my first bicycle
my father, he bought it for me
and i remember crying
because it wasn’t painted red

i didn’t know it then
but we didn’t have much money
and he must have gone
without a lot
just to see me smile.

its funny how the time goes
and you never seem to notice
till they’re gone.

BARBER'S CUT

kwentong barbero? i had a haircut recently. very interesting. the best barbers here in singapore are malay. why? ewan. why are the best barbers in the philippines, kapangpangan? ewan din. if you visit the good barber shops in manila – there’s a very good chance that most of them are kapangkapang. its just that way, i guess. how do you spell necktie in kapampangan? hen-hee-si-kitty-hi-hee! hehehe… coffee? si-ho-hef-hef-hee-hee! hehehe! hay nahkuh! takshapoka… where was i? oh, okay…

the malay barber asked me: “are you pare?”

“huh?”

“are you pare? are you filipino?”

“ahh! yes, i am pare.”

BEDTIME STORIES

“bedtime” ang paboritong erotica ng bawat binatang nagkamulat ng dekada 70 and 80. itanong mo sa mga taga inquirer na 35 to 45 years old kung ano ang “bedtime”, matatawa sila.

“boy, bili ka na bedtime!” ibubulong sa iyo. medyo patay mali ka, siyempre – “huh, magkano?”

“20 pesos, mura lang. oops huwag mo nang tingnan at baka ma-raid pa tayo”

“o sige, pero kinse lang ang dala ko eh!” sasbihin mo naman sa mama.

“sige na nga..eto o” sabay abot sa iyo ng isang supot na papel.

bedtime: stenciled “porno” stories sold by mysterious men in shades outside the lobby of the cinerama theater. ang trick ay lalakad lakad ka sa labas ng sinehan hanggang may umakbay sa iyo na mama na may dalang bag. the memographed story is a collection of tales very similar to the ones you read in Abante and Bulgar. Siyempre, dadalhin mo ito sa school para pag-pasapasahan ng mga classmates mo. pag balik sa iyo after a month or so, either punit punit or dikit dikit. hehehe…