Turtles and Gifted: Two Poems by Victor
Mangubat
1. Turtles
How long did it take to
build your house
Ten days, one year, a
thousand, or
perhaps several million
years
How long will it take to
make it
uninhabitable hollow shell
Ten minutes, twelve hours,
three days or a
week of nuclear radiation
perhaps
Who are these beastly
persons who have made
your existence precarious?
2. Gifted
dec. 25 1:00 AM
hotels and nightclubs are
full
the crowds enjoy season's
merriment
neon-lighted street
littered with poor children
how could this season be
enjoyed?
gifts must be something
money cannot buy#
