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NEHS Class 68 L-R, seated: Mrs. Emiliana A. Escuadro (Physics), Mrs. Mary B. Uytiepo (Spanish), Mr. Salvador V. Nieves (Principal), Mr. Telesforo C. Mendoza (Journalism, Asst. Principal), Mrs. Amelia G. Sarmenta, (English). L-R, standing: Edwin T. Ruiz, Lilia H. Capinding, Nestor A. Agustin, Celerina R. Mateo, F. Apollo M. Arenas.
Hey, look at her:
Pretty woman
Sitting down
With her knees
Exposed!
We never noticed
Her pretty legs
Back then
We were too scared
Of her physics fiefdom.
Today she isn’t tame
Kind of naughty
And daring, too!
Buenas noches,
Señora amiga!
Como esta usted?
Encantada!
Oh, but she taught us
To say, “muy bien, gracias.”
We liked Spanish
Over Physics
Ella maestra
Es cariñosa.
The man in the middle
Looks distinguished
In his polo-barong.
But of course
He’s got the air
Of authority
He’s got the title
Of principal.
Did he teach?
Principals didn’t.
They just sat in the office
And twirled pens.
“May I sit beside you?”
That’s a joke, mind you.
Besides the principal,
Who else could have
an eminent look
But the assistant principal?
Amiable and affable
She always endorsed
A smile over a frown.
But most of her students
Scowled in her class
‘Cuz she was
A grammar Nazi
A spelling spy
An ombudswoman
Of sentence fragments
And half-written
Paragraphs.
Hey, look at him
Standing behind
The pretty woman
With the fabulous knees.
He was always first
In lines where height
Was might.
He never made it
To varsity teams
But he is the MVP
In his family
In his work
In his community.
She looked demure
Didn’t walk
Didn’t run
Instead, she
Glided in the air.
Always a handkerchief
She held in her hand
To cover her face
To muffle the mirth
Whenever she laughed.
Tall and tan
And young
And bespectacled
He looked smart
He looked brainy
He looked destined
For the presidency.
He’s become a hunk
In the envious eyes
Of guys with big bellies
Bald heads,
And flabby arms.
She was regal
And wore a twinkle
in her eyes
She was alluring
And every guy
Wanted to offer her
a ring.
But she eluded
The local crowd
Flew to the moon
And charmed the sun.
Well-scrubbed was he
Well-mannered true.
Became an MD
Practiced neurology
On sober days.
Wrote poems
When sanity succumbed.
And now he sits
In a frozen world
Snaps pictures
Of cardinals red
Wearing white coats.
And marvels that
He’s older than
His old teachers
When he was young!