Banana Fritters

We were given sweet plantains,

by our churchmate last Sunday.

I told my mom to let them overripe,

with the intention

of making my favorite dessert,

Banana Fritters,

which I have been craving for months.

Lacking some ingredients,

I made do of what we had at home,

Yet it still tasted good—

the end product I desired.

When I was younger,

I spent weekends at my great aunts'

who loved cooking.

They would prepare

Whatever we, their grandchildren, wanted.

One time my favorite lola, Cita told me,

"If you love to eat, you must learn to cook.

Because in preparing your own meal,

you adjust the recipe

according to your preferences."

I wish I had written down all her recipe,

I wish I compiled them into a book,

Which we will pass down to future generations,

I wish I had done all these before her memory started fading.

Well I guess I should write down the recipe,

Of my take on banana fritters.

Hang In There

It doesn't matter,

Whether it's a niece or nephew,

As long as it's healthy.

Hello, I am your mother's sister,

You can trust that I will love you,

As if you are my own baby.

I'll read to you my favorite book,

The Little Prince,

by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Drop you off to school,

And pick you up,

When your parents cannot

I'll be chill and cool,

And I'll try to keep up,

I'll be your favorite aunt

So hang in there, tightly,

And please be healthy.

Break

Today was a Monday

That felt like Sunday,

Slow morning,

I slept in

Read a book,

Written by Mary Oliver,

A collection of her poems,

About nature, life and loss

In a few minutes, we'll be having

The last lecture on biostatistics,

Then tomorrow, I shall make sales reports,

And discuss them with the bosses

Thanks to the four-day break,

I was able to rest and relax,

I am looking forward to the next.

Cozy

Fresh out of the shower,

I wore my comfiest pajamas,

Warm lights, cool temperature,

While listening to soft jazz.

Day two of four is about to end,

Spent on rest, chores and errands,

Tomorrow's dedicated for family and friends,

And for rediscovering my old favorite bands.

Being Selfless Involved Being Selfish

Back and forth, to the past, I went

Hoping I could change the present.

Fate kept winning,

But it did not stop me,

From trying over again and again,

So your story can have a happy ending,

Even if it meant erasing me from your life.

But being selfless involved being selfish,

I pushed you away to save you.

I swear I love you, and it pains me too,

But it was the best I could do.

Inspired by the Korean drama "Lovely Runner". Written from Sol's POV