The virgin forest
The rain forest
The orchids of the forest
The gold and silver of the forest
The unending music of the sky
The waltz of clouds
The rolling hills of clouds
The roaring thunder,
The sparkling lightning
The heaven of silence
The beautiful sleeping lady
White dress embroidered design
A very long hair
A perfect clothing
Adored with silver
The chant of the wind
The cascades of falls
The hiss of the leaves
The whispers of the river
The kiss of the dust
The touch of the branch
The hug of the air
The eyes of the mountain
And the lizards
And the insects
And the wild animals
And the wild plants
And the thousand snakes
And the hundred mountains
And the beautiful fishes
And the colorful roots
And the magical trees
And the singing plants
And the hoots of the birds
And the “Kalaw” serenading the earth
Singing in the rain
Dancing in the sky
They never sleep
An unending movement
Above the soil
Above the forest
Above the surface
And the Diwata
And the magical plants
And the flying mammals
And the subhuman
And superhuman
And the magician
And the multi-colored life
And the happiness
And the poem
And the loneliness
And the very quiet space
Makes the owner
The source of power
Of light, of love
Blow of anger
Of hatred, dishonor the freedom
The rights
She violates the pledge
The love
The care
The silence
The flaming voice
The end of celebration
The break of romance
The wild animals are not fenced
The unchained hearts
The Diwata of justice
Open the eye
Discipline the living things.
As if being beaten
Slash and smash
Into the grass
The brass of art
The strike of color
The melody was thrown
Into an anger
Breaking the law
Understanding is sinking
Acceptance is intolerable
Of the mistakes
Of the errors
Of the sins
Of the disturbance
Of the imbalance
There is hatred
To the mischievous
To the naughty
To the noisy
To all the offspring
Who violate
The law of the mountain
Of life and love
And the thousand Diwatas
Valiant and strong
Determined to fight
Because the prestige
And the pristine
Are disrespected
the unfaithful
the hard-headed
The uneducated
The anger of the Diwata
Resounds like a drum
Resonates in the air
Re-echoes in the mountain
Reverberates
And the trees
And the bamboos
they were shaken
And uprooted from their abode
They go upstream
Join in the air
And traverse other paradise
Across seas.
The arranged Balete tree
Form a mountain
The Camiguin Island
Out of magic and power and hatred,
Lake Mainit was created.
This is the narration
The legend of the lake
The virgin water
The mouth of the river
Where precious metals
Decorate the window
Extraordinary, natural
Made from anger
Of hatred replaced with love
Enrich new life, new love
This is the narration
Of the snoring birds
The noisy wings
And distractive feet
Surrounding the mountains
Engulfing the forest
Scattered feathers filled
The enchanted hills
Angelic face
Magical god
The everlasting Diwata
Protects the origin
Of the famous mountains
The solitary town
Highest law
Compassionate mother
Who sinks the earth
Brings the mountain
Shouldering the forest
Like a crying baby
The container of gold
The unhidden fijanga
To all pets
Flying monkeys
The wild chicken
The wild fowl
The lake Mainit.
The origin of Negrito
The Lumad tribes
live around the lake
Figured the lake
Drank the first water
Sipped the first honey
Magical plants cured the sick
Fountain of water
Released the pain
Fountain of youth
Inherited from Diwata
A lifetime gift to
The people of Mainit
The Lake of Mainit
—
Jed was born in Mainit, Surigao del Norte, and raised in Barobo, Surigao del Sur. He took up international relation at MSU, Marawi City. He is currently a part-time Filipino instructor at University of Mindanao Davao City.