Category: Poetry

Ang kahadlok nga nahimugso sa iyang panit

Poetry by | November 22, 2021

Siya ra gyuy nasayod
sa kanunayong pagpuga sa luha
sa iyang mga mata
nga mingbisbis sa iyang
daan ug bug-at nga unlan

Siya ra gyuy nasayod
Sa kabugal-bugalon sa iyang huna-huna
mga storya nga gubot ra
sa iyang alimpatakan

Suod niya ang kadaghanan
Alegre ang palibot ug naa siya
Makatakod ang iyang ka hapsay

Apan luyo sa katim-os sa iyang mga pahiyom
Adunay kahuyang, adunay kahadlok
apan siya ray nasayod

Igo nalang ako sa pagpamalandong
Apan ngano ako musulay pa og salom sa iyang mga hinyap?
Ngano og samukon ko pa usab akong kaugalingon?
Kung mao ang iya, iya gayud
Kung ang ako, ako gayud

Ug di niya ipa-ambit kanako
ang iyang kasakit,
dawaton ko nalang
ang kahadlok nga nahimugso sa iyang panit

John Ferdinand Torralba is a web-developer, Mechanical keyboard modder, and coffee addict in Davao City.

I wish I could be as good as a poem

Poetry by | November 15, 2021

like its first line –
the first bite
of a cobra that coils you,
like your hand
on my nape
with the other on my chest.

like a garden of metaphors,
full of unbloomed roses
and unbirthed scents,
anticipating the warmth
of your eyes that set upon me.

like a sonnet
with the perfection
of its measure
and the sound of the syllables
singing together.

like an epic
telling the story
of the adventures
of your touch tracing
my curves and shapes,
conquering continents
of my mind.

I wish I could be all these words
and be all the poems
you wish to write –
in your papers,
behind your armchair,
on your sweaty palm,
or in your prayers
and in your moments
like a recurrence
through this lifetime.

I wish I could be as good as the poems
that you have imprinted in me
with the whispers
of your mouth –
the faint breath of our sounds

but you
have refused
to write
me.

Karen Kae is a junior high school teacher from Davao City. In between teaching and writing reports, she enjoys decluttering and playing shooter games.

Dayun…

Poetry by | November 15, 2021

Katahum sa panan-awon
nag-atubang sa Pasipikong kadagatan.
Bungtod ug kabukiran
sa Kasadpan, baybayon sa Silangan.

Makadani ang turquoise nga linaw,
giladman wala mahibal-an;
pahulay sa pino nga puti nga balas,
matagamtaman ang cerulean ug tubig daw crystal,

ingon naa ka sa tunga sa mahimayaong dagat ug
bihagon ka sama nga naglutaw sa panganod.
Paminawa ang maabiabihong pagpangamay sa balod,
ang Sunrise Boulevard pamalandongi sa imong pag-agi!

Batia ang kainit sa tuburan, ug mahingangha
sa emerald na bugnawng langoyanan.
Madanihon usab ang kurtinang busay
labaw pa sa gatos nga lebel,

Baganga….

Daisy M. Corpuz is an educator. Born in the province of Loreto, Agusan del Sur, Daisy was raised at the heart of Davao City. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Language and Literature at University of Southeastern Philippines. She would love to contribute in language documentation and preservation.

Lost and Found Christmas in our Hearts Cassette Tape

Poetry by | November 15, 2021

Ok lang yan
Jose Mari Chan
Kahit ginapagtawanan ka nila
Hindi mo kontrol ang gina isip nila
Iba na ang panahon ngayon
Makapal na ang mga kubal

Maalala ko noon mas malaki pa ang Krismas tree sa akin,
bakal na gi twist na rebar at gipinturahan ng puti
gipalibutan ng silver na plastic na palamuti,
habang ginalagyan niya ng krismas lights ang San Francisco
ginapatugtug ka ni mama sa Karaoke
habang gina ayos niya ang bahay 

Sing a song and light up the lights
We need to make this Christmas bright
Hang your favorite dream on a star
Wish upon it Christmas night

Habang ginapag away ko si RoboCop at Elisa Masa action figures sa kwarto
Maamoy ko ang bagong floorwax na sahig
Gina imagine ko ito ang amoy ng snow
Alam ko na krismas na
Magsabit na kami ni ading ng medyas sa bintana
Magdating si Mommy Tess galing maynila

On a beautiful day that I dream about
In a world I would love to see
Is a beautiful place where the sun comes out
And it shines in the sky for me

Kabait ng mga tao sa isat-isa
Hindi na ginakuha ni papang ang kambyo niya sa nagatinda
kahit kami ni ading hindi naga away
ati-ati lang kami sa lahat ng bagay

Sing a song of gladness and cheer (gladness and cheer)
for the time of Christmas is here (is here)
Look around about you and see (look around about you and see)
what a world of wonder this world can be

Perstaym ko nagpa Gensan
Nag grocery si mamang sa Gaisano
Parang ilog ang daloy ng mga tao
Hanggang doon marinig kita
Jose Mari Chan
Habang nagapila sa cashier si mamang 

Can you hear the sound of life
Heard in the laughter of children at play
Can you hear the sound of voices sing
Feel the magic and joy they bring

Pag may naga caroling baya kay
Depende sa pagkanta ang ginabigay
Magalit si papang pag hindi ginatarong
Kapag gina yaga yaga ang pag kanta

Christmas children peep into Christmas windows
See a world as pretty as a dream
Christmas trees and toys, Christmas hopes and joys
Christmas puddings rich with Christmas cream

Ang palabas sa Starmovies kay home alone 1-2-3
O Batman returns – forever – robin
Ayaw ni mamang sa patutin kaya manokin
ang noche Buena namin
iba talaga ang lasa ng pagkain
pag ikaw ang ginapatugtug
Jose Mari Chan

Pero

Ngayon 

na alam ko na kung sino ang tunay na santa klaws
At matanda na si Macaulay Culkin
At si Ben Affleck na ang Batman
ginahanap kita
pati ang Karaoke
pati ang krismas tree
ginahanap ko sila Robocop at Elisa Masa action figures
ang tunay na lasa ng manokin
ang mga naga caroling
wala naman sila
nawala ka na rin
gihalungkat ko na ang bahay ngayon
nawala ka na man

ginahanap kita
ginahanap ka ni mamang
hindi nya na daw maramdaman ang krismas
simula noong nawala ka
wala nang december sa kalendaryo namin
pati ang Karaoke
gibenta na sa bote bakal
ang krismas tree gikain na ng kalawang

wala na

wala na

wala na

o baka 

mali ako ng gihanapan

baka nandito ka lang

sa puso ko

Gerald is a Teacher/Poet of Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, South-Central Mindanao. He writes in a Hybrid form of Tagalog mixing Binisaya, Iluko, and Hiligaynon which is a common unifying language among the diverse cultures of South Central Mindanao. His works have been published by Anthologies, E-Journals, and Journals all throughout the Philippines. He advocates the use of SOX Tagalog in the literary community. He lives with his wife and eight fur babies. He hates needles.

I left Nabunturan for a city

Poetry by | October 18, 2021

who does not want me.
The city was a three-hour bus ride
away. The pens, notebooks, and two handfuls of clothes
felt like rocks in my backpack, anchoring me
to my seat. At the city’s terminal,
I had to use all my strength to move. The city
never stopped moving. It never learned to shut up.

I left Nabunturan for a city who does not want me.
I sat on my bed that night, whispering
against the dust on the sheets. The dust—a gift
from the previous boarder, the Engineering student
who had left the fields his father had tilled
in exchange for the city’s comfort.
This city had tricked us. We thought
we were coming home.

I left Nabunturan for a city who does not want me.
My Nabunturan, I chose this city
because my passion lies beneath the battered pillars
of a university who taught me nothing but to miss you.

Now, I am writing this amidst the noise of the jeepneys
in front of Bankerohan bridge, where constructions
of buildings spurt like mushrooms only to be abandoned.
I write this while inhaling scent of the river
and the garbage beneath it. But I am not bothered
at how the scent tugged at my nostrils. In this city,
I am an orphan. I wander the streets in search of things
to write about, finding comfort in the poems the city
has taught me to create. But in Nabunturan,

my Nabunturan, with you I am a child
breathlessly running to see his mother
when he returns home after school:
shoes muddied, hair drenched in sweat,
skin that bore the sun’s kisses. Tell me, again,

why I left.

Ruben Tabalina was born and raised in Nabunturan, Compostela Valley. He is currently a 4th Year student from the University of Southeastern Philippines taking up a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Cultural Studies. He’s a boy in a dress who is born to impress.

Kapeng Barako

Poetry by | October 18, 2021

Giangkon sa nagbilangkad nga lingkoranan
ang akong kabug-aton, ug gihawoy
akong laway og kinapyot
sa gahanggab nga ngabil samtang nalipong
ang kutsarita og tinuyok sa tasa, gilumpag
ang nagtibugol nga kape gikan gilapwaan.

Usahay, mangurog akong dila ug magdilaab
akong alimpatakan… Tungod kaya ni
sa pag-uyon nako sa timpla sa imong tingog
dihang miingon ka kanako, “Magkape ra ta.”

Unsa kaha kon kutawon sa imong dila
ang akong baba, o di ba kaha higopon nimo
ang katam-is sa akong pangandoy?
Bisan sama ra sa aso ang hunahuna,
mabati ko gihapon ang kainit.
Ang kahapdos. Ang kasakit.

Ug wala ko makabalo kon
kanus-a malamian og balik.

Ivan lives in Davao City.

My Mother’s Perfume

Poetry by | October 18, 2021

Wearing a daisy-printed
lilac blouse,
she pranced
around the house
one last time.

Had I known it was the last,
I wished I breathed it all in:

how she smelled like mint
and fresh green herbs,
and tropical fruit
amidst the scent of rain,

and how she smelled like the dying sun
in the afternoon,
a fresh pandesal
in a pugon.

Now, she smelled like lighted candles,
embraced with formaldehyde,
flickering for the ones
left behind.

She smelled like burnt rice coffee,
and patchouli,
and moments—
extended into eternity.

Ruben Tabalina was born and raised in Nabunturan, Compostela Valley. He is currently a 4th Year student from the University of Southeastern Philippines taking up a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Cultural Studies. He’s a boy in a dress who is born to impress.

Karaang Pantalon

Poetry by | October 18, 2021

Gisuong sa akong mga tiil
ang mga langob sa laspag
nga maong. Kada suksok,
magka-anam sab ang kaguot,
magtapok, magpunsisok
ang kahapdos sa unod –
dili kalusot ibabaw sa tuhod.

Naanad ko nga sul-ubon
kining pantalon: ang panap –
tong inampingan gikan gipalit,
hinatag sa akong inahan.

Timaan nga dili nako pugson
og sulod kining mga tikang
sa paghandum arun dili manga –
tangkas ang kagahapon nga
magpabilin taliwala sa kaguot
sa akong gibati human siya
misuong apan wa na kabalik

Ivan lives in Davao City.