Tribute to King Sol

Oh, Great Luminous Wise Eye,

King of the vast Kingdom Sky

Are you haughty or you’re simply shy?

Cause you’re always hiding your face in our pry.

Your brightness is timeless,

Your intrusiveness... boundless!

You serve as the mute witness

To all the Earth’s business.

Generations come and generations go

The wind: round and round it blows

Streams and rivers continue to flow

You: in silence, just emitting golden halos.

You keep vigil to the life

Of both the fool and the wise

In harmony and in strife

From their birth ‘til their demise.

What has been done will be done once more

What is new to you, oh Signor?

You have seen everything of yore

Is there anything that you don’t know?

Katitikan sa Isang Pulong

Petsa: Ika-dalawa ng Abril, taong 2009

Mga Dumalo:

Mr. Y

Mrs. Y

R. S.

Pinag-usapan:

Makailang ulit umikot ang mga kamay ng relo

unti-unting naubos ang pizzang hinati sa walo

sa bawat pagkabawas, nagbahagi ang kasamang ginoo

isang ideolohiya mula simula hanggang dulo.

Unang Hiwa:

Nagsimula sa lipunang primitibo

O, kay tahimik na mundo!

Simple lamang ang pagtatalo

sa pagitan ng kalikasan at ng tao.

Ikalawang Hiwa:

Hindi naiwasan ang panloloko

ng mga taong sadyang pinanganak na tuso

nang-api sa walang kalaban-labang tao

nagkaroon tuloy ng alipin at ng amo.

Ikatlong Hiwa:

Hindi pa rin natapos ang pananamantala

ang pang-aapi ay lalong pang ngang lumala

mga magsasaka ay patuloy sa pagbabata

lakas paggawa, sinangla sa panginoong maylupa.

Ika-apat na Hiwa:

Sa ika-apat na yugto, pang-aapi’y di pa rin naglaho

mga tusong kapitalista, patuloy pa ring namuno

ang paboritong kutlo ng mapang-abusong tuso:

‘’Paikutin ang kanilang ulo nang manatili sa pwesto.’’

Ikalimang Hiwa:

Katotohanan ay biglang sumambulat

mga manggagawa ay biglang naging mulat

“Magkapit-kamay, humawak ng armas

upang matigil na ang kaapihang dinaranas.”

Ika-anim na Hiwa:

Mararating pa ba ang lipunang komunista?

Walang manggagawa, walang kapitalista

walang sinasamantala, walang nananamantala

may pagkapantay-pantay sa buong planeta.

Dalawang hiwa pa ng pizza

ang naiwan sa gitna ng mesa

wala nang naglakas loob pang kumuha

dahil bawat isa ay punong-puno na.

Punong-puno ng kaalaman

kaalaman tungkol sa kaapihan

kaapihan ng maliliit na mamamayan

mamamayang babangon para sa kinabukasan!

Dilim

Ipikit ang mga mata nang mariin

Anong nakikita mo sa dilim?

Wala na ba sa'yong paningin

ang mga damdaming kinikimkim?

Mawawala ba ang mga tinig

Sa likod ng pintong nakapinid?

Magbabago ba ang iyong daigdig,

Sa pagmulat ba'y wala ka na sa'yong silid?

Mainit na Sabaw, Kaalamang Umaapaw (Para kina Y)

Ikalabing-anim ng Marso ang araw

Dalawang mangangatha ang naka-ulayaw

Magkakilanlan ang unang pakay

Ikalawa’y magpalitan ng mga pananaw.

Sa bawat pagtilamsik ng laway

Ilang hulagway ang nabigyang linaw

Kasabay ng paghigop ng mainit na sabaw

Mesa ay bumaha ng ideyang umaapaw.

(sandok... higop... lunok... sinop...)

Sandok ng mainit na sabaw sa tasa

Higop ng mga ideyang inilatag sa mesa

Lunok ng sabaw na kay sarap ng lasa

Sinop ng mga aral na nakuha sa kanila.

(sandok... higop... lunok... sinop...)

Tuloy-tuloy lumagatak ang kubyertos

Pagkain sa hapag ay tuluyan nang naubos

Ngunit ang mga kaalamang umaagos

Ay walang patid pa rin sa pagbuhos.

Dumating ang katapusan, napuno ang sisidlan

Ng mainit na sabaw sa aking tiyan,

Ng bagong kaalaman sa aking isipan,

At ng mga kaibigan sa aking listahan.

Binhi ng Galit

Minsan, nagtanim ako ng isang binhi ng galit

Araw-araw, dinilig ko ito ng ngitngit

Winisikan ko rin ng patabang himutok

Kaya ito’y sumibol sa kubling lupa ng poot.

Natuwa ako nang ito’y sumuloy

Ngunit naduwag ako nang ito’y yumabong

Kaya sinikap kong patayin ng pagpapasensya

Ngunit ang ugat yata’y bumaon na nang sobra.

Lumipas ang araw, ang galit ay nagsikip

Kaya gumapang ito palabas ng dibdib

Sumulong pa ito at umabot sa bibig

At doon sa dila’y namunga ng salitang masasakit.

Ang mga dahon nito’y tumakip sa tenga

Naging bingi sa paghingi n’ya ng dispensa

Nagsumiksik din ang sanga sa mga mata

Kaya hindi na nakita pa ang pagmamakaawa niya.

Nagdilim ang mata, nagsara ang tenga

Hindi na nalaman ang sumunod na istorya

Galit ay unti-unting nang nalanta

Hanggang sa mawala na,

dahil wala na rin siya.

Just Because...

Just because I ate my lunch

when anger was eating my heart

... my food got no taste

as I ate my lunch in haste

... I almost spewed my food

because it was not properly chewed

… I simply ate the half

and dumped the other chunk

Now...

… my stomach is upset

and my gastric juices are not at rest.

It’s all because I ate my lunch

when anger was eating my heart.

The Woe in Sowing (Ang Hinaing sa Pagtatanim)

The Woe in Sowing

Does the farmer
listen
to the earth's complaint
when it feels the pain
the moment it is opened
with the plough
so the wheat
may be sown?

Does the earth
only feel
the sting of the wound
or does it experience
the thrill of the seed
Excited!
with the coming of
the joy of its fruit?



Ang Hinaing sa Pagtatanim

Nakikinig ba ang
magsasaka
sa panaghoy ng lupa
nang maramdaman nito
ang hapdi ng pagsugat ng araro
upang maipunla ang
natutulog na mga
buto?

Nararamdaman lang ba
ng lupa ang sakit
na dulot ng araro
o nararanasan din niya
ang saya ng punla
Nagagalak!
sa pagdating ng araw,
Araw ng Pagsibol?

Mga Awit ng Pagkasiphayo

Puwing
Umihip ang hanging pumukaw sa aking kamalayan
Umalimbukay ang natitining na alaala ng nakaraan
Gumiri-giri, umindak-indak sa aking harapan
Pumuwing sa mga mata kong sinikap kong takpan.

Mga alaala’y pilit na sumingit
Walang bisa ang ginawa kong pagpikit
Pumasok sa mga mata ang pilit na winawaglit
Kaya’t tumulo pa rin ang luhang kay pait.


Sugat
Ang puso ko ‘ata ay may sugat
Humahapdi pag nasaling ng alaala ng nakalipas
Kay sarap lagyan ng benda ng pangangarap
Na ako’y nasa bansang kung saan nagbuhat
Ngunit ang realidad ay sadyang kumakagat
Ang sugat ko tuloy tuluyang nagnanaknak.


Patid
Umalagwa ang damdaming pilit kong kinikimkim
Nagpatumbling-tumbling sa himpapawid ng paninimdim
Wala akong magawa kundi habulin ng tingin
Ang mga nagpasirko-sirkong lungkot sa papawirin.

Mga Kuskos-Balungos sa Pagshashampoo ng Buhok

Wet the hair thoroughly.
Basain ang buhok.
Pabayaang umagos
Ang tubig mula tuktok
hanggang batok.

(Pahintulutang malunod
Mga sentimentong nagpupuyos.
Mga nagkukumawalang alingasngas
Payagan mong tumagas.)


Put a small amount of shampoo on your palm.
Ilagay ang likidong di kalaputan
Sa nanghihingi mong kamay.
Langhapin ang bangong nakalapat
Sa nakalahad mong palad.

(Ang mga alingasaw na naghuhumiyaw
mula sa umagas na mga agam-agam
ay piliting hadlangan ng bango sa’yong kamay
hayaang magbigay ng panandaliang kapayapaan.)


Apply the shampoo on your hair. Lather gently.
Ipahid ang likidong mabango
sa mga maiitim na hibla sa iyong ulo
himas-himasin ang bawat himaymay nito
hanggang mabalot ng bulang kay bango

(Marahang labnutin mga naiwang pangamba
Hagurin ang bawat himaymay ng pag-aalala
Piliting wala nang matira
Na maaaring gumambala sa’yong pag-iisa.)


Rinse thoroughly.
Banlawan ang buhok
Mula tuktok hanggang batok.
Siguraduhing walang maiiwang
Bula sa anit at saan mang sulok-sulok.

(Pakawalan ang mga negatibong bagay
Kasabay ng mga bulang bumabaybay
Pababa sa sahig na naghihintay
Hayaang sa agos ito ay matangay.)



Repeat if necessary.
(May natira pa rin bang mga latak?
Bakit ang luha ko’y tuloy pa rin sa pagpatak?
Sayang!
Ang bote ng shampoo ko’y wala ng laman
Uulitin ko sana ang nakasulat sa likod nitong paraan
sa tamang pashashampoo ng buhok kong magaspang.)

Death, Thy Servant, is at her Door

The last thread of breath
Escapes from her lifeless lips
.
.
.
Then the darkness sweeps…
… the last flicker of light in her blurring eyes
… the sound of silence on her fastened lips
… the acrid taste on her tongue that dwells for years
… the last blow of kiss of humid air on her cheeks

(There comes the sound of nothingness)
.
.
.

Then…
A LOUD BANG!...

(her statue collapsed
smashed into dust
carried by the tender wind)

-she-
becomes a part of the air they breathe


(“Death, thy servant, is at my door. He has crossed the unknown sea and brought thy call to my home…He will go back with his errand done, leaving a dark shadow on my morning, and in my desolate home only my forlorn self will remain as my last offering to thee…”
-Tagore, from Gitanjali)

Nang Lumayas ang Musa

Papel na malinis
Di napudpod na lapis

Salitang naglaho
Balak na nabigo

Blankong utak
Naging bakante ang pitak

Kumawala ang musa
Di tapos ang nasa

Ideyang salat
Walang nang ma'sulat

Exodus 32: The Golden Calf

When there’s no strength left to endure,
She kneels down before a golden figure.
Before uttering her heart’s fracture,
Her eyes rest on its feature:

It has eyes but cannot see
Nose but cannot smell the offertory
Mouth but cannot express its feeling of pity

It has hands but cannot feel
Feet but it cannot walk on its heel.

Without uttering the sound in her throat,
She stands up and starts to leave the court.

Lover's Song

Lover:
Come with me, my fair maiden,
I will bring you to Eden.
We’ll make the clouds our chariot
And let the wings of the wind be our pilot.

Maiden:
Are we going to the boundaries that cannot be crossed,
Or to the high mountain that belongs to the wild goats?

Lover:
Yea, my love!
We will frolic with the beast of the fields,
Watch the birds of the air flirt with the wind.

Maiden:
And we’ll see their nest by the river
Then listen as they sing among the branches of cypress…

Lover:
Yea, my fair maiden!
And when the day is over and it’s time for our slumber,
We’ll rest our tired bodies on a mattress of birds’ feather.

Maiden:
(silence)

Lover:
The moonlight will be our ember
We’ll lay side-by-side under the ceiling of stars.

Maiden:
The beasts of the forest prowl
Lions roar for their prey as spoil.

Lover:
Do not fret, my fair one,
My love will keep you safe and warm.

Both:
(holding hands)
Love will sustain our heart.
And tomorrow, when the morning comes,
The sun will rise and shine his flames of fire.

(singing)
La, la, la, la…
Love will sustain our heart…
Tomorrow the morning will come
And breathe his flames of fire.


HEADLINE KINABUKASAN:

MAGKASINTAHAN, NATAPUANG WALANG BUHAY AT DUGUAN SA DAMUHAN, NILAPA NG HARI NG KAGUBATAN

Rear-View Mirror

... and everything is coming back to me: PNU, Normal Hell (ehem! Hall), LSC, CLLL, catwalk, BSE English, IV-11, French class, Monsieur James, Mademoiselle Gaelle, bunny holding a cookie in the moon, Reading Society, ‘bloody’, Vincent Van Gogh, Starry, Starry Nights, Vincent – Don Mclean, Sonnet 116, CTL (hatred… more hatred… forget everything)

… LET, MHCS, Ma’am Damples, Hezekiah room, GBC (enlightenment), English Department, mommies and singles, Elaine, Spongebob Squarepants, Patrick Starfish, Anakin, Tuldok (a.k.a Duke), Journalism Club, Ma’am Arlene, Sway, Phantom of the Opera, Memoirs of Geisha, Jungle Pen (a.k.a Candle Pen), hipon, manggang hilaw, bagoong, Shekinah’s Anniversary, Glorietta, Pizza Hut, bell, wasabi peas, MRT, Guadalupe Station (5 phases to acceptance: 1st: denial, 2nd: anger, 3rd: bargaining, 4th: depression, 5th: acceptance – but in every phase, there is always HOPE), Remedial Reading Program, summer classes, biometric, TOS, LOI, warehouse, Sterling, Country Style, Pancake House, granny goose, 4:00 PM, ACELT, Professor Marian, sure (high pitch), Chinese New Year, Spring Concert, ‘TeJheng, 8th April 2006, Laundromat, resignation letter (>end<)

Remembering the past is like driving your car very fast and looking at the rear-view mirror. You can see the area behind the vehicle through the back window. You can have a glimpse of where you have been to and all the things that you have passed through yet you cannot stop and go back because the car must continue to run forward for you to reach the final stop. (>end<)

... and I looked again at my rear-view mirror: passport, visa, telephone calls, my 23rd birthday, October 3, 2007, Emirates Airlines, apple juice, red wine, Panadol, Toni Gonzaga’s movie: ‘You Got Me’, Dubai, Al Madar Engineering, Al Lootah Company, Gulf Newspaper, RTA buses, Al Rais Travel, conference room, business development office, work… work… work… (then I keep driving and looking at my rear-view mirror.)

Last Song of Goodbye

This night is not the same as the other nights

It is a night like this one I tried to take you out of my mind
Your face which haunted my sleepless nights

The intense feeling that mesmerized my soul lingers no more
Your memories no longer seize my soul

In this moment, you are no longer a part of me

If these will be the last verses that you can make my heart sing
This would be my sweetest melody

And if this will be the last sadness that you can make me suffer
I would endure this cry and would be satisfied

Tonight will be the final night that you are my muse

How can I not offer you this finest goodbye,
When in the past you’re the one who occupied my mind?

Though tomorrow it will no longer be the same
You will be just like the other. Like the other as I am to you

In this moment, you are no longer a part of me

Tomorrow, my thoughts of you will no longer be the same
It doesn’t matter anymore if I do not have you

You will no longer be that someone
As I hope no more to be your someone

Tomorrow, we will be the same. Just like the other

Oh, how I loved you!
How I begged the wind to whisper that to you

Those nights seemed so endless because I do not have you
My heart was not whole because you’re not with me

But this night is not the same as the other nights

And tomorrow, it will not be the same
I no longer love you. That is certain