Photographed in one of 7,500 islands in the Philippines by Jude Bautista.

My Warmth, Happy Birthday

A poem by

Jude Bautista

Each year that passes

My body changes, slows down

Eyes see less and reading gets harder

Photographed in one of 7,500 islands in the Philippines by Jude Bautista.

Each year that passes

I grow tired easily the less I want to

eat, drink, think and achieve

Photographed in one of 7,500 islands in the Philippines by Jude Bautista.

Each year that passes

I get buried in debt in what

I haven’t done and lost potential

Photographed in one of 7,500 islands in the Philippines by Jude Bautista.

Each year that passes

Life is not about what I do

but rather who I share it with

Photographed in one of 7,500 islands in the Philippines by Jude Bautista.

Each year that passes

The more I know you, the more

I argue with you, the more I

can’t live without you

Photographed in one of 7,500 islands in the Philippines by Jude Bautista.

Each year that passes

Could be a day, an hour, a minute

In my mind I’ve shared many lifetimes

with you. The only thing that matters is

every moment I’ve had with you

Photographed in one of 7,500 islands in the Philippines by Jude Bautista.

Time becomes a river that was

once calm and now rages

washing everything and

everyone away

Photographed in one of 7,500 islands in the Philippines by Jude Bautista.

You are my anchor that I hold on to

in these torrents

Without you I would have willingly

faded into insignificance

Photographed in one of 7,500 islands in the Philippines by Jude Bautista.