A Series of Excellent Financial Decisions

Before we tap the card,
before we call it self-care,
before we say, “We deserve this”...

One small question.
Para kanino?

We book the table by the window
Order the prettiest pasta they have
Take forty-seven photographs
The waiter rolls his eyes, then reheats it twice

We move the flowers, move the glasses
Ask him to hold the light up higher
Spend an hour looking effortless
Then post, “Just another quiet night”

Everybody at the table
Keeps turning toward the marble wall
Nobody remembers what we ordered
But the wall is having a very good night

Who are we trying to impress?
Para kanino? Who is this for?
Seven people like it, two are our aunties
One sells insurance, one says, “Message me”

Who are we trying to impress?
They tap a heart and carry on
Who are we trying to impress?
We are still choosing the caption

Nothing fancy, just good energy
Nothing fancy, flowers slightly left
Nothing fancy, just good energy
Forty-seven photos, naturally

We wear the label across our chests
Large enough for planes to read
The shirt introduces us first
We arrive a few minutes later

We buy the shoes for special occasions
Now the shoes cannot touch the street
We carry them inside another bag
While wearing slippers on our way to Jollibee

Everybody at the party
Pretends they’re not looking around
While everyone else is checking
Who might be checking them

Who are we trying to impress?
Para kanino? Who is this for?
One person pauses for half a second
Then watches a goat interrupt a wedding

Who are we trying to impress?
The wedding has moved on to dancing
Who are we trying to impress?
We are still testing twelve captions

Nothing fancy, just good energy
Nothing fancy, one more shot by the doorway
Nothing fancy, just good energy
Everybody act natural, okay?

Excuse me.
Is this your dream car?
Or is it making a brief guest appearance
in today’s photograph?
No judgment.
Mine is due back in eleven minutes.
Also, the owner would like the keys back.

We fly across the world for breakfast
The café near home knows us by name
The sunrise arrives exactly on time
We ask it to move slightly to the left

We never look at the beach behind us
We use a filter to improve the sky
The ocean refuses to stay in the background
Then sprays our shoes to get our attention

We buy champagne we don’t actually like
Raise our glasses and try not to react
Then whisper, “Do they have sweet ice tea?”
As soon as the camera moves away

The camera battery surrenders
The ring light starts blinking red
The waiter now has lighting notes
And wants one more shot by the window

Maganda naman, oo naman
The evening is looking fantastic
Nobody has tasted anything
But the post is doing very well

Who are we trying to impress?
The shirt gets photographed first
Who are we trying to impress?
We are somewhere in the background

Para kanino? Who is this for?
The waiter is directing the shoot
Who are we trying to impress?
Nothing fancy, just good energy

The pasta is cold.
The picture is beautiful.
The caption says, “Nothing fancy, just good energy.”

Everybody wins...
except the pasta.

Three hours of dancing
Twelve months to remember
The flowers are fading in the lobby
The first installment is due tomorrow

We choose the package with the golden ribbon
Because silver looked suspiciously sensible
We add the stage, the arch, the ceiling drapes
And select the chairs with emotional support

Everything arrives looking magnificent
The room applauds, the cameras wake
We walk smiling through the front door
Tomorrow is waiting with the contract

The applause leaves in a Grab
The invoice decides to stay
The candles burn for one evening
The due date has booked the month

Flash tonight, headache tomorrow
The music ends, the payment stays
We dance for three unforgettable hours
Then replay them in twelve installments

Flash tonight, headache tomorrow
The flowers fade, the app stays open
The guests forget the details by breakfast
But the bank remembers our name

We say yes to the better package
Yes to the upgrade, yes to the view
Sige, dagdagan na
Nobody remembers what it is supposed to do

The salesman says, “It’s only a little more”
We nod because he says it very gently
By the time we understand the sentence
The contract has already moved in

It sits beside us during breakfast
Joins us politely every month
Never arrives late, never needs reminding
More dependable than several relatives

The compliments leave with the guests
The maintenance arrives on Monday
The photograph remains beautiful
The payment has not changed its plans

Flash tonight, headache tomorrow
The laughter ends, the payment stays
Everyone says, “What a lovely evening”
Nobody asks how long we’ll pay

Flash tonight, headache tomorrow
The ribbon sleeps inside a drawer
The guests are posting something else
But the bank has saved the date

Is this the premium package?
Wonderful.
And how long will we remember it?
Twelve months?
Ah.
So it comes with memories.

We drive home beneath the city lights
Still smiling from the evening
The car looks beautiful under the moon
The insurance is due on Tuesday

We wear the jacket once for pictures
Then place it carefully out of sight
By the time we finish the installments
The moths have enjoyed it more than we have

We sleep that night without concern
Monday sends us back to work
The first envelope waits on the table
Beside a note that says, “We had a lovely time”

We make the coffee slightly stronger
And open envelope number three
The voice that said, “Sige, dagdagan na”
Is not returning our calls

Ay, bayad na naman
The coffee pot knows what to do
The bank remembers our monthly anniversary
Right on time, as always

The contract is still living with us
And has started receiving mail

Flash tonight, headache tomorrow
The spotlight fades, the payment stays
We dance for three unforgettable hours
Then pay for them in twelve easy ways

Flash tonight, headache tomorrow
The music stops, the app says due
The guests have moved on to lunch
But the bank remembers everything

Flash tonight, headache tomorrow
The room is empty, the chairs are gone
The photographs say, “What a perfect evening”
The payment says, “See you next month”

The flowers are gone.
The candles are gone.
The guests are gone.

The moths look expensive.
The bank sends its warm regards.

New screen, same thumbs
Old one still on the bed
Working overtime to transfer everything
To the reason it lost its job

I chose the color called Midnight
It was black, but with ambition
The salesman tilted it toward the light
I nodded like I understood the difference

The old one charges by the electric fan
Still doing every job I ask
WhatsApp, Viber, Signal, LINE
Twenty-seven chats before breakfast
Half the names are made up
Everybody asks, “Kumain ka na?”

Okay pa naman
But the replacement opens apps much faster
I save almost half a second
Several times a day

Phone ngayon, interest goodbye
New glass shining, my GCash needs to lie down
Phone ngayon, interest goodbye
My savings left before setup finished

I scan my face and choose a ringtone
My balance doesn’t recognize me
Same old chats, now slightly faster
Phone ngayon, interest goodbye

The transfer says three hours remaining
Two hours later, still calculating
The old one works straight through dinner
Moving photos, contacts, and ten thousand chats

Mostly “haha,” “okay,” and thumbs-up
An archive of modern civilization
Every word arrives safely on the new one
I can’t remember why I sent them

I keep the old one as backup
Because throwing it away seems wasteful
Now the replacement handles everything
And the old one guards the spare pillow

The money sat quietly in my GCash
Wearing plain clothes, causing no trouble
Now it lives in a brighter rectangle
And recognizes my face in the dark

No farewell, no final speech
No balloons beside the balance
The interest simply stops arriving
While I compare camera modes

Phone ngayon, interest goodbye
Night mode sharp, my future slightly blurry
Every pore now in high definition
My GCash remains unavailable for comment

I point the camera at the rice
The portion suddenly looks bigger
Then point it back at me
Ah. It’s doing this to everyone.

The old one’s still doing the transfer

The old one lies beside the new one
Connected by my emergency contact’s cable
I borrowed it without asking
She’s already searched her sofa twice

The old one trains its replacement
No bonus, no farewell cake
The new one says, “Software update”
And takes a twenty-minute break

Okay pa naman
The old one has excellent references
She’s checking under the bed
The cable’s doing important work

Phone ngayon, interest goodbye
The camera found details I never needed
Phone ngayon, interest goodbye
My savings politely left the picture

I hold the new one beneath the kitchen light
Say, “Worth it,” to an empty room
Phone ngayon, interest goodbye
The old one takes the call while the new one updates

Same thumbs, same chats, same habits
Same owner, slightly less money
New glass shining, GCash lying down
Interest goodbye

New screen.
Same thumbs.
Same password.

The old one’s still on the bed.
Six new messages asking about the cable.
The charger is sold separately.
Interest not included.

다시 한 번 결혼을 진심으로 축하합니다.
신랑 신부 두 분의 특별 요청으로 들려드리는 곡은 “Next Month Is Already Sold” 입니다.
즐겁게 들어주세요.

I spent all day beneath the Manila sun
Carrying subscriptions door to door
Water plans and rented furniture
Up another flight of four

I came home holding my paycheck
Proud of everything I’d done
Walked inside with a fresh suntan
And a salary hard-won

At the doorway, as I kicked off my shoes
The left one started flashing blue

“Please renew before the morning
Or we cannot walk with you”

Renting is so convenient for you, sir
Ownership is stress
You cannot afford to buy it
So we bill you something less
Every month

One small payment, one small promise
Nothing sounded very large
But tomorrow lost a little
Every time I tapped the card

Next month is already sold
They were waiting by the door
I brought my salary home proudly
It never touched the floor

Next month is already sold
Every appliance knew my name
Payday entered through the hallway
And the whole house made a claim

The fridge was dark and full of silence
Its thirty-day plan expired last night
This month has thirty-one days
The company was technically right

I found a warm diet soda
Appa had paid the year in full
It offered no nutritional value
But the subscription was still active

Renting is so convenient for you, sir
Ownership is stress
You enjoy the lovely product
We still own it, nonetheless
Every month

I reached my plush rented sofa
But the cushions folded flat
A green light said, “Standing’s included”
So I stood and stared at that

The television froze the actor
One hand hanging in the air
A payment box covered his face
While his mouth kept moving there

I turned the radio on softly
Only adverts filled the room
Music was a higher package
Available for upgrade soon

I started up my gaming console
My little hero waved at me
The world loaded, bright and beautiful
But moving cost a monthly fee

Shoe plan, seat plan, cooling fee
Screen plan, sound plan, fantasy
Cloud wants money, phone wants more
Every small charge joined the line

Car lease due before sunrise
Miss one payment, enjoy the exercise
One by one they formed a queue
All very pleased that payday came through

Tap for the shoes, scan for the seat
Pay for the picture, pay for the beat
Pay for the hero to move in the game
Pay for the car just to earn it again

Own it? No
Use it? Yes
Sign right here, sir
We own the rest

Next month is already sold
They were waiting by the door
I brought my salary home proudly
It never touched the floor

Next month is already sold
Every appliance knew my name
Payday entered through the hallway
And the whole house made a claim

Appa said, “When your money leaves you
Bring home something built to last
Something real with lasting value
Long after the payment has passed”

I looked around my glowing kingdom
Every light was shining bright
I had paid to keep them with me
But not one belonged to me tonight

My money flew into the evening
Like paper lifted by the wind
Every payment bought permission
That would soon expire again

Renting is so convenient for you, sir
Why should ownership be hard?
You may never own the lifestyle
But it fits upon your card
Every month

Next month is already sold
They were waiting by the door
I brought my salary home proudly
It never touched the floor

Next month is already sold
Every service got its share
The couch came out, the fridge woke up
The car agreed to stay

Next month is already sold
The house was glowing bright
Everything was reactivated
Everything should work tonight

I reached the bedroom at six-oh-two
The door displayed a steady red
Payment had been due at six
BedShare had reassigned the bed

A booking notice lit the hallway
“Occupied until morning light”

Behind the door, a guest complained
His pants plan would not renew

뭐야, 바지 구독 끝났대!
결제는 왜 또 안 돼?
내일 아침에 뭐 입고 나가?

Wait, there’s a pants subscription?
Where do I sign up?

Oh-ho-ho, oh-ho-ho
Here comes the money
Oh-ho-ho, oh-ho-ho
I never ask when it goes back

My sister heard my urgent problem
I said the old TV had finally died
She sent money Thursday morning
When I plugged it in again, it sprang back to life

By Thursday evening, eighty inches filled the wall
Ferry passengers saw Caprice and Lella win
She asked, “Was that the emergency?”
Her question drowned in surround sound

My account looked extremely healthy
For almost four full hours
Then my sister texted, “My money?”
No emoji. Perfect grammar.

Utang ay hindi sweldo
Oh-ho-ho, I called it payday
The money came in, I shouted, “Let’s go!”
It went out before Thursday night

Oh-ho-ho, now she calls every day
She said it wasn’t mine to keep
It came with someone else’s name
I spent it all the same

Oh-ho-ho, oh-ho-ho
It arrived with a return schedule
Oh-ho-ho, oh-ho-ho
I acted like it came to stay

My cousin heard the house was too quiet
Two microphones, karaoke machine
He asked when his money was coming back
I said, “After I test the dream”

Echo, echo, echo

Auntie heard my tragic back story
Twelve settings and a cup holder
Three relatives, three upgrades, what a week
No payment plan, but free delivery

The TV still fills half the wall
I mute it when my sister calls
The karaoke sleeps till midnight
Then the mice rehearse till five

The massage chair found my left hip
And treats it like unfinished work
I pressed the button marked “Relax”
It folded me like an Angel’s Pizza box

I finally own the things I wanted
Exhibits A, B, and C
Every time I try to enjoy them
Someone asks about the money

Utang ay hindi sweldo
Oh-ho-ho, now my Cousin wants to know
The TV goes quiet, the mice take the mic
The chair keeps fighting with my hip

Oh-ho-ho, where did all the money go?
Three luxury items, three relatives waiting
Each purchase came with caller ID

Every ringtone helps me correct my schedule

Six in the morning, my Sister needs a stone wall built
Airport run for my Cousin, four a.m. sharp
Auntie says boxes, “Only a few”
At box number forty, I question the count

I say, “My weekend’s full”
She says, “Interesting. About the money...”
Suddenly Saturday opens up
And Sunday becomes very flexible

At Sunday lunch they sit together
Sister, Cousin, and Auntie too
Nobody says, “Because you owe us”
They hand me a list of things to do

I say, “Bukas na lang, promise”
Three eyebrows rise as one
I start washing every dish
Before dessert has even come

Utang ay hindi sweldo
Oh-ho-ho, now all three call at once
The TV goes quiet, the mice take the last mic
The chair still argues with my hip

Oh-ho-ho, and I can’t hang up
Three loans, endless favors, one more ride
I bought three toys, and sold my time
My weekends now belong to them

Oh-ho-ho, oh-ho-ho
Three loans, endless favors, one more ride
Oh-ho-ho, oh-ho-ho
I bought three toys, and sold my time

The television still fills half the wall.
The mice traded away both microphones.
The chair has found my other hip.

The ferry captain is calling.
He wants to see the Terminator score.

Utang ay hindi sweldo.

We shared birthdays, long rides, ordinary days
He was part of the rhythm I knew
I kept a few ideas we could trade someday
Things we could teach and learn

Then one day he asked me for money
Not a fortune, but enough to leave a mark
The question entered quietly
But nothing remained the same

No interest, no collateral
No security, no return
His problem didn’t disappear
It crossed the table and embraced me

Pautang? Pass muna
His boat was already taking water
No loan could ever mend the leak
He was asking me to sink with him

The moment money leaves my hands
I count it among the missing
If any of it finds its way home
I will welcome the surprise

I opened my wallet one time
The question learned the way back
One exception became permission
And every boundary began to crack

I asked about the payment once
He answered without answering
The closer money came between us
The further he moved away from me

He forgot his wallet?
I can cover today.

His card stopped working?
These things happen.

But a life already taking water
Needs repair, not another loan.

The first debt still stood between us
There was no room for another
Until the first one found its way home
The door would remain closed

Best case, the same amount comes home
Smaller than the day it left
No profit, protection, or guarantee
Only a promise between friends

His problem didn’t disappear
It crossed the table and embraced me
I saw a problem not of my making
And had to take it home with me

The money never came back
And neither did he call
An expensive way to purchase silence
At least I paid for it in full

I stopped asking about the balance
Not because the debt was gone
Every question made the old friendship
Feel further from what it had been

I was saving ideas we could trade someday
Things we could teach and learn
I treasured him as a friend
He found treasure in my bag

Before the money left my hands
I had already disappeared
He was talking to my money
While I was still standing right there

Pautang? Pass muna
His boat needs repair, not me on board
If the first debt still knows my name
There will not be one peso more

I treasured him as a friend
He found treasure in my bag
The cash left after I answered
The friendship left when he asked

The balance remained open long after the friendship closed.

A hundred came marching in
Every peso knew the road
Bills were waving from one corner
Luxury called from down the street

Rent was holding up a signboard
Power raised its yellow flag
The delivery app was shouting
“There is something in your bag!”

Not one peso looked behind it
Not one asked what I would need
I stood proudly directing traffic
While future me received nothing

“Rent, proceed!”
“Electricity, turn right!”
“Phone bill, keep on moving!”
“Golden jacket, green light!”

I paid everybody who asked me
Everybody knew my name
Future me was too polite
To send an invoice or complain

The traffic lights turned violet
Every clock began to spin
A silver doorway split the air
And somebody stumbled in

He wore a company uniform
With an ID on his chest
And over it, my golden jacket
Slightly stained but still well-dressed

I raised my traffic whistle

“Sir, you cannot enter here.”

He looked exactly like me
With considerably less hair

“Who are you?”
“I’m you.”
“From when?”
“From later.”
“Why are you dressed like that?”
“You paid everyone else.”

He pointed toward the marching money
Then slowly looked at me

“Rent?”
“Paid.”
“Electricity?”
“Paid.”
“Phone?”
“Paid.”
“Delivery?”
“Twice.”
“And me?”

I checked the traffic ledger

“Who are you again?”
“Exactly.”

He watched another hundred
March obediently away
Orders sent them marching onward
Each one knew where it must go

Some were going to obligations
Some were chasing something new
None were carrying a message
For the man I would become

He touched the golden jacket
And examined one dark stain

“At least I bought you something.”
“You bought this for yourself.”
“But you are wearing it.”
“You left me nothing else.”

He walked into the intersection
Raised one tired open hand
Every peso stopped together
Like a tiny marching band

He took my whistle from me
Checked the roads and shook his head

“You pay the whole world before me.
That arrangement ends today.”

Out of every hundred earned
First twenty, step this way
Eighty, follow the old road
Future me gets paid today

Dalawampu bawat isang daan
Before the bills begin their race
Dalawampu bawat isang daan
Future me now has a place

The first twenty turned together
Future me became their guide
The other eighty crossed behind them
Then continued on their way

Rent still waited at the corner
Power still expected pay
Nothing vanished, nothing panicked
We just changed who went first today

I watched the traffic moving
Everything was still alive
The city ran upon the eighty
Future me received his twenty-five

He looked at me.
I checked my math.

“Twenty.”
“Twenty. Yes. Of course.”

By Sunday I approached the twenty
With a very modest plan

“Just return for one small purchase.
You can leave again when you can.”

Future me stepped through the doorway
Put the whistle to his chest

“Don’t pay me one day
Then rob me the next.”

The twenty stood behind him
Trying not to meet my eyes
Even they understand
When Bhudoy starts to rationalize

“It is not exactly spending.”
“It is leaving all the same.”
“I was only going to borrow.”
“You just changed the verb, not the game.”

Out of every hundred earned
First twenty, step this way
Eighty still can run the city
Future me gets paid today

Dalawampu bawat isang daan
Let the old parade begin
Dalawampu bawat isang daan
Future me goes first again

Not the last twenty remaining
Not whatever I don’t spend
The first twenty from the hundred
Goes to future me, my best friend

The first twenty from the hundred
Goes directly to my best friend

The silver doorway flickered open
Future me prepared to go
The golden jacket caught the light
With one distinguished stain below

He handed back my traffic whistle

“Can you manage from here?”
I saluted with great confidence
“Perfectly.”

Another hundred came marching in

I raised my hand

“First twenty, this way.”
“First twenty, this way.”

Lola and Lolo loved the letter R
That’s how we got Ramon and Rosa
One year I stayed with my uncle
The next year with my dear auntie

Tito Ramon, Tita Rosa, thank you for those unforgettable childhood visits. I learned so much from both of you.

Uncle Ramon was a lawyer
Beside the main compound of the LTO
He knew each date and every deadline
And where each document should go

His clients never missed a filing
His own reminders stayed unread
Payday fed the whole office
While the bills stayed on his desk

New shoes gleamed beneath his trousers
School fees waited in a drawer
Every purchase became evidence
Of what Ramon could afford

Bayad muna, tulog mahimbing
Let the doorbell ring tonight
Pay the people, clear the invoices
Then decide what you can buy

My cousin took a test on Friday
Question one described a train
She watched the cashier cross the window
And forgot the speed again

She held the train inside the station
Till the school account was clear
The teacher marked the answer wrong
But found the payment plan sincere

A Grab delivery rang at lunchtime
Every slipper vanished inside
The household rose at the word delivery
Then cash was due, so back they hid

The driver, cleaner, and the nanny
Waited while the bags came through
Luxury filled the front doorway
While their salaries stayed due

Two tax men came in matching suits
With a folder, neat and thin
Every figure had been calculated
Before they calmly walked in

Ramon moved it toward next month
But next month had taxes too
The money meant for many people
Had been spent by only one

I spent the next summer with Auntie Rosa
By a gas station near the road
Before the sunrise touched the windows
Rice and eggs were on the stove

Drivers, clerks, and early workers
Stopped for coffee on their way
Money came in coins and small bills
Plate by plate throughout the day

Every peso had a chair there
Some for water, some for rice
Some for wages, school, and taxes
None were waiting to be spent twice

Three percent off the water bill
Became tomorrow’s eggs
Rosa counted what remained
After everything was paid

Near midnight, Ramon reached her gate
With none of his afternoon glow
His necktie loose, his shoulders lower
Than the man I used to know

Something had to clear by morning
But the money had been spent
He rang the gate; the porch light answered
Rosa met him at the entrance

She opened up without a worry
No unpaid bill stood at her door
She made him coffee, found a blanket
Then listened while he paced the floor

Rosa went back up to sleeping
Ramon watched the darkness fade
Nothing due could keep her waking
Everything had all been paid

Bayad muna, tulog mahimbing
Let the doorbell ring tonight
School is paid, the staff are smiling
Every window keeps its light

Bayad muna, tulog mahimbing
One paycheck cannot pay twice
Ramon earned much more than Rosa
But every peso left was hers

Ramon waited for the roosters
Rosa woke at morning light
Nothing due had kept her waking
Every bill was paid on time

Bayad muna
Tulog mahimbing

What exactly am I buying?

You are buying pure momentum
Everybody knows the name
We met the founder’s dentist
At a very important frisbee game

Three directors wore dark neckties
And the logo has two wings
When successful people nod together
Those are very bullish things

How does this make me money?

Explain mo nga!
Where does my profit come from?
Explain mo nga!
Where does my money go?

You can shout above the music
You can put a tie on a goat
I understand a little less now
But I like the way it sounds

Our proprietary AI
Otto says the signal’s strong
It has so many customers
It cannot possibly be wrong

All confidential, you understand
Their names cannot be shown
They are all extremely satisfied
According to Otto alone

What does Otto actually do?

The tea leaves formed an arrow
Every tarot card said “Buy”
We examined the stars closely
Your money sign was rising high

Then our crystal ball turned golden
And displayed an upward swing
When four separate signs agree like that
We do not question anything

Explain mo nga!
Tell me how the signal knows
Explain mo nga!
Tell me where the fortune grows

Every answer sounds much stranger
Every promise seems to sing
I understand much less than earlier
But I’m starting to believe

What happens if the price goes down?

That cannot happen, we researched it
On the internet last night
Every comment said “AMAZING!”
And the stars were five of five

One account wrote “TO THE MOON!”
Another posted “CANNOT LOSE!”
When strangers type in capital letters
That is practically a certain win

How much should I put in?

YOLO! You only live once!
So your savings should be brave
Money sitting in an account
Is already in the grave

Everyone around the table
Raised a glass and shouted, “WIN!”
When the room agrees this loudly
That is when you must jump in

Explain mo nga!
How high can my fortune go?
Explain mo nga!
Does Otto already know?

You can quote the cards and comments
You can make a unicorn sing
I understand less than ever
But I want to buy the thing!

Can I put in all my savings?

Why stop there when things are growing?
Caution interrupts the flow
Once your capital transcends you
You should let the mystery grow

Your funds will reach a higher phase
Beyond accounting’s reach
If your balance turns invisible
Then wealth is almost complete

When can I take my millions out?

Why withdraw when you are winning?
Let the fortune multiply!
If you touch the growing balance
You disturb the sacred AI!

Explain mo nga!
Tell me one more certain thing
Explain mo nga!
How high can my future swing?

You can quote the stars and comments
You can make a unicorn sing
I understand absolutely nothing
But I’m going all in!

Explain mo nga!
Explain mo nga!
Every answer shakes the room

The louder you keep talking
The richer I assume!

What exactly am I buying?

The future!

Whose future?

Yours!

WHEEEEEEEEE!

BHUDOY IS RICH!!!

The bank just called.
My account is zero.

But somebody dropped off a goat for me.

It’s wearing a polka-dot tie.

Otto?

Explain mo nga.

He read 0DTE as
“Zero down, total earnings”
Risked a piece of his inheritance
With absolute confidence

Then one lucky call went higher
Four hundred by three a.m.
By closing time he wore two gloves
With cheap glass in place of gems

A velvet robe, a ring light, and a plan
He switched the camera on
Rocket emojis filled the screen
The ordinary man was gone

“The Oracle of Manila.”

Hindi ako eksperto
The phrase he could not say
Hindi ako eksperto
So he doubled down that day

No stop-loss, no position size
Just rockets where the facts should be
He could not say, “I do not know”
But he sparkled professionally, oh professionally

He watched Wall Street for his bachelor’s
The Wolf gave him his master’s degree
Then he shorted Tesla because shorter cars
Are easier to park, you see

His kindergarten teacher, Miss Suwerte,
Had said, “Invest in your future, dear”
So he bought one crude-oil futures contract
Because the instructions seemed clear

He looked at Japanese manga
Could not understand a single line
The lettering looked just like Evergrande
He called it a strong buy

Next he bought a token from a viral star
Because villains never smile
Three hours later, down ninety percent
He bought another pile

He heard that Python beat PHP
So he bought the ticker PY
It wasn’t Python after all
But “close enough” was his reply

Diversification:
A shortage of conviction

Risk management:
A negative prediction

He charged his followers for advice
When regulators appeared
He showed them both his gloves and said
“My credentials are right here”

The app let him buy on margin
He called the borrowed money free
When Margin called, he blocked the number
“No one named Margin knows me”

Then the broker sold his winners
To cover everything that fell
He kept the coins and dying options
Because they were not selling well

Hindi ako eksperto
The phrase he would not say
Hindi ako eksperto
His inheritance was gone

The winners sold, the losses stayed
Yet still he kept the gloves on
He could not say, “I do not know”
But he sparkled professionally, oh professionally

“Oracle, there are five oil tanker trucks outside.
Your broker says you are required to accept delivery.”

“Miss Suwerte never said anything about trucks.”

I was his tomcat and confidant
I heard each private call
He knew how to build an airport
And how to finish a mall

The International Feline Directorate
Was impressed with my career
I advised an engineer of stature
And purred into his ear

Then polished voices found his number
With shares not yet for sale
One man handled the verification
One explained each small detail

One sent charts and one sent letters
One confirmed the funds arrived
Every separate voice supported
One enormous coordinated lie

He meant to impress the family
To show what he could bring home
He told the plan to no one else
Except me lying beside the phone

Hindi ako eksperto
My engineer should have known
Pero hindi rin siya
The polished voice on the phone

One man vouched for one more man
Who vouched for one more lie
I purred beside my engineer
And never questioned them

For eighteen months I heard their voices
Curled in the drawer of his desk
They spoke of private shares and fortunes
And promised him the very best

I chose a heated window ledge
Fresh tuna every night
A silver bowl with filtered water
Kept at the perfect height

I planned my entrance for the dinner
When he’d reveal the promised gain
I would sit beside the documents
And look expensive in the frame

The Directorate congratulated me
On influence and rank
No cat within the global network
Had advised a man so grand

Pero hindi rin siya
The man who sold the deal
Pero hindi rin siya
He only sounded real

One man vouched for one more man
Who vouched for one more lie
I purred beside my engineer
And never questioned them

Then Bhudoy finally read the papers
No polished voice, no grand display
He saw what eighteen months had hidden
And named the fraud within a day

Forty million disappeared
Through a hundred careful hands
He could finish malls and airports
But couldn't see through their plans

He was still my engineer
The same hand scratched my chin
A man can build what others can't
And still let strangers in

Pero hindi rin siya
The man who sold the deal
Pero hindi rin siya
He only sounded real

They verified each other
Till the paperwork looked true
I purred beside my engineer
I was believing too

An apple tree can lose a branch
And still return in spring
My engineer is standing too
Though changed by everything

The lady drinks and keeps her distance
We rarely see her now
I watch him standing in the orchard
Looking past the final bough

Alone between the rows of trees
He mourns what might have been
The tree survives the broken limb
But doesn't grow it back again

The Directorate has placed me
On mandatory garden leave
The night birds laugh above my table
While I pretend to sleep

The man who found the fraud still visits
And brings a can for me
He says my engineer will rise
Like every wounded tree

The house is quieter now
My engineer bears the cost
But I lost my heated perch
So I've suffered the most

Two siblings stood before the mirror
Ten years of figures on the wall
Every wage rose with the minimum
Never one centavo more at all

Then they doubled their own payout
Every year with practiced skill
In the mirror, coats grew fewer

“Lean,” they said
“And leaner still”

Money was the only language
They considered truly clear
Every zero earned a trumpet
Every gain deserved a cheer

Mehr, mehr, immer mehr
Nie genug, wir brauchen alles

“Raise the glasses, watch it pile up
Look how clever we both are”

Mehr, mehr, immer mehr
While the people disappear

“If the pile keeps getting bigger
That is all we need to hear”

They moved the partner’s portion
Under miscellaneous fees
Then their dinners, cars, and holidays
All became business necessities

In the mirror, one chair emptied
Family pictures left the wall

“Fewer voices speed decisions
Minimalism suits us all”

Every column leaned toward them
Every decimal behaved
What was theirs stayed theirs forever
What was yours could be renamed

Mehr, mehr, immer mehr
Nie genug, wir brauchen alles

“Raise the glasses, watch it pile up
Look how clever we both are”

Mehr, mehr, immer mehr
While the people disappear

“If the pile keeps getting bigger
That is all we need to hear”

They announced another record
Guests arrived from near and far
Each one clocked in for a frog
Cast in gold beside the bar

In the mirror, yellow plating
Flaked and showed the lead below

“What a loyal crowd,” they toasted
“No one says they have to go”

Every guest kept smiling brightly
Both hands wrapped around a frog
No one hugged the happy siblings
Both hands guarded what they got

Favor given
Interest due

Wedding present
Invoiced too

Birthday greeting
Sent by staff

Family joke
Nobody laughed

Charity plaque
Twelve feet tall

They gave nothing
Signed it all

Basement gold
Through the chute

Rusted lock
Key won’t turn

Gold goes in
Door stays shut

“Perfect safety”
“Very good”

They invited paid observers
To examine what it showed
One reported, “Nothing’s faulty”
No one saw that man again

Every later expert found the mirror
Biased, jealous, out of date
Different logos, different letters
Same typo on page eight

Seven letters, one conclusion

“No coordination here”

They formed a risk committee
Both members took a chair
Seven years of possible bad luck
Was a risk they could not bear

They padded every corner
Checked the rope and checked it twice
Then they lowered it into the well
Their prudent compromise

Mehr, mehr, immer mehr
Nie genug, wir brauchen alles

“Raise the glasses, watch it pile up
Nothing negative so far”

Mehr, mehr, immer mehr
Now the room approves it all

“If no mirror shows the losses
There were never losses at all”

At the bottom of the well
It kept sparkling through the night

When they leaned above to check it
The mirror reflected them just right

“Mila, salamat sa pagkukuwento mo sa akin.

Ito ang ‘One Good Day.’”

Before the market opened
Mila counted what she’d need
Rice and soap and cooking oil
And something fresh to eat

A thousand pesos clear each day
Would keep the home supplied
She laid one basket on the table
And spread the fruits out wide

By sunset, not a mango sold
The skins had lost their glow
The fruit flies started circling
Like they already seemed to know

She counted nothing in the tin
And stacked the signs away
By sunrise, twice the mangoes
Would brighten her display

Next morning, apron tighter
Two baskets side by side
Yesterday stood beside today
Both looking fresh and bright

Two baskets in the morning
Mangoes bright and tall
Mila sees two thousand pesos
Waiting in them all

One good day
Could set the numbers straight
Rice and soap and cooking oil
Could all come home by eight

She only needs
One good day

The second market day ended
Both baskets turning soft
She opened up her notebook
And crossed no number off

Two days sat inside the book
A third had joined the page
Three carts rolled in by sunrise
Like players to a stage

Mangoes, limes, papayas
Pineapples in a row
By closing time, the colors sagged
No matter how they glowed

She marked another empty line
Then checked the count once more
By morning, four trucks waited
Where three carts stood before

Three trucks held the days behind her
One held what she’d clear today
Mila tied her apron
And waved them all her way

Four trucks in the morning
Colors down the lane
Mila sees four thousand pesos
Waiting once again

One good day
Could make the notebook right
Every empty line she kept
Could disappear tonight

She only needs
One good day

“Mila, everybody!”

“Salamat, Bhudoy!”

By Thursday, trucks filled every lane
With melons, grapes, and limes
By Friday, traffic officers
Were waving warning signs

She kept the older totals
And wrote the new below
The road became a fruit parade
Where traffic used to go

The baskets became carts
Then carts became a line
And trucks became a convoy
Past the market sign

The police came to clear the road
The barangay captain ran
One camera brought another
No one knew how it began

Two helicopters circled overhead
The evening broadcast said
A fruit emergency was growing
In the streets ahead

The crowd came out to see it
With cameras raised up high
They posed beside papayas
As the evening traffic crawled by

Police along the roadside
News crews at the gate
Half the city taking pictures
Before the hour grew late

One good day
Could make the notebook right
But every empty line remained
Uncrossed before the night

Fruit beneath the floodlights
Headlines on display
They all admired the fruit
Then everyone walked away

Mila checked the empty cash tin
And turned another page

Six thousand pesos clear tomorrow

She smiled and wrote the date

Top floor above the city
New leather chair, enormous desk
Boxy computer screens in front of me
And phones from end to end

A row of televisions
Showed news throughout the day
Each phone had a second handset
Spaghetti cords every which way

I bought a movie wind machine
The kind they used for storms
I must have thought the summer heat
Required industrial force

It blew my papers off the desk
Each time I switched it on
Nineteen years old in suit and tie
Convinced that I belong

I’d worn a tie since sixteen
Carried a briefcase into school
I read about markets and money
Business, risk, and rules

Stocks and bonds and currencies
Commodities in play
Futures, options, swaps and more
I learned them day by day

Long before I understood
The part that Fear could play

Then tanks were firing in Moscow
At parliament on TV
Smoke was rising through the picture
From a world far away from me

Nothing had changed at BMW
Nothing changed in what I knew
But the room around me tightened
As I watched the pictures move

I watched a possibility
Become certainty in my mind
Those tanks were far away
But Fear was next to me

I picked up the telephone
And moved the risk that day
Nothing in my strategy had changed
But I traded anyway

When the call was over
The office settled down
The phones were where I left them
The city still below

Moscow hadn’t changed at all
BMW was still the same
But something in my chest had eased
When I stepped out of the game

Nothing happened to the money
No disaster, no defeat
The crisis carried on without me
And I went back to my seat

There was no loss to point at
No wound upon the page
Just a trade that brought me comfort
In an uncomfortable age

I felt better after selling
That much I knew was true
The calm arrived immediately
Though none of the facts had changed

Nothing in my strategy
Had told me to unwind
I had simply moved the money
To quiet what was in my mind

Then January brought a headline
BMW ’n’ Rover became one
The position I had closed in autumn
Would have gained from what came next

The profit that I didn’t make
Was never mine to lose
But looking back, I knew exactly
What had helped me choose

Then one morning from the buyer
Came a basket, neatly packed
Fruit and chocolates, and a BMW
Finished luxury-black

A note thanked me for the purchase
His best one of the year
An excellent financial decision
Just not the one I’d made

A picture of that BMW
Is still sitting on my desk
A reminder that when panic leads
My judgment isn’t at its best

These days when Fear comes visiting
I recognize his face
I welcome my old friend
And give him time and space

I give him some banana bread
And let my old friend rest
I listen to his warning
And consider what he says

I don’t resent the visit
I don’t send my friend away
Sometimes Fear has noticed something
Worth considering that day

I let him ride beside me
I let him have his say
No matter how much he begs for the wheel
He never gets to drive

The headlines still come flashing
My heartbeat still can change
The world can still look different
When uncertainty takes shape

I check what I am holding
I check what facts have changed
I welcome my old friend beside me

But Fear never gets to drive

Страх не сядет за руль

Three sisters sat at breakfast
Papa laid three pouches down
Each with the same weight of gold
“See what you can make today

Keep your eyes open
Come back when the sun is down”
The three sisters took the money
And headed into town

The first one found an ice cream deal
At half the usual price
“Only good until this noon”
She did not ask him twice

She had no carts to sell it from
No place to keep it cold
“I’ll arrange all that this afternoon”
And bought the whole lot sold

She hurried off to find two carts
And came back rather late
Every tub was liquid
Waiting patiently at the gate

The chickens found the chocolate
The dogs discovered cream
The cats arrived for strawberry
It was everybody’s dream

She started with a full pouch
She finished with a scoop
A very lovely bargain
Had become neighborhood soup

Such a lovely little profit
Such a beautiful amount
All the awkward little details
Somehow never made the count

The second found a French circus
Setting canvas near the bay
She persuaded them to loan her
Their enormous elephant for the day

“You must return him bathed,” they warned
“He can be particular”
She nodded while she counted rides
And barely heard that part

The children came, the tickets sold
She smiled from ear to ear
By sunset she was certain
She’d found the deal of the year

She led him proudly to the ocean
“Bath time, there you are”

The elephant stopped and faced her
With a very serious look

"L’océan? Mais enfin!
Je suis un éléphant de spectacle.
J’ai joué dans
les plus belles revues de Paris!"

His bathing assistant soon arrived
With everything required
By the time the elephant smiled again
Her pouch felt very light

Such a lovely little profit
Such a beautiful amount
All the awkward little details
Somehow never made the count

The third one heard the circus rumors
Somebody said the camel spoke
Someone else was quite convinced
The tiger whispered jokes

“This must be some kind of scam,” she said
Then shrugged, “It doesn’t matter”
She checked the price, the place, the crowd
And what she’d need to start

Maybe someone else could make it work
For her, it didn’t fit
She never learned which beast could talk
And never paid a bit

Back home when the sun was down
The third one said,
“I didn’t make a thing.”

The other two looked at her
With pity in their eyes

“Zero? Nothing? Really?”

They shook their heads.

“Oh, how unfortunate.”

Every morning before sunrise
Twelve hens wandered through the yard
The dog slept underneath the table
Nothing seemed particularly hard

Twelve eggs waited in the baskets
By the time the day began
The neighbors came to buy them fresh
By breakfast they were gone

The eggs were quite spectacular
But never made him rich
At sundown when the hens came home
They played rock, paper, scissors

Monday eggs and Tuesday eggs
Wednesday brought some more
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
The same knocks at the door

A little feed, a little care
A little money spent
The chickens kept on being chickens
And the eggs kept paying rent

Then one Sunday by the gate
A pilot pointed at a hen

“Why bother with the eggs?
BBQ brings bigger checks!”

The chicken or the egg?
He looked across the yard
And counted every hen

He thought the answer clear
“Why collect a dozen little coins
When big money’s right there?”

The chicken or the egg?

He grilled a hen with garlic
A little pepper, extra lime
Hung a sign beside the roadside:

“Best Chicken of All Time”

The customers came running for
Chicken dancing on a plate
The money came much faster
He thought the business great

“Eggs are such a tiny business!
Look how much I made today!”
He grilled two more hens
And sold them before noon

Nine hens woke on Wednesday morning
He barely seemed concerned
Three fewer little factories
But look how much he earned

The chicken or the egg?
He watched the grill all morning
And counted every sale

He thought the answer clear
“Why collect a dozen little coins
When big money’s right there?”

The chicken or the egg?

Then came banners, lights and speakers
Plastic tables filled the street

“Grand Chicken Fiesta Weekend!
Bigger! Hotter! More!”

The baker brought a mirror ball
The plumber brought a drum
His neighbor printed matching shirts
Saying “Number One”

Then he hired a laser show
To flash across the sky
He called it brand development
And never questioned why

He hired someone for promotion
Bought a chicken suit too tight
The promoter could barely lift his elbows
But waved with all his might

He sold five hens by Saturday
The crowd began to roar
His best week in history!

He had four chickens more

He bought a bigger barbecue
“Growth!” he shouted to the crowd
“This is what winners do!”

On Monday morning four hens moved
Quietly across the yard

Four eggs waited in the baskets

He looked at them quite hard

“Production seems to be declining.”

He checked the feed
He checked the nests
He even checked for mites
And walked the entire fence

Then he warmed up the grill
And went to see the hens

The chicken or the egg?
The crowd kept getting bigger
The hens kept getting fewer

The numbers looked so clear
Every time he sold tomorrow
Today became a record year

The chicken or the egg?

Two hens left on Tuesday morning
Two eggs shining in the tray

“Clearly eggs are not performing.
I must pivot right away.”

He announced a final special
“Double Chicken Closing Night!”
Both remaining hens were seasoned
Everything was going right

The tables filled
The music started
Lasers crossed the sky

He sold out before sunset
And nearly cried with pride

“More money than ever!”

He raised the empty basket

“Tomorrow I’ll expand!”

Tomorrow came

The henhouse was quiet

No eggs appeared at all

He waited by the baskets

Nothing

Nothing

Nada

The chicken or the egg?
His biggest sales day ever
Not a chicken in the yard

The chicken or the egg?

He still had the barbecue
The banners and the sign

The lights started promptly
At exactly five till nine

The dog looked at the barbecue
Then backed away from him

I was young and far from home
With a door I had to find
Everybody had their reasons
Everybody had declined

Then an older man said, “Sit”
There was nothing much to gain
He made room where there was little
And he never once explained

I had nothing he could need
No advantage I could bring
Just a road I had to travel
And a chance at something new

He had years enough behind him
I was still becoming me
Still he pulled another chair up
And made a place for me

No promise
No account
No favor written down

He opened up a door
And then we both went on

You always meet twice
Though I never know just when
Once as who I am today
Once as who I’ve been

You always meet twice
Sometimes years have gone between
Sometimes no one else is watching
Still I answer to myself

Years went on and roads grew longer
Life had moved us both along
I’d discovered a few more answers
And learned where I’d been wrong

Then I saw a thing worth doing
Something useful I could bring
No request and no reminder
No old favor pulling strings

So I went and found what mattered
And brought it within reach
Held it safely for a while
Till it could be his alone

No invoice
No amount
No balance coming due

Some things I choose to care for
Simply because I do

You always meet twice
Though I never know just when
Once as who I am today
Once as who I’ve been

You always meet twice
Sometimes years have gone between
Sometimes no one else is watching
Still I answer to myself

There came a day when what I carried
Could have served me very well
There were numbers on the table
There was something I could sell

I would like to say temptation
Never entered through the door
But I knew exactly what it offered
That is what decisions are for

So I put it where it belonged
And made certain it was his

Not because a debt was waiting
Not because a ledger cared

When I lend a hand
I write no balance down

When someone lends a hand
I carry that with me

情けは人の為ならず

Not as something I must settle
Not as something I must pay
But I remember who made room
When everybody turned away

There are choices that are painful
There are times when I say no
I can make the hard decision
Without adding needless hurt

And when nobody is watching
When the room is finally still
Can I look myself straight in the eyes
And live with what I did?

You always meet twice
Though I never know just when
Once as who I am today
Once as who I’ve been

You always meet twice
Maybe neither keeps the score
Someone once made room for me
I make room where I can

I never kept a book of favors
There is nothing left to prove

When I look into myself
I’m at peace with what I do

You always meet twice
You always meet twice

I learned to keep a little for later
To keep tomorrow somewhere near
But every now and then I wonder
Why I worked so hard to keep it here

Some evenings after work were waiting
With a board beside the shore
I plugged a little pump into the car
And let it do the chore

Dinner in a bag up front
A soda cold for me... okay... two
The sun went down across the water
And nobody needed anything

I paddled till the light grew thinner
Then packed the evening in
Nothing grand had happened
Still I’d gladly do it again

What is it all for?
A little space to breathe?
An evening nobody can hurry?
The freedom to just leave?

A quiet place on open water?
A sunset I can keep?

What is it all for?

Sometimes something simply breaks
And that is all it has to be
An inconvenience for an afternoon
Not a catastrophe

And once, when something mattered
Was much too close to being lost
I had enough to stand between it
And whatever it would cost

No medal waited at the end
No lesson filled the air
What mattered stayed where it belonged
And nothing more was said

What is it all for?
A little less to fear?
The chance to keep what matters
When the edge suddenly comes near?

A problem staying only
As large as it should be?

What is it all for?

Once trouble crossed an ocean
And people wanted to respond
I knew how to build a pathway
Out of papers, plans and speech

Nothing anyone would photograph
No ribbon at the end
Just a way for willing hands
To give what they could give

Another time a friend needed someone
And plans became quite small
I had the freedom to just stay
And not explain at all

What is it all for?
The things that I can make?
The hours I can give away
When somebody needs me there?

The chance to make something
That wasn’t there before?

What is it all for?

There are places where silence pays well
Where an answer has a price
Where somebody may suggest, strongly
That looking elsewhere would be wise

I like knowing I can listen
Then say exactly what I see
Some pressure loses weight
When I am free to disagree

Maybe freedom is that simple
Maybe freedom costs much more
Maybe having enough behind me
Lets me choose what I stand for

Maybe it is dinner
Maybe it is time

Maybe it is keeping
Something safe for one more night

Maybe it is building
Something useful from the start

Maybe it is being there

Maybe something more

What is it all for?
I still don’t really know

A little more space for choosing?
A little less need to bend?

A chance to give
A chance to stay
A chance to make
A chance to play

A little peace when things go wrong
A little freedom to say no

What is it all for?

Maybe there is no one answer
Maybe that would ask too much

I only know that now and then
It turns into a life