Declamation Piece-
Everything went black. The next thing I knew I was
Vengeance is Not Ours,
It’s God’s
JUN 1Alms, alms, alms. Spare me a piece of bread.
Spare me your mercy.  I am a child so young, so thin,
and so ragged. Why are you staring at me?  With my
eyes I cannot see but I know that you are all staring at
me. Why are you whispering to one another? Why? Do
you know my mother? Do you know my father? Did you
know me five years ago?
Yes, five years of bitterness have passed. I can still
remember the vast happiness mother and I shared with
each other. We were very happy indeed.
Suddenly, five loud knocks were heard on the door and a
deep silence ensued. Did the cruel Nippon’s discover our
peaceful home? Mother ran to Father’s side pleading.
“Please, Luis, hide in the cellar, there in the cellar where
they cannot find you,” I pulled my father’s arm but he
did not move. It seemed as though his feet were glued to
the floor.
The door went “bang” and before us five ugly beasts
came barging in. “Are you Captain Luis Santos?” roared
the ugliest of them all. “Yes,” said my father. “You are
under arrest,” said one of the beasts. They pulled father
roughly away from us. Father was not given a chance to
bid us goodbye.
We followed them mile after mile. We were hungry and
thirsty. We saw group of Japanese eating. Oh, how our
mouths watered seeing the delicious fruits they were
eating,
Then suddenly, we heard a voice call, “Consuelo. . . .
Oscar. . . . Consuelo. . . . Oscar. . . . Consuelo. . . . Oscar.
. . .” we ran towards the direction of the voice, but it was
too late. We saw father hanging on a tree. . . . dead. Oh,
it was terrible. He had been badly beaten before he
died. . . . and I cried vengeance, vengeance, vengeance!
nursing my poor invalid mother.
One day, we heard the church bell ringing “ding-dong,
ding-dong!” It was a sign for us to find a shelter in our
hide-out, but I could not leave my invalid mother, I tried
to show her the way to the hide-out.
Suddenly, bombs started falling; airplanes were roaring
overhead, canyons were firing from everywhere. “Boom,
boom, boom, boom!” Mother was hit. Her legs were
shattered into pieces. I took her gently in my arms and
cried, “I’ll have vengeance, vengeance!” “No, Oscar.
Vengeance, it’s God’s,” said mother.
But I cried out vengeance. I was like a pent-up volcano.
“Vengeance is mine not the Lord’s”. “No, Oscar.
Vengeance is not ours, it’s God’s” these were the words
from my mother before she died.
Mother was dead and I was blind. Vengeance is not
ours? To forgive is divine but vengeance is sweeter. 
That was five years ago, five years. . . .
Alms, alms, alms. Spare me a piece of bread. Spare me
your mercy. I am a child so young, so thin, and so
ragged. Vengeance is not ours, it’s God’s. . . . It’s. . . .
God’s. . It’s…
DECLAMATION
PIECE- A GLASS
OF COLD WATER
Everybody calls me young, beautiful, wonderful.
Am I? Look at my hair, my lips, my red rosy cheeks
and a pair of blinkering eyes.
I remember, somebody says that I look like my
mother that I look like my mother. But that when
she was young.

Now, I am much lovelier than she is. I’m a mortal

Venus. Oops! What time is it? I must get ready for
the party!

Beep-beep…!A-huh! Here they are! Yes, I’m

coming!

“Child, are you still there?”

“Hmp! That’s my mama”

“Child, are you still there? Will you please get me a

glass of cold water?”

“Mama, I’m in a hurry!”

“Please child, try to get me a glass of cold water.”

“Mama, please, try to get it on your own.”

“Please child, try to get me a glass of cold water!”

At the party, I danced and danced the whole night.

You see, I can’t leave the party at once. I have to
dance with everybody who proposed to me.

At last, the party is over. I’m very tired. Very, very

tired. So, I went home to tell mama what happened.

“Mama, I’m home! It’s very quiet. “Mama, I’m

home!” Nobody answers. Where is she? I look for
her in the sala, but she’s not there. Where is she? A-
huh! In the kitchen!

I saw my mama, lying down on the floor, dead. With a

glass on her hand. I remember, she tried to get it.

Oh, God, just for the glass of cold water! Mama!

Mama! Oh, Mama!