Poetry by Alfredo Agreda | June 29, 2008
Hipan mo ako hangin ng iyong hiningang kay lamig
Kasabay ng iyong laway na tumatalsik sa aking pisngi
Ibig kong malaman mong ako’y nag-iisa
Walang kasamang kumain sa gabing kay lanta
Tabihan mo ako hangin, h’wag kang matakot ‘di ako titingin
Kunin mo ang kutsara at tinidor
Dahandahanin mong ubusin ang nasa iyong harapan
Ibabalin ko ang aking mata sa kahel na lampara…
Poetry by Anderson Villa | June 22, 2008
Ang Babaye Inig Alas-Saes
Ang kamingaw sa kabuntagon
Sugaton sa mahait nga singgit
Taginting sa dunggan
Murag mudagan sa kailaluman
Babayeng murag langgam
Lupig pa ang umalohokan
Daw hangin sa kalawakan
Mupukaw sa hinanok na katikaran
Alas-saes sa buntag
Kini pirmi ang nahiaguman
Sa akong pandungog, kini naga-ingon
Bingka! Suman!
Si Manong Inig Alas Kuwatro
Nagbaguod kauban ang balde
Mumhong nagtagaktak sa kalye
Tiguwang nagguyod ug di-ligid
Niduol sa silingan ug niingon
“Naay lamaw diha day?”
Poetry by Mick Jethro Basa | June 22, 2008
Samtang ang kalibutan nag banha-banha
Uban sa nagkalipay karong orasa,
Ako nagasulat, nagamugna, ug naghunahuna.
Samtang ang adlaw nipahulay sa pag-atubang sa pikas tungas iyang dagway,
Ani-a siya sa akong tapad.
Di’ makita apan siya mabati
Ug siya mihunghong,
“Ayaw kabalaka, hasta ra nang sayuna”.
Iyang pulong usa ka huyuhoy sa pinakamahayahay.
Milingi ko kun diin naggikan ang tingog –
Nga misugakod kuyog ang bugnaw nga paghuyop
Nga hangin gikan sa electric fan.
“Kinsa diay ka? Kaila ba tika?”
Mitubag ako human mabati nga siya niistorya.
“Dili kana importante. Basta, sayon ra na”.
Balos niya sa sulod sa akong panghuna-huna.
“Murag nakaila na ko nimo.”
Apan siya wala na nitubag.
“Kaila gayud ko nimo.”
“Kaila sad ko nimo.”
Nabati usab nako ang usa ka tingog
Nga wala pa nako nabatian –
Apan ako nang nakaila.
Samtang nilabay na ang panganod
Ug milutaw na ang hayag nga bulawanong bulan,
Nahuman na sab kining akong tulubagon.
Kini, samtang ako nagasulat,
Nahinumduman tika ug ang imong ngalan.
“Dili ba ikaw si Beng?
Salamat kay ani-a ikaw.”
Ug siya mitando. “Sa makausab, sayon ra na”.
Paghinumdom alang kay Benjaline “Beng” Hernandez
Poetry by Javin Jet Tevar | June 15, 2008
An overhand knot. Loop like bunny ears.
Another overhand.
With eyebrows almost meeting,
I concentrated
on the simplest
ordeal a six-year-old should ace.
How could he do it so easily? Without
even looking!
Dad smirked at me. His playful arrogance
pleased me.
His brown fingers seemed to twist and turn
like his shoelaces, tying and untying.
My lips mouthed an “O”.
Continue reading Knots
Poetry by Aaron Jalalon | June 15, 2008
When I remember that fisherman
walking out of our house every morning
before breakfast, I think of
how we seemed too distant, his heart,
as usual, far from my own.
Poetry by Kelly Conlon | June 8, 2008
Before I nodded off to sleep at night
Mama would tell me a fairy tale —
The princess meets her dear prince…
“And then what next, Ma?’
A finger to her lips, she’d smile
“I’ll let you read the book tomorrow.”
When the sun came up
She’d point to the upstairs attic.
There, I sat on a dusty wooden floor —
The prince dances with his princess
to the sound of ten drums, violins,
trumpets, and lyres…
Downstairs, Ma and Pa danced
to the beat of angry voices, cries,
slamming doors, breaking china.
The royal couple now happily wed
Had a bonny daughter in the end…
Clambering down the stairs, I went
“They loved their princess, Ma!”
Pa slapped me very hard
“You and your fairy tales!”
Perhaps I had read the story wrong.
Many nights after,
I would tell myself another fairy tale
of a princess with a broken heart
crying silently in front of the mirror.
My story book went back in the attic, now
Covered in cobwebs, dust,
dried tears, and ghostly laughter—
Ma, you knew it would end that way,
didn’t you?
Poetry by Arian Rey Tejano | June 8, 2008
kung ako
mabuhi pag-usab
pilion nako
ang kinabuhi
sa lapis:
kay kung naa may kapakyasan,
mapapas ra kini.
kay kung mahabol man ang akong paglantaw,
mahait ra kini.
kay kung maglisud man ko’g duyog sa kapit-us,
naa gihapoy mogunit sa akong agi.
kung maupos man ko, apan dili sama sa usa ka kandila
dili ko mamatay.
kung ang kandila mawad-an ug kahayag,
ang akong kahayag mabilin
sa papel nga puno ug balak
nga mudugay pa sa pipila
ka panuigon.
Poetry by Krisza Joy Kintanar | June 1, 2008
I can hear our chicken in the backyard
following me at night
when I take her egg at day
and stares at me
I can hear this chicken following me at night
when I go inside the kitchen
after emptying the trash bin
with cracked shells sticking inside it
I can really hear the chicken following me at night
up the concrete staircase
suddenly it stops
to see if I’ll turn
to look at her.