A Price Above Rubies

Rubilarian year book

I love red

Red lipstick, red shoes, why not a red dress too

And a red hat, and the attitude to go with it

I have come a long way baby

And I’m pulling all the stops to celebrate

For now I realize I’ve reached the benchmark

And my price is far above rubies.

What did an awkward girl from Pasacao know

Without her mother’s dream?

The UP was where she had a glimpse,

There’s a lot of world to see.

Imagine crossing the great Pacific Ocean

To the other side of the earth

I grew up in America

I grew wings in America

I grew horns in America

That’s what mother would say

When I acted too big for my britches

And forgot for a moment where I came from.

I got my ass kicked in America

But hey, I got to kick some too

And here I am, coloring my hair red-brown

To hide the gray and force the look

To match the heartfelt feeling of being alive and young

Of being twenty-five forever and not changing

Even if life’s triumphs and tragedies have visited

And irrevocable in history.

I had a love that made me understand

What Sonnets to the Portuguese was all about

Or why Holly Golightly and Moon River

Seem meant for me and the 120 of us

Who passed the halls of the UPCM in ’67.

Now 8 are gone

My beloved is gone

We pedal the life cycles, 3 generations after

What does it matter, be it power, riches or fame

Prison, or death, betrayal and divorce or financial ruin

We’re all brothers and sisters

We share our lives always

We Live!

“We're after the same rainbow's end,
Waitin' round the bend,
My huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.”