p o e t r y




[tula]
Bule
ni Erlene R. Arinbuyutan

madilim ang pagkakasalpak
magaspang nga
pero wag ka
daig na panghimas
nasanay na marahil sa
inimbak na lupang pula

lalabas sa pagkakakuyog
dahil sa
tila tadyak na patak
ng ulang lumulunod sa sandaigdigan
kasabay ng ulo'y
nalalaway na
katawan

sabay hanap ng kanlungan
sa pag-ahong kalunuslunos
malasin pa'y hahapagan
ng makalyong paa
luluwa ang laman,
manunuyo, maninigas
bahagi na uli ng bantugan ng
mga patay
di man nakaani ng pansin,
di man napaunlakan ng luha

di marahil mabigyan ng slot
sa katawang katiting

kumakandili sa patutunguhang
wala.
gamit mapang
sa bumbunan nakatatak

sige,
gapang... sige
mundo mo'y sapitin ng lagim at hapi
pag namataan
ng nandidiring kaluluwa
sasabuyan ka
hanggang sa...
aray!
Pasakit sa pag-usad
di na malalasap
hatid ng
mumunting butil ng asin.






The mind's eye on the mid-morning sky
by Anne D. Mabanta

Pollens tickle my nose
as I look up and stare at the sky
Puffs of clouds before my eyes
seemed gigantic as a jet plane
flew just across them...
I'm looking at the mid-morning sky,
where moments later
the sun should shine.
I do not think at all
But instead sigh, as my feelings soar...
My heart sings to the perfect sky,
as perfect as my life.
But no, my life's not perfect,
there is something wrong.
What's wrong is, there's nothing wrong.
But need I notice that?
The mind's a conniver
as it had always been,
making up what never existed...
But the heart has
far more hopes than the mind,
does it not?
Dare I even say that
I have all the things
that money can't buy?
Would this be enough
to call my life "perfect?"
Sshhh... the wind speaks its silence
as it bushes my face...
I close my eyes
and breathe in the dewy scent
of the grass beneath my feet.
A perfect life's
just been bestowed upon
a quite imperfect mind...






Love for an Angel
by Kristine Grace P. Hamoy

Stay with me, sweet angel
heaven does touch the earth sometimes
then you wouldn't have to go

Stay with me, sweet angel
let me tear your wings off
and I will teach you how to soar without them

Stay with me, sweet angel
and let your blessed feet touch the cursed ground
together we shall walk upon it forever






[tula]
Sapin
ni Rejilah C. Siron

Isuot mo ang tsinelas ng
    taong nagmamartsa sa daan
    na may hawak na "NO TO TFI" banner o nagwawagayway
    ng bandilang pula
    na sumisigaw, damdami'y masiklab
    at pinaglalaban iyong karapatan.

Isuot mo ang sapatos ng
    taong nanonood ng mga nagmamartsa sa daan
    na may credit card o maraming pera sa bulsa
    nakikipagkwentuhan, nangungutya
    pero di n'ya alam kanyang karapatan.

Isuot mo ang alikabok ng
    taong naglalakad ng nakatapak sa lupa at daan
    tulak ang kariton, bitbit ang anak na gutom
    lumilimos, nakikiusap
    para maibigay sa anak ang karapatang mabuhay.

Isuot mong muli ang iyo...
    alin ba sa tatlo?
    O kabilang ka sa mas higit na mapanghamak o laging talo?
    Alam mo na ba ang daang tinatahak, at kung saan ba patungo?
    Suot ang sapin sa paa na napili mo.






Untitled
by Julie "Ursula" Sempio

Even for just a quarter of day
    or for an hour,
let me exhaust myself with you
    and your thoughts
    So that at night
I could hold on to those mem'ries
    and cuddle them to sleep
Even for just a quarter of day
    or of an hour,
You'd be within my reach
And I would feel your ev'ry movement,
    gestures,
as though you are my own hands
So that someday, maybe someday
I would be able to predict
    when you would blink
    when you would sneeze
Even for just a quarter of day
    or of an hour,
Allow me to take that portion
    of your precious time
for it's not to much to ask
for I guarantee it would be kept
    in a safe place
where no one would be able to take it
    or look at it, except for me
    or you, if you want to
I'll hold it dear, for how long
    I do not know,
Maybe for just a quarter
    of my life,
or of an eternity perhaps...






[tula]
Sentimyento
ni George "Ariel" Bernabe

Ikaw ang sentimyentong
aking nadarama
sa paghihimay ko
sa bawat sandaling
pinagsaluhan natin
kahapon---
sa bawat ngiti
at sa bawat luha

Ikaw ang bawat katagang
aking isinusulat at
aking binibigkas,
mga katagang
bunga ng sentimyentong
nadarama ko
ngayon---
ng sakit
at pagtanggap

Ikaw ang aking tula
tulang muling babalutin
ng sentimyentong
madarama ko
sa bawat pagbabagong
mangyayari sa atin
bukas---
sa bawat bagay na mananatili
at sa bawat bagay na
maglalaho..






[tula]
Sa pag-alimbukay ng mga paru-paro
ni Carlets "Plunder" Concepcion

Kung sakali
na magsialimbukay ang mga paru-paro,
ano ang gagawin mo?
Kung 'di maiiwasan,
na pasukin ng mga ito ang iyong pagkatao
at punuin ang iyong isipan
ng kulay, kagandahan at pananampalataya,
ng takot, pagkalumbay at libog,
ng pagtataka, galit at ligaya,
mga damdamin
na 'di lubusang mapapahayag
ng basta-basta lamang;
kung 'di mo ito kayang pigilan
at makawala sa malawak na hantungan,
kung mapadpad sila sa iyong malikot na diwa,
kaliwa't kanang katukin ang puso mo,
palibutan ang iyong kaluluwa
at hilihin ang iyong atensyon, imahinasyon at panahon
habang malayang iwinagayway ang pakpak;
kung dalhin ka ng mga ito,
sa isang mundo ng mga kabuluhan,
sa isang mundo ng kalayaan,
sa isang mundo ng pagsasatitik ng karanasan at buhay;
sa pagalimbukay ng mga paru-paro,
ano ang gagawin mo?
Kung ako sa iyo...
huhulihin ko ang mga paru-paro,
isasatitik ito,
upang mapahayag ang kabuluhan ng lahat ng ito!






Lapu-Lapu speaks
by Papa Osmubal

Before engaging his men to war,
Lapu-Lapu, the Datu, told them this:-

Listen to me, dear Brothers,
not because I am ordained your Sultan, your chieftain,
rather because I am one of your elders
who want to bequeath you a glorious future.

Brothers, I lived to serve this land
from my youth till this time I am kept standing
by tired and frail bones,
and I endow you a very precious treasure
I kept all these years- a secret.

This one, dear Brothers: intrude the eyes of your enemies
and steal their dreams.
Eyes are filled with dreams,
that is why they are burning.

Lapu-Lapu was the Malay Datu (chieftain or king) of Cebu Island, Philippines, who, in one of Asia’s foremost battles against European conquerors, killed Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese navigator hired by Spain to find spices and gold in the Orient. He found both, but not without his bitter death. Unknown to most of the world, Datu Lapu-Lapu was the reason of the long delay of European conquest and invasion of South-East Asia.



















p r o s e




[fiction]
The Gallery
by Jojo Pasion Malig

Come in, my fellows, come in.

Well, make up your mind. Don't just stand there with the door open, letting in the cold. Ah, you've decided to join us for a moment, then? Good.

I think you'll enjoy viewing the displays. Warm yourself by the fire and then I'll give you the tour.

Here, try a sip of this. Never mind what it is. It'll numb you against the cold, and maybe a few other things as well. You look like you might need it.

There, that's better. Ready to begin? Follow me. Through this doorway, and then . . . wait a moment, your eyes will adjust to the poor lighting conditions.

So, what do you think? I always like to watch new visitors' faces. There's something so simple--so beautiful, yet so grotesque-- about all this. Like a bird's fascination for a snake, you want to look away, but you can't, can you? I thought not.

Let's take a moment while you get used to it. Sorry, poor choice of words; you never get used to it. You just learn to shut it all out sometimes.

Yes, I brought my flask with me; why don't you keep it for the tour. Drink up, there's more where that came from.

Here's a trick: Don't look at it all at once. Focus on one display at a time. For instance, look to your left. Here's one of my favorites.

Savor the feeling of misery that comes upon you when you see the stories, when you hear the pain. Notice the very special blend of love and hate, agony and anger, all mixed together in one person's life.

Feel free to stare. She can't see you; she's not really here. That's craftsmanship, that is, and she's one of our finest artists. Some people might think that her display is too crowded, that she's trying to fit too many things in too small an area, but I disagree. It makes me weep to stay here too long, so let's move along.

Okay, we might as well get this one over with. A lot of people insist on displaying this kind of stuff, although I don't much care for it myself. I categorize these kind of displays as "unrequited love," though of course you're free to make your own judgement. I only wish there weren't so many of them.

At this point, I probably should warn you. Not all the displays are harmless. See the ones over there, covered with cheap burlap? Most of 'em are just sales pitches, annoying but innocuous, but there are a few others. Feel free to peek, but I've learned better. Oh, and if you decide to look at the one on the end, there, you may wish to have me lash you to the mast.

Eh? Nothing. Just an old man's joke. Working here has made me a good bit stranger, or so say my friends and relatives. And here we come to another one of my favorites.

What do you see? Nothing. What do you hear? Nothing. What do you feel? Nothing. It's a very subtle display; not everybody appreciates it at first, but I tell you it's high art. If you look at this one long enough, you'll begin to question your own existence, or at least your own sanity. It's a powerful message of hopelessness and despair.

Here, you, come away from there! It's a trap. Notice the outline, there on the ground? You ring that bell, and the floor drops out from under you.

Executed well, it can be really fun to watch. From a distance. Unfortunately, few are so skilled.

Well, I've shown you a few of the displays, but you really should experience them on your own. Pretty soon you'll realize that anybody can create one, but I do warn you. It's not as easy as it looks. Some people adjust their displays almost every day, moving this a bit, straightening up that. It's very consuming.

Unless you have any questions, I'm going to head back to the fire, and finish that bottle. Take as long as you like, we never close.

What? You want to see my display? I'm flattered, but there isn't much to show. That's it right there. No, it's not just an empty room. Look carefully at the carpet. Notice anything? See where the piles have been pressed down?

Yes, that's right, there used to be furniture there. Bookcases, dressers, a bed. And that's not all; if you look carefully, you might notice a tarnished money clip. It's a short story, but a long time between tells.

This part's hardest of all. Look straight ahead, but at nothing in particular. There! Did you see that? You didn't? Keep trying, if you like, but I'm going back. I really can't stay here long.

Oh, just ghosts. The people who helped make me who and what I am today.

Sometimes I can see 'em, sometimes not. Most of the time I don't want to see them.

One last question? Sure, shoot. How to get started on your own display?

But I thought you knew. Look up. Look around you. You've already started, and someone is watching you this very instant. Like it or not, what you've seen here today will affect your life, your work, your art.

I'm leaving now. Thanks for stopping by. You'll be back.