Takatak

By:Charlene Gail B. De Asis

Hit the sidewalk,

and let the fate do its work.

Thumping this old wooden box

where candies each worth a peso

are dancing while rattling.

Hope is my lunch;

My dinner is my children’s smile.

Sold a cigarette to gentlemen,

good grace if I earn a hundred!

But too dreadful if I'm caught by a policeman.

As I beg forgiveness at the precinct

Tho old, I'm down on my knees
But like a deaf, they resist my pleas
Asking for mercy, I desperately plead.

Day by day, dreams slowly fading

I know soon, it will all end
But still wondering when,
When all I have is faith and nothing to eat
Hunger seems more stifling than the mask I wear.