7 DAYS

behind the bikes
are 142 kilometers pumped
for every letter in a Theory of Change
every page in an interim report
and the rainbow colors of a budget proposal
tasteless beer freezing on Saturday
pulled pork and briskets hissing on Sunday  

like the Tuesday night of the 7 days
warm beer chilling in ukelele songs
friends gathering for the rock band
50 birthday songs for the funny man
50 beers for every story told
50 plates for the roasted carabao 
and 50 kilometers to burn all that   

THE MAKKASAN CONSPIRACY

the demons that possess the value chains must be exorcised 

by us sorcerers and dreamers and pretenders

who conjured magic spells in colored post-its and sheets of paper      

we who conversed in skyped voices and emailed letters

charlatans unmasked during a fancy Thai dinner 

in Makkasan where the conspirators gathered

subdued murmurs compete with hushed whispers

conspiracies disguised as dinners and consultations 

until finally the bell chimed for a dose of the elixir

a tavern piercing the sky where happiness spew out of fountains

to toast, to celebrate, and to forget Makkasan

but I am just a conspiracy of one among many

severely infatuated with Manila's old streets

shooting churches [and bicycles], eating noodles [and lechon kawali]  

THE BREAK IN THE WALL

finally found a hole in the wall on september 3
that wall that stretched from hanoi to jakarta
stretched from august 22 until the 31st

finally bought a new sprocket on september 5
that sprocket that brought me to san beda and mendiola
mendiola where barbed wires encircle a protest camp 

got a grab car to a summit at the marriott
the marriott near resort world casino
that casino jessie carlos burned on june 3 

got back on the saddle on september 8
the saddle that burned the time spent with oskar
oskar who i left in manila for nueva ecija

went on a night out with masons on september 9
masons who would pound the wall after the wife
the wall stretching to bangkok on september 10