Shanty on a Lot Vacated by a Bank

By Mariano ‘Marne’ Kilates

As if overnight the universe decided

The mighty high-rise must return to dust.
At least it was a boardroom verdict dictated:
“In real estate we could no longer trust.”
And so it came to pass, Ortigas was
Minus one tower, and in its place a hole
In the sky: “Ghost of the house of Midas—
Money’s end leaves a hole in our soul.”
But life goes on and more real was the pit
Left by the foundations: at its edge had sprung
Up the shack of the last worker who won’t quit
After the demolition. And so there it hung
By the lip of the swamp: ramshackle entity
Rising, reigning: Shanty Shanty Shanty