Sa Lilim ng Bandila

AI image

Sa lilim ng bandila, may sugat ang dangal,  

Ang hustisya’y nililimos sa bulsa ng hangal.  

Ang batas ay papel na nilalamukos,  

Habang ang makapangyarihan ay patuloy sa pang-aabuso.  

Sa bawat proyekto, may patong na lihim,  

Ang daan ay ginto—pero hindi para sa atin.  

Ang dukha’y naglalakad sa baha ng pangako,  

Habang ang may trono’y nalulunod sa pera at luho.  

May mga pangalan sa balita, paulit-ulit,  

Ngunit tila ba sila’y may balat-kaliskis.  

Ang kaso’y nabubulok sa silid ng paglimot,  

At ang katotohanan ay binibili ng salapi’t takot.  

Ngunit sa kabila ng dilim, may tinig na bumabangon—  

Tinig ng ina, ng magsasaka, ng kabataang pumipiglas  

Sa tanikala ng takot, ng tanong na walang sagot,  

Ng pag-asang pilit inaagaw ng mga tuso’t salot.  

Isang araw, ang bandila’y muling itataas  

Hindi sa palasyo, kundi sa puso ng masa.  

Ang katiwalian ay susuko sa liwanag,

At ang bayan ay babangon, muling magkakaisa...

---

English Version:

“Beneath the Flag’s Shadow”

Beneath the flag’s shadow, honor bleeds,  

Justice begs in the pockets of fools.  

The law like paper, crumpled and tossed,  

While the powerful leap without cost.  

Each project hides a secret fee, 

The roads paved in gold—but not for you and me.  

The poor walk through mud made of promises,  

While the throne drinks deep in indulgences.  

Names mentioned in the news like a curse,  

Yet they wear scales, immune to worse.  

Cases rot in rooms of forgetting,  

Truth is sold to fear and betting.  

But beyond the dark, a voice begins—  

A mother’s cry, a farmer’s hymn,  

The youth who cast away their chains,  

And hope that thieves cannot contain.  

One day, the flag will rise again,  

Not in palaces, but in the hearts of men.  

Corruption will kneel before the light,  

And the nation will rise—whole, upright.

~ Copyright ©EmperatrizV @Sunflower for Emily, 21 September 2025 - All Rights Reserved

In The Quiet That Stirs The Soul

He sat on edge of hush and sky,  

where reeds swayed soft like whispered grace,  

and the lake, a glass of liquid light,  

held stars not yet born in their place.

 

The world exhaled in gentle hues,  

where time forgot to press or pry—  

and in that pause, his sorrows fell,  

like leaves that knew it was time to die.  

He looked where the world forgot to speak,  

beneath a sky of borrowed gold,  

where still waters cradled light  

and every breath felt centuries old.   

 

The sky, a canvas brushed by balm,  

poured stillness into weary veins,  

and all he was—uncertain, lost—  

unfolded wide with loosened chains. 

The trees stood like sentinels of calm,  

their shadows long, their whispers deep,  

and time—for once—unclenched its grip,  

allowing broken hearts to sleep. 

 

In mirrored sky and hush of green, 

he shed the names the world had called, 

and in that fragile, glowing hush, 

the weight he bore began to fall.  

No thunder spoke, no herald cried,  
yet something deep began to heal—  
as if the quiet, cloaked in dawn, 
had taught him how to truly feel.

 A tear, not born from grief but grace,  

slipped down a cheek warmed by the breeze—  

for beauty, quiet, and complete,  

had knelt his restlessness to ease.  

And though the world would call him back,  

with all its noise, its push, its climb,  

he’d carry still this silent place  

within the marrow of his time.  

 ~ Copyright ©EmperatrizV @Sunflower for Emily,   29June 2025 - All Rights Reserved

Sunflower's Essence

In a field where sunlight graces,

A sunflower blooms with gentle traces.

Its petals wide, a radiant crown,

A testament to strength renowned.

She stands with elegance, tall and bright,

Facing the world with unwavering might.

Her heart, a bloom of golden hue,

Reflects a soul both kind and true.

Like the sunflower, she seeks the sun,

Drawing warmth from everyone.

Her presence, a beacon in the storm,

A source of comfort, safe and warm.

In moments of grace, she sways with ease,

Her laughter carried by the breeze.

Yet, beneath her vibrant display,

Lies a depth, profound and gray.

She embraces life with open arms,

Captivating all with her charms.

A dance of light and shadow plays,

In her eyes, where secrets stay.

Her resilience mirrors the flower’s stance,

In the face of trials, she’ll advance.

Unyielding, through the darkest night,

She rises strong, with morning light.

For in the bloom of a sunflower’s glow,

Lives a tale of courage, love, and woe.

A woman’s heart, a mystery profound,

In petals of gold, her essence is found.

~ €mpêråtrïzV

~ Copyright ©EmperatrizV @Sunflower for 

Emily,  2 February 2025 - All Rights Reserved

🌻This poem is a quiet unveiling of a woman’s essence—her strength, her softness, her mystery. Inspired by the sunflower’s stance, it speaks of resilience not as defiance, but as grace under pressure. Though written in metaphor, it carries fragments of my own truth. In its lines, I see the woman I am becoming: rooted yet reaching, vibrant yet complex, blooming even in shadow. It is both a tribute and a mirror.

Battle for Life

📷 image credit to catholictothemax.com

Along the path of life, there's a battle to fight

It wouldn't be given if we couldn't carry the fight.

It may seem too heavy for us

But God is larger than our battles...

Hold on, for this is the way we're being tried,

Surviving the call of fate...

Put on the armor of faith,
that you shall win this case.

Slide on the sword of hope

that you will stay on hold.

Girt your loins with love

for it will protect your cove,

and redeem your throne.

Be a king of life,
soar up the flight,

hold on to the light, 

So you can win the fight.

 

~ Copyright ©EmperatrizV @Sunflower for Emily, July 2011 - All Rights Reserved