Where have all the native fruits gone?

Where have all the native fruits gone?

Dr Abe V Rotor

                         

Santol (Sandoricum koetjape), camito (Chrysophyllum cainito)

Where have all the native guava gone,

the bats and birds and the young one?

Where have all the sweet nangka gone,

its fruits buried under the ground?

Where have all the old piña gone,

on the upland, sweetened by the sun?

Where have all the red papaya gone,

solo by name, the only tree of a kind?

Where have all the pomegranate gone,

friendly though like the deadly one.

Where have all the pako mango gone,

to cook the finest sinigang?

Where have all the big pomelo gone,

its rind made into jelly and jam?

Where have all the red macopa gone,

the laughing children in its arm?

Where have all the native santol gone,

set aside for a large-seeded one?

Where have all the tall mabolo gone,

sapote and caimito that ripe into tan?

Gone to the genie everyone,

technology’s child becoming man. ~ 

 

                                 Tiesa (Lucuma nervosa), siniguelas (Spondias purpurea)

 

 

 Black Sapote (Diospyrus digyna), Atis (Anona squamosa); 

native guava (Psidium guajava), macopa (Eugenia jambalana)