I Cannot Unsee

I cannot unsee the scenes of devastation left by the storm, and here in the Philippines, that would be any storm. Because every storm, or even heavy rainfall, in this country always causes flooding. 

Homes torn apart, lives uprooted, and communities struggling to rebuild. 

The storm has passed, but the images remain. 

The aftermath tells its story. Dikes that are supposed to protect are nowhere to be found. For certain places where there are embankments, the ditches are so thin. They stand narrow and malleable and unsolid. If only these dikes were built to protect, but they looked like fragile lines against disaster, just like the hearts of those watching everything wash away.  

The dikes can barely hold, a reflection of years of neglect and greed, only now exposed. While leaders lined their pockets, the barriers meant to protect us crumbled in silence. When the storm comes, it exposes more than our shores; it has laid bare the cost of corruption. 

I cannot unsee the faces, the ruin, the quiet strength amid the wreckage. 

I cannot unsee what loss truly looks like. 

The storm's damage is more than what the eye can see. I cannot unsee it, and I won't stop calling for help, hope, and justice.