A Morning Walk

Observations during a morning walk
(to the tune of My Favorite Things - "Sound of Music").
I started with a list, but somehow the tune joined in. Sorry about the lack of rhymes! I'm retired, after all!
I walk, BTW, in two very different neighborhoods. One borders on a poor area and an open market (my side), the other on a more wealthy neighborhood. I'll let you guess which is which. Remember, this is not good poetry here, so start singing!:
"_" means two notes per syllable! Sing in e minor, please!

Verse:
Cracked streets and sidewalks and man holes uneven,
Small piles of concrete in chunks and in bags_!
Uneven sidewalks, you gotta watch out!.
Holes you could lose yourself in! (what's that about?)

Large metal doors_ to keep in your cars_,
Entrances private, behind concrete walls_.
Fa_ncy iron work covers your gate,
Foot_ deep gardens between walls and walks.

Flowers and foliage in pot_ted plants,
Lined up so neatly, or clump_ed together.
Vines overhead_ with yellows and pinks,
These make my walk so pleasant, I thinks.

Refrain:
Seeing cats_, seeing dogs_,
See the squashed cock-roach.
Cats_ with short tails, and mangy to boot,
Dogs nursing broods, oh shoot!

Verse:
Small bags of garbage on sidewalks and trees,
Gone through by scavengers - human and cats.
Sweeping the streets, walks and gutters with brooms.
Washing your stoop_ and bucket baths.

Six A.M. crowds_ of kids, parents, scooters
All crowding round_ the school entrance gate_.
Boys in brown shorts_, white shirts and black shoes.
Girls_ in match_ing skirts and white tops.

Refrain:
Here's a table, full of food,
Pull right up and eat!
It's only for breakfast so get it now,
Cause later it won't be here!

Verse:
High concrete walls all along the side streets.
Construction sites with live_-in workers.
Work_ers taking commun_al baths
Wearing their shorts and using the hose.

Dodg_ing tricycles, cars_ and bikes_,
Dodg_ing doo-doo from too many dogs,
Smelling the smells_ of so many things!
Whew! It's a feast that boggles the mind!

Refrain:
Water trickling in the gutters -
not so clean, but there.
Washing the sidewalks, the cars, the bod,
That's what you do, t'be clean!

Verse:
Houses of all kinds, with windows or not,
Some concrete block_, some plywood or tin_.
Windows and doors_, some fancy, some not.
Held_ together by staples or what?

Dogs of all sizes, in cages, on tethers,
Some barking constantly, some nursing pups_.
Some_ so mangy they look_ a fright,
Why_ do people have so many curs?

Roost_ers crow_ing in_ their cages or
Tied up with strings_ awaiting their fights_.
Guys walking down_ the street in the morn
Holding and petting their cocks with a smile!

Refrain:
When it rains, flooded streets
Wash the grime away!
Then out in your flip-flops and wade away,
Hey, that's_ the way it is!

Verse:
Breakfasts galore_ in canteens all over.
Pans full of food, all lined up in rows,
Lift_ a lid_ and see what you want.
Less than a buck_, you'll have your meal.

Jeepneys all over, all spitting out yuck,
Holding your nose_ or dying of guck,
Noises all over, just let them pass through
Or you go nuts in a minute or two!

Refrain:
Sari-Sari - corner stores,
Make your purchase here.
A packet of cigarettes, shampoo or gum -
Just what_ you need right now!

Verse:
Cars all over, all clean_ or covered.
Once on the street_ they're killing machines!
Mini-Vans, Sedans, and gas guzzelers,
Trying to get where they're going at once.

Ta_xi drivers not making a living,
Jeep_ney owners competing for riders,
Some belching grossness, best cover your nose,
Watch_ your step or you might lose your toes!

Car wash, repair shop, used car sales right here.
Businesses line_ the street over there.
Squat_-ter building. how fright'ning it looks,
Just a bit further, you'll feel more relaxed!

Refrain:
Vendors selling, vendors calling,
Business all around.
It's morning, so get up and work all day long
That's life here, no matter what!

Verse:
Interesting houses or rather old places,
Ir_on gates_ with curlycue grates,
Houses on houses, behind and around.
Washed clothes all hanging from anything found.

Vendors sell pap_ers, flowers, and drinks,
Cloths_ to wipe off your sweat_, I think,
Cigarettes, candies, and eve_ry thing,
Commerce is everywhere on_ the street.

Cute little kids_ all running around,
Some with no pants, no shoes, no sweat!
Parents washing their bottoms so smooth,
Where_ and what did they do_, oh my!

Carts with two wheels_ all push_ed about,
Collecting a_nything worth a bit,
Or selling coc'nut juice, or_ some gruel
Scavengers looking for trash to take.

Refrain:
Old guy selling gum and candies,
all day every day!
I won_der whether he's happy today,
Or if it matters not?

Verse:
Fam'lies together, or fam'lies apart,
Tall concrete barriers or nothing at all,
Two neighborhoods_ so differently built,
Part of the picture I see every day.

Low overhangs that I have to duck under
Or slit my skull_ or trip on the sidewalks,
Keep to my senses or lose my life,
This is what walking around here is like!

Refrain:
Flowering bushes,blooming vines_,
Orchids in a row,
They're right there to blossom just a_ny time,
So take_ a walk and see.

Verse:
Juxtaposition of old_ and new_,
Fancy or not_, it's home to no few_.
Smells_ and sounds_, more sights than can see
Keeps_ my mind_ from be_ing Free?

Fam'lies together all in_ one small spot,
Eating and drinking and singing a lot,
Clothes hanging everywhere, drying about,
Washed in a tub by the women I say!

Refrain:
Clean your body, go to church,
Worship God, they say,
These peo_ple work_ like dogs ev'ry day
And still are smiling proud!

END!

An early trip to the open market: people, sounds and smells(whew!)
Everyone is up and out by 5:30 a.m., one big family!
At the market: Rice, eggs, oil, kitchen stuff, spices, school supplies, veggies, chickens, fresh fish, pork, dirt, grime.

THOUGHTS:
What am I looking for here, as I walk and look around? Imperfections in the concrete or beauty in plants, houses, or what?
Do I just look for imperfections - things that aren't quite right or quite perfect and think "Yuck, why don't they fix that, or clean that up, or..."?
Or do I also see the delightful, the pretty, the perfect and enjoy it?
Do I reject or enjoy the imperfect? Being a visual person, I've always delighted in the beautiful and the perfect, the well-designed, the clean.
What do I do with the rest? That's part of the challenge here! Somedays I hate it. Some days it's truly fascinating!

What must they think to see a white guy on their street, in neighborhoods where no whites live? Am I an intruder or a curiosity? They seem quite friendly, but shy. Filipinos have this "shy" thing.

When I walk to the open market, I enter a very poor neighborhood. Yesterday I walked through an alley, about 10 feet wide. Talk about living with your neighbors! I felt like an intruder! With everyone's life right there on the street, I felt like I was walking through their living room/kitchen/wash room/front step! What right did I have to be there?

Someone said that our happiness depends upon how many people we come in contact with and talk to each day. Is that why they sound so happy? I wonder if these people in these close neighborhoods, who live as much out on the street as in their homes or shacks (in some cases), are really much happier than we westerners who live so apart from each other and have so much? I know that I don't often talk to many people in a day, and I sense that that doesn't help me feel very positive! I guess I need to get out on the street and play with the kids, as they love the attention! And so do I!