Bad Girl

By your town baker who said,

Bad Girl That you stole five loaves of bread
Hey! Every Body seems to be staring at me..
You! You! All of you!
How dare you to stare at me? Do you know that stealing is bad?
Why? Is it because I'm a bad girl?
A bad girl I am, a good for nothing teen ager, a And that you have displeased our God?
problem child? Do you know that you could be jailed?
That's what you call me!
I smoke. I drink. I gamble at my young tender age. And cannot be set free or bailed?”
I lie. I cheat, and I could even kill, if I have too. “Your Honor, I know it was wrong,
Yes, I'm a bad girl, but where are my parents?
You! You! You are my good parents? But day in and out I walked along
My good elder brother & sister in this society were I Looking for work so I could earn
live?
Look…look at me…What have you done to me? Even hard jobs, I’m willing to learn.
You have pampered and spoiled me, neglected me
when I needed you most!
In trusted me to a yaya, whose intelligent was much But fate’s unkind, my father is dead,
lower than mine! My mother is sick and lying in bed,
While you go about your parties, your meetings and
gambling sessions… My brothers and sisters missed six meals,
Thus… I drifted away from you!
They asked for food with eyes full of tears.
Longing for a fathers love, yearning for a mothers care!
As I grow up, everything change!
You too have change!
What could I do to save them from death?
You spent more time in your pokers, mahjong tables,
bars and night clubs. I myself was losing my breath—
You even landed on the headline of the news paper as
So I took the five loaves of bread,
crook, peddlers and racketeers.
Now, you call my name; accuse me in everything I do But I’ll pay with services instead.”
to myself?
Tell me! How good you are?
If you really wish to ensure my future There was silence in the courtroom,
Then hurry….hurry back home! Where I await you,
because I need you… That was suddenly filled with gloom.
Protect me from all evil influences that will threaten at The women wiped their tears away,
my very own understanding…
But if I am bad, really bad…then, you've got to help They heaved a sigh and tried to pray.
me!
Help me! Oh please…Help me!
All dug into their pockets,
And then brought out their wallets
Sounds were heard of golden coins that fall

Five Loaves of Bread Into boxes passed around the hall.

She stood at the bar of justice The baker stood up and told the judge

A frightened creature wan and wild— “Your Honor, I’m withdrawing my charge.”

In form too small for a woman, A rich lady gave Anna a job

In feature too old for a child. That helped her and all that she loved.

For a look so worn and pathetic

Was stamped on her lovely face I Demand Death

It seemed that years of suffering

My hands are wet with blood. They are crimsoned with
Was something time couldn’t erase.
the blood of a man I have just killed.

“Your name?” asked the judge as he eyed her. I have come here today to confess. I have committed
“Is Anna Ruiz, Sir,” said the girl.
murder, deliberate, premeditated murder. I have killed
“And your age?” asked the judge again,
a man in cold blood. That man is my master.
Then girl replied, “I’ve turned fifteen.”
I am here not to ask for pity but for justice. Simple,

“Well Anna, I’m sorry to say, elementary justice. I am a tenant… My father was a

That you have been charged today tenant before me and so was his father before him.
 This misery is my inheritance and perhaps this will be contentment, thousands and even millions have died

my legacy to my children. and will continue to die.

I have labored on a patch of land not mine. But I have Mine is only one life. Take me if you must but let it be

learned to love that land, for it is the only thing that a sacrifice to the cause which countless others have

lies between me and complete destitution. been given before and will be given again and again,

It is the only world that I have learned to cherish. And until the oppressive economic system has completely

somewhere on that land I have managed to build what perished, until the sons of toil have been liberated from

is now the dilapidated nipa shack that has been home enslavement, and until man has been fully restored to

to me. decency and self respect.

I have but a few world possessions, mostly rags. My You tell me of the right to life and liberty and the

debts are heavy. They are sum total of my ignorance pursuit of happiness. But I have known no rights, only

and the inspired arithmetic of my master, which I do obligations; I have known no happiness; only despair in

not understand. the encumbered existence that has always been my lot.

I labor like a slave and out of the fruits of that labor I

get but a mere pittance for a share. And I have to My dear friend, I am a peace-loving citizen. I have

stretch that mere pittance to keep myself and my nothing but love for my fellowmen. And yet, why did I

family alive. kill this man? It is because he was the symbol of an

economic system which has made him and me what we

My poverty has reduced me to the bare necessities of are: He, a master, and I, a slave.

life. And the constant fear of rejection from the land

has made me totally subservient to my master. You tell Out of a deliberate design I killed him because I could

me that under the constitution, I am a free man-free to no longer stand this life of constant fear and being a

do what I believe is just, free to do what I think is servant. I could no longer suffer the thought of being

right, and free to worship God according to the dictate perpetually a slave.

of my conscience. But I do not understand the meaning

I committed the murder as an abject lesson. I want to
of all these for I have never known freedom. I have
blow that spelled the death of my master to be a death
always obeyed the wishes of my master out of fear. I
blow to the institution of the economic slavery which
have always regarded myself as no better than a slave
shamelessly exists in the bright sunlight of freedom
to the man who owns the land on which I live. I do not
that is guaranteed by the constitution to every man.
ask you to forgive me nor to mitigate my crime. I have
My dear friend: I do anguish from the weak and
taken the law into my own hands, and I must pay for it
helpless and has laid upon the back of the ignorant
in atonement.
labor burdens that are too heavy to be borne, I
But kill this system. Kill this system and you kill
demand death!
despotism. Kill this system and you kill slavery. Kill

this despotism and you set the human soul to liberty

To this callous system of exploitation that has tightened
and freedom. Kill this slavery and you release the
the fetters of perpetual bondage in the hands of
human spirit into happiness and contentment. For the

cause of human liberty, of human happiness and

 thousands, and has killed the spirit of freedom in the Then suddenly, we heard a voice call, “Consuelo. . . .

hearts of men, I demand death. Oscar. . . . Consuelo. . . . Oscar. . . . Consuelo. . . .

Oscar. . . .” we ran towards the direction of the voice,

To this oppression that has denied liberty to the free but it was too late. We saw father hanging on a tree. . .
and unbounded children of God, I DEMAND DEATH! . dead. Oh, it was terrible. He had been badly beaten

before he died. . . . and I cried vengeance, vengeance,

Vengeance is not ours, its God’s
vengeance! Everything went black. The next thing I

knew I was nursing my poor invalid mother.

Alms, alms, alms. Spare me a piece of bread. Spare

me your mercy. I am a child so young, so thin, and so

One day, we heard the church bell ringing “ding-dong,
ragged.Why are you staring at me? With my eyes I
ding-dong!” It was a sign for us to find a shelter in our
cannot see but I know that you are all staring at me.
hide-out, but I could not leave my invalid mother, I
Why are you whispering to one another? Why? Do you
tried to show her the way to the hide-out.
know my mother? Do you know my father? Did you

know me five years ago?

Suddenly, bombs started falling; airplanes were roaring

overhead, canyons were firing from everywhere.

Yes, five years of bitterness have passed. I can still
“Boom, boom, boom, boom!” Mother was hit. Her legs
remember the vast happiness mother and I shared with
were shattered into pieces. I took her gently in my
each other. We were very happy indeed.
arms and cried, “I’ll have vengeance, vengeance!” “No,

Oscar. Vengeance, it’s God’s,” said mother.

Suddenly, five loud knocks were heard on the door and

a deep silence ensued. Did the cruel Nippon’s discover

But I cried out vengeance. I was like a pent-
our peaceful home? Mother ran to Father’s side
up volcano. “Vengeance is mine not the Lord’s”. “No,
pleading. “Please, Luis, hide in the cellar, there in the
Oscar. Vengeance is not ours, it’s God’s” these were
cellar where they cannot find you,” I pulled my father’s
the words from my mother before she died.
arm but he did not move. It seemed as though his feet

were glued to the floor.

Mother was dead and I was blind. Vengeance is not

ours? To forgive is divine but vengeance is sweeter.

The door went “bang” and before us five ugly beasts
That was five years ago, five years. . . .
came barging in. “Are you Captain Luis Santos?” roared

the ugliest of them all. “Yes,” said my father. “You are

Alms, alms, alms. Spare me a piece of bread. Spare
under arrest,” said one of the beasts. They pulled
me your mercy. I am a child so young, so thin, and so
father roughly away from us. Father was not given a
ragged. Vengeance is not ours, it’s God’s. . . . It’s. . . .
chance to bid us goodbye.
God’s. . It’s…

We followed them mile after mile. We were hungry and

thirsty. We saw group of Japanese eating. Oh, how our

mouths watered seeing the delicious fruits they were

eating,