Mukhang Pera (a poem)
by Raissa Rivera-Falgui

How much is a soul worth?
More than fifty centavos, of course;
More than a hundred,
More than a thousand,
Ten or twenty or fifty thousand;
A million pesos, even, or more.
A soul is priceless.

More than a house that will make neighbors turn green,
Having the latest gadget, the largest TV screen,
A shiny gas-guzzler that catches everyone's eye,
All the happiness that money can buy.

More than working on every means to gain your ends,
More than being forgotten by family and friends;
Remembered only as the one with all that fancy stuff
Which, when you get it, doesn't seem enough.

How much is your soul worth?
More than fifty centavos, of course;
More than a hundred,
More than a thousand,
Ten or twenty or fifty thousand;
A million pesos, even, or more.
Your soul is priceless.

But how can that be when even human dignity,
Love, life, honor, principles, and identity,
Knowledge, power, security and health,
Can be bought or sold for monetary wealth?

So although you may not notice it
You may be selling your soul bit by bit
Till like a fifty-cent coin its value is lost
And it takes double to make up its cost.
So, how much is your soul worth?