Books

By Solveig Paulson Russell

Books are friends who take you far

Wherever you would go,
From torrid lands and jungle ways
To northern fields of snow.
Books bring us gifts from long ago
And hints of future days,
And lead the mind refreshingly
On unfamiliar ways.
Books are the chests of pirate gold
Where wealth in stories lies
As varied as the clouds that blow
Across November skies.
 All of Me

My hands are for clapping,

My arms can hug tight,
My fingers can snap,
Or can turn out the light.
My legs are for jumping,
My eyes help me see,
This is my body,
And I love all of me!
 Reach for the Sky

Reach for the stars,

Reach for the moon,
Reach for the sun,
That will wise soon.

Reach for the rainbow,

Reach for the sky
Reach for the clouds
That fly so high
"Promise Land"
"Where am I?"

"Is this the real world?"

A lot of things are on my mind. I may be young and innocent, but not
ignorant. I can clearly see what's present.

I can only imagine life when the world was first created, a beautiful
scene yet to be exploited. A dash of green and blue then add the
bright yellow sunshine that lights up the day. God gave us a world
full of promise. He wanted us to use it, take care of it and make sure
that there is plenty for everybody.

The water is not blue as it was.

The air we breath is not healthy anymore.
The forest that used to be rich and full, nowhere to be seen.

Dead
Denuded
Destroyed

"What happened to the promised land?"

"How dare we ruin it!"
"Look at it people! look at it!"
"If the world could only speak, it would tell us how much it hurts."
"All of us can do something but not everyone is willing to do it."
"Now, I can't imagine what the future holds."

Living
Hoping
Praying

The chances are getting thinner everytime. Time is running out. We

better do it now or pay the price later.
Let's rebuild this world and plant new life for a new day.
 Poverty in the Philippine Society"
(an oratorical piece by Genevieve Pelio)

To our beloved Principal Mrs. Lilibeth R. Binuluan, teachers, fellow students,

ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
Webster Comprehensive Dictionary Vol. 2 page 989 states that poverty is a
condition of being poor or without competent subsistence. As we all know that
many countries around the world are rising and flourishing in progress
nowadays, yet, and still a miserable fact, the poor gets poorer. According to a
survey, about one-third of the population of the Philippines live on less than
one dollar per day that is an amount earned in minutes, just in minutes in
wealthier nations.
We often look at ourselves in front of the mirror asking and complaining about
simple, seemingly nonsense things like, Oh my gosh! Where did I get this
eye bags?", or perhaps, "Oh my! I'm becoming fat!" Don't you know that while
you're bothering there about your physical being, or don't you know that while
you or some of the people live in relative comfort and opulence- millions live
in squatters, setting up shacks wherever they can. They live on the streets
with perhaps only a piece of cardboard or even newspaper between them and
the ground.
As I have been looking at the old beggar on the street, I have just realized-
how dare man is! Being uncontended with what the world has offered him.
How dare those well-off people walk like kings throwing sullen looks of
intimidation to the people who are lower than them. How dare those
politicians quarrelling and querying for the rest of the time all about nonsense
things instead of paying attention to our fellow Filipino brothers and sisters
whom are suffering from poverty and hunger! Then go on you people, quarrel
for the rest of your lives! How dare man is...
I tell you, fellow Filipinos that poverty is not, and will never be a hindrance.
There are things of greater value that money cannot buy. I know that you
already know what I am talking about isn't it? And that, that very thing will be
passed to our children and to our children's children, and so on, until the world
is no more...
The Green Bird
There was a small Green Bird, as green as a leaf, that lived in a forest.
He had a long tail that bobbed up and down when he sang. The crest on his
head spread like a tiny fan when he was alarmed. He was just a little bigger
than a sparrow but more slender.
In the morning when the sun came up, he sang: "Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!
Hello! Hello! Hello! And in the evening when the sun went down, he sang:
"Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! So long! So long! So long!" He sang his songs over
and over. He never grew tired of singing the same thing.
One day, the little Green Bird sang to his Ladylove: "Tweet! Tweet!
Tweet! Come here! Come here! And ladylove came. They built a nest at the
end of the branch. She laid two green eggs, not very big. She sat and sat all
day long until, "Tap! Tap! Tap!" The birdlings hatched from the egg and
popped out.
What do you think happened next?
"Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! Im here! Im here! Im here!" and they opened
their mouths wide to be fed. The Green Bird and his Ladylove fed their chicks
until they were old enough to fly.
One day, Green Bird got sick, so Ladylove went out to look for food.
After two days, Green Bird called his Ladylove. "Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! Come
home! Come home! Come home!
Did ladylove come back home?
But ladylove did not come. He called again: "Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!
Come here! Come here!" But still he did not come. The next day, Green Bird
felt good. He flew to the tallest tree in the forest and sang. Tweet! Tweet!
Tweet! Come here! Come here! Come here!" and still she did not reply.
After singing several times, he knew she would never come again. So
the little Green Bird flew into the air, higher and higher. He soared into the
blue sky, singing and singing to his Ladylove: "Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! Come
home! Come home! Come home!