basking

Slip,past,the,cosy,rain,and,move,on,
if,ever,of,this,there's,no,stopping.

From,the,desolate,rims,of,faces,
in,sentimental,watering,holes,

Down,wet,pavements,that,simmer,to,the,
pucker,of,smugly,snoring,storefronts:

Almost,any,door,will,do,to,beat,
the,maudlin,cavalry,in,one,piece,

Any,home,with,an,ear,for,supper,
any,kiss,that,lingers,on,in,sleep.

Slip,past,the,cosy,rain,and,move,on,
if,ever,of,this,there's,no,stopping.

It,must,be,late--how,everything,else,
boils,down,so,to,the,last,cigarette.

basking was first published under a different title in a forgotten issue of the long defunct angeles sun, the better among local newsweeklies in its time. the poem began shedding comma-tears following the death of xoce garcia villa on 7 february 1997 and hadn't quite stopped mourning yet when it appeared more than a year later in the 27 april 1998 issue of the philippine graphic weekly magazine.