[1] Introductory Note

I have always been fascinated with the condition of the human spirit amidst a background greater than his own making. To sing praises of heroes long been dead, to write poetry of figures who had lived and died for causes as noble as the survival of their nation—there is something entirely human about acknowledging the deeds of the past, whether fictional or not, which had formed the very circumstances one has been born in.

Thus, I wrote "Hymn For the Jaded" with that outlook set at the forefront of my mind, which then sought for riches beyond our own, and that which may also be derived from seeing fantastical beings—men who are not always of our image—remaining hard at labor in keeping the prosperity and value of their lands. Because perhaps in doing so, I may uncover the one question I still have after reading other literatures in researching this: what is the absolute cure for all evils?

R. Romarate, writing as CREATOR BURRD

Philippines, April, 2023