By Jose Maria Sison

Long before you come,
You rattle your sabres
Made in some alien land,
You boast of your ill intent
Against the toiling masses.

Come as you please
In whatever strength,
We watch your parade
From the simple and easy start
To the complex and difficult paths.

Our welcome is even readier
When we hear your air power
Thundering and stirring the winds
And the rumbling of trucks
Before you can creep on us.

We see your columns in advance
And if we are unable to make
A crowded grand reception,
We make a simple welcome
Without ceremony for you.

But there can be tokens of welcome
To our alluring home ground,
Outbursts from the roadside
And under your wheels and feet
And precision shots from wherever.

If still your strength is such
That you can encamp long,
We will continue the fireworks
To make you dance, lose sleep
And get worn out before you leave.

When you decide to leave,
We gladly take our turn to close in
And give you the biggest fireworks
Of farewell and thank you
For leaving gifts to us.

While you focus on small parts
Of our wide home ground,
We can take full initiative
And choose your weak points
Somewhere else to wipe them out.

On any day or any night,
We can tickle your weak point
To lure you into a grand reception
Along the most perilous routes
Or to hit another point beyond your guess.

Why do we welcome the unwelcome?
You bring to us what we need,
You save us time and sweat
To collect the means to become stronger
Before seizing your palace in the city.