Hardly anyone asks for
the opinion of
the wicked stepmother,
the dead wives of Bluebeard
are mute and damning
evidence,
no one checks
for divorces
after the happy ever
after,
no one asks the coveted
Ibong Adarna
why she sings
seven songs.
A story is
a story
because someone
tells it.
Remember what precious
cups your ears
make
for the spinner
of the tale.
Choose your stories
well,
for there will always
be
stories.
They might corrupt,
they might be
false,
they might be subjugated,
censored
and suppressed.
But remember, too,
that they might reveal,
redeem
and stir mountains
to move
or raise dying embers
into the heavens.
(Dec. 16, 2009)
For the writers and journalists of the Philippines.
Image of a fairy tale book from http://www.flickr.com/photos/gillianam/3448828297/
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