She used to live in a shanty
   with nipa roof
   and bamboo walls,
   and soil for a floor.
She used to look so shabby
   in hand-sewn clothes
   and an old pair of shoes,
   which, all, her mother once wore.
She used to be poorer than the rats
   she would run after
   and smash with a broom.
But everything has changed
   since she met Mr. Jones.
Now life for her (and the neighborhood)
   suddenly became easy
   as Mr. Jones—it seems—
   is a man so generous and wealthy.
No trace of a poor lady can be seen
   as she walks around the town
   with a tall, white man.
The smile on her face beams with pride
   as her head she holds high.
But never had she heard of the stories
   passed on from mouth to mouth,
   of what she might had done
   to bring home a gold mine.

Ariel Lalisan