Gates of Hell

Welcome to the gates of hell, my city where I spend 3 to 4 hours of traffic gridlock with the rest of thousands of commuters, in the heat of around 34 degrees. The few elevated train lines that ply major routes in Metro Manila become packed like sardines, especially during morning and afternoon rush hours. Manila, where the stench of Pasig River, the rubbish on the streets, the thickest smog and the slum areas tells us teeming poverty is thriving and people go their normal ways. Where I don’t feel safe, as pickpockets roam the city and corruption is widespread. Where my home could be broken and things stolen. Manila, where I keep coming back.

Manila, my home
Poverty, traffic like hell
But life goes on

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Haibun Monday # 23 – contemporary cityscape by Björn Rudberg (brudberg)