Sisang Baliw: A Cry for Freedom
(The speaker stands center stage, eyes closed, head bowed. A single, flickering candle illuminates the face.)
Ang mundo'y isang hawla, sa akin nakakulong. (The world is a cage, I am imprisoned within it.)
(Slowly, the speaker lifts their head, eyes opening wide, filled with a burning intensity.)
Mga salitang nakakulong, mga gawaing nakakagapos. (Words imprisoned, actions chained.)
(The speaker begins to pace, hands clenched, voice rising in a passionate crescendo.)
Sa bawat hakbang, sa bawat salita, nadarama ko ang pagiging baliw. (With every step, with every word, I feel the madness.)
Ang aking pag-iisip, isang apoy na nagliliyab, hindi mawari, hindi mapigil. (My mind, a blazing fire, untamed, uncontainable.)
Hindi ako baliw, hindi ako sira! (I am not mad, I am not broken!)
(The speaker throws back their head and lets out a wild, anguished cry, the candle flame flickering in response.)
Ako'y isang sisang baliw, na naghahanap ng kalayaan! (I am a caged madman, seeking freedom!)
Kalayaan mula sa mga panuntunan, kalayaan mula sa mga pangungutya, kalayaan mula sa pagiging tao! (Freedom from rules, freedom from ridicule, freedom from humanity!)
(The speaker falls to their knees, voice choked with emotion.)
Ang mundo'y isang madilim na kagubatan, puno ng mga panganib at mga panlilinlang. (The world is a dark forest, full of dangers and deceit.)
Ngunit sa loob ko, nagniningning ang isang liwanag, isang pag-asa. (But within me, a light shines, a hope.)
(Slowly, the speaker rises, eyes filled with a newfound determination.)
Ako'y isang sisang baliw, at ako'y lalaban! (I am a caged madman, and I will fight!)
Lalaban ako para sa aking kalayaan, para sa aking katotohanan, para sa aking karapatan na mabuhay! (I will fight for my freedom, for my truth, for my right to exist!)
(The speaker raises their fist high, a single tear tracing its path down their cheek.)
Sisang baliw man ako, ako'y isang tao, at ako'y may karapatang lumaya! (Caged madman though I may be, I am a human being, and I have the right to be free!)
(The speaker stares into the flickering candlelight, a defiant smile on their face. The final words hang in the air, a powerful echo of rebellion and hope.)
Sisang Baliw. Libre! (Caged Madman. Free!)