Awe-inspiring: 100 PINK Poems for Leni

What is it about VP Leni that inspires 68 famous poets to write a total of 100 poems for her? 

Writer/director Floy Quintos posted on social media, "A kind of Renaissance has been brewing, have you noticed? A Renaissance of Hope." 

How did this poetry anthology happen? 

We read in the back-cover blurb of the book (published by San Anselmo Publications, Inc.), "Remarkably, the process of dissemination, submission, collation and editing took only four weeks—in time to have this collection of multilingual poetry printed and presented as a Valentine’s Day gift to Vice President Leni Robredo." 

Krip Yuson, a member of the editorial board, in his article in Philippine Star, wrote, “. . . the oldest contributor is 87-year-old Luis Cabalquinto, a New York-based oragon from Camarines Sur; the youngest is 17-year-old Yñigo Miguel Almeda, a biology freshman from Ateneo de Manila University.” 

The very young and the very old are of one mind when it comes to VP Leni!

Let me quote parts of what Executive Producer Marvin Aceron said that touched my core:  

". . . poetry is also the repository of our collective memory. Thus, the long term value of this book is that, many years from now, people will remember that this country was hit by the 2020 pandemic with a terrible president at the helm, and there was this lady who inspired us and took on this daunting task of putting our country back in order with the right political values . . .  

“Over time, politics will deteriorate again and people will forget. But people may relive this time of our lives. All they need to do is to open this book and be delighted and inspired again by the 67 poets, their 100 poems, and their muse, the lady in pink."

Grace appears in all colors; with this book, it came in PINK. 

I ordered copies for me and kin, but, alas, every single one has been sold out before the day was over! Kakampinks who heard about my plight immediately said they would be happy to lend me their copy. 

At least I got a peek of one page of the book—by a writer whom I have looked up to through the years. It went viral before, during, and after the launching. I tear up every single time I read it. 

Jose Dalisay explained, "I chose to write a poem from the point of view of Leni's late husband Jesse, whom I had the privilege to meet at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. I imagined what Jesse might want to say now, seeing his beloved at the forefront of a massive campaign to defeat dictatorship and restore peace and justice to our benighted country." 

Always with great humility and both feet on the ground, VP Leni exclaimed,  “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be the subject of a poem, let alone 100 of them!”   

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you . . ."  (1 Peter 5:6 ESV)

Photo credits: Top and bottom images were grabbed from the Net.