| They speak of distance
In hours to walk
Or in the length
Of bamboo poles.
Not in units of measurement.
They talk of space
In units of how many chupas
Or gantas of palay seeds
Can fill the land.
Not in acres.
They talk of red-letter days
In terms of full moons and
Harvest seasons.
Not calendars.
They talk of time
By the angles of shadows.
Not by wall clocks
Or wristwatches.
They name places after objects
And events easy for them
To describe, and close for them
To remember.
They tell of colors
In association with flowers
And butterflies.
Not by established names
Artists have known.
They talk of love
In the silence of emotion.
Not through love letters,
Chocolates and roses.
They talk of peace
In the midst of a raging war:
That there can�t be one
Without a protracted
People�s war.
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