EARNEST WISH

By Lydia S. Villanueva

I will
Count the multitude of stars
The leaves in all the branches
The flock of birds perched in the loft
The blades of grass in the meadow
And the cogon flowers in the air.

I will
Listen to the sound of breeze
To the rustling of leaves
To the chirping of birds
To the buzzing of the bees
To the flapping of butterfly’s wings.

I will
Tend the garden
Rearrange the stones in a pile
Weed the grass in the field
Harvest the fruits in season
And do again all of these.

Let us
Bring the front liners back home
Fight the unforeseen enemy
Help the new beginning
Contribute to the humanity
Flatten the curve
Stay at home!