In the Smithy of my Soul by Cesar R. Aquino

"But I was not born yet when you said I was a wonderful dreamer. You know it can get real crazy sometimes and you have got to give your tongue something wet and sweet to lick, like lollipop maybe, or lips such as yours which are wetter, and sweeter, and do not get consumed. So, you see, Deogracias wants to mine his piano of about a million and then go to Hong Kong and Tokyo to make love more often and with more gusto. So you see they eat very plenty at home to grow big and tall, study hard, dreaming of going someday to the lands beyond Manila; all so they could have themselves hermoso enough to marry people who can make love like gods. So you see Larry goes on saying we are all raped and sick because we love to cloth ourselves, and wear leather shoes, and dream of Thunderbirds; but dear friend, he croons with eyes bewitched by the moons of his exotic soul, one day we will all be gold, happy as the fish, as the tree; happy as the bird."

–excerpt from In the Smithy of my Soul, Cesar R. Aquino

*from Philippine Pen Anthology of Short Stories 1962