Category: Poetry

Nanga Sa?

Poetry by | October 2, 2016

“Madayaw na araw!”, kadaig mga utaw ga-laong.
Pero sa bus pag awon magtiyab ng dinabaw o mandaya,
Gina-laong nilan, “nanga sa yaan siya?”
Yawala da gyud ang lingwahe nami na ngani yaghuya.
Awon mga okasyon, sa siyudad o hain man,
Mga bado nami, ginagamit, “identity ng Mindanao” laong nilan
Pero pag gamiton da ni Juan, awon stereotyping da uman,
Kag prejudice isab, murmur nilan as if, taga ibang bayan.
Todo deny isab minsan, pero tribal motif ang restaurant
Kadaigay customer, “no spoon” rule, dahon kanila pigka-anan,
Aduy! Maputi man o mga elite na awon, pigaganahan
Sana singud-saan da permanente, total kita-kita man lang.
Awon gani yag-ugpa ngadto Manobo o b’laan,
Few flapos da uman, sa radio ko yaan nadunggan,
Bisaya man ang accent, todo deny brethren ko kana-an,
Aduy! Nanga sa yaan silan, si Juan man isab mismo yagtago man.

Fraulein Bosch Silva obtained B.S. Psychology in Guidance and Counseling from Cor Jesu College in 1997. She enrolled and graduated M.A. Psychology in Counseling Psychology from Negros Oriental State University in 2005. She is currently taking up Ph. D. Psychology in Counseling Psychology at the Ateneo de Davao University. She is an Associate Member of the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) and a former member of Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association (PGCA). She has written novels and recent inspirational and reference books entitled ‘Overcoming Anger’ and ‘Understanding the Self’ that will be out of market this year under Cronica Books publications.

Tubod Tunga sa Umahan

Poetry by | October 2, 2016

Una takang namatikdan sa umahan sa duol,
Gahawan pud day kas mga sagbot sa imong yuta.
Nag pamati ra kos mahilum, apan wala ko damha
Nga ang mga tan-aw nato duna pay ika lalum.

Nilabay ang pipila ka adlaw, nasaag ka sa akong yutang
Gi-atiman. Gi sugnod nimo ang mga kogon, gibungkal ang yuta,
ug gi ila-ila ang akong kalibutan.
Ang mga alindanaw sa akong umahan, nagmalipayon;
Ug ang mga punoan sa cacao nagpungasi.
Ang mga kogon sa yuta hinay hinay
Nga gakawagtang, gatubo na ang sagbot sa kabaw.

Sukad sa una natong pagila-ila,
dungan na tang gahulat sa pagsalop sa adlaw;
Nahibaw-an nakong duna tay kanya-kanyang kasubo,
Apan ang kinabuhi nimo’g ako dili hilayo.
Makapamati tas pareha nga huni,
Nagasayaw tas usa ka pandanggo.
Duna tay usa ka paghuna-huna sa ilalum sa tagsa-tagsa
Natong krus. Ang imong kasakit akoa, ang akoa, imo.
Ang atong mga pagbati napadayag bisan pas kawad-un
Sa mga pulong nga sakto.

Ang pagsubang sa adlaw kalipay sa mga mata
Kay ang kahayag midampi sa imong nawung
Ug gahatag sa kasidlak sa mga yamog.
Ay, kanindot sa talan-awun;
Pagka anindot lantawun sa umahang gitikad
Sa atoang mga singot.
Ang duga sa lemon nga daw aslum
gahatag og katam-is sa samad sa atong mga kamot.
Bulahan ang yuta’ng gi atiman sa nag higugmang
Kasing-kasing. Mabungahon ang yuta og dunay
Pagpanumbaling.

Cyrell is a psychosocial worker in a local NGO that helps young adolescent children in vulnerable situations. She is a graduate student of Masters in Applied Social Research at the Ateneo de Davao University. She also paints and sketches, aside from writing fiction and poetry.

Sanctify

Poetry by | September 25, 2016

She went to walk to the other end of the stage
Her feet rises one after the other, as if jumping,
When she reaches the other edge, she raises her arms and stands a while

She did this for many times; sometimes running,
sometimes walking. Her eyes sometimes search
she is looking for something;
There is a little girl who came with her mother

First, the wave of prayer. “Santa Maria
Madre de Dios rega por nosotros…”
It is seconded by her feet: pak pak pak pak

“…pecadores ahora y hasta para cuando…”
No one complains, no one thinks wrong of it
even if everyone sits, kneeling, praying
The Holy Virgin sits on the table

Three: A little girl’s laughter
“Amen.”

Floraime is a Basileña who majored in Literature, Linguistics, and Language Teaching at the Iligan Institute of Technology of the Mindanao State University. She is currently teaching subjects on Literary and Language Studies in the same university. The poem “Santifica” is the first Chabacano literary piece ever published in Dagmay. “Sanctify” is the approximation of the meaning in the Chabacano language, and not the translation, as indicated by the author herself.

Santifica

Poetry by | September 25, 2016

Ya anda le kamina para na otro punta del entablado
Ta alsa alsa un pies acaba el su otro, como ta brinca brinca,
Llega otro lao, ya alsa le su maga braso y ya para un rato
antes le abaha na jutay escalera del entablado

Ya hace ste ele por cuanto vezes; tiene vez ta kore,
tiene vez, ta camina. Su ohos tiene vez ta mira mira
na areredor, como tiene kosa ta anda busca;
Tiene jutay mujer ya anda sigui con su nana

Una, el avenida del reso. “Santa Maria
Madre de Dios rega por nosotros…”
Ta segunda su maga pies: pak pak pak pak

“…pecadores ahora y hasta para cuando…”
No hay quien ta reklama, hende ta pensa malo
masquin sila todo ta sinta, hinca, y ta resa
El santissima virgen cintao lang alya na mesa

Tres: Risas del jutay bata mujer.
“Amen.”

Floraime is a Basileña who majored in Literature, Linguistics, and Language Teaching at the Iligan Institute of Technology of the Mindanao State University. She is currently teaching subjects on Literary and Language Studies in the same university. The poem “Santifica” is the first Chabacano literary piece ever published in Dagmay. “Sanctify” is the approximation of the meaning in the Chabacano language, and not the translation, as indicated by the author herself. You may find the English translation of this poem here.

The Story of Lake Mainit

Poetry by | September 18, 2016

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
Continue reading The Story of Lake Mainit

The Third Waterfall

Poetry by | September 11, 2016

Her brute force rattles you
To the core, even from a distance.
She drops with such heaviness,
Such strength, that she sends spray
Back up the air, higher than her,
Ramming the forested slopes around
With her rumble, causing leaves
To tremble, your heart to flutter.

The most beautiful is the most
Terrifying, you tell yourself, humbled
By your smallness, by the mortality
Of your body. You stand still
Before her, and in mere minutes—
In your ears and eyes, her roar lowers
To a murmur, her fall slows
To a flow. She becomes something
Whose power you can harness,
Whose beauty you can sell.

Beasts stalk their prey, and before
They devour it, they pray.

Lake Sebu, South Cotabato
September 2016

—
Jude Ortega is from Sultan Kudarat Province. He was a fellow for fiction at the 2016 UP National Writers Workshop.

Tungang Gabii sa Divisoria

Poetry by | September 11, 2016

(Alang kang Krishna Mamoko)

Nibiya na ang usa ka kamot sa orasan.
Lagmit nagduka kon kinsa ma’y naniid nato
samtang nagbarog ta sa eskina. Kandado na

ang mga tindahan sama sa atong kahilom.
Ang salin sa kainit sa imong kamot
akong gikuptan samtang gapaabot
sa imong tagad, apan sama sa mga lampara

sa Divisoria, kapundiron imong mga mata.
Unta, mahabwa na ang tanang buot ipadayag
nga nadan-ok pa sa tutonlan.

Ug sama sa kawatan, kalit lang moikyas
hangtod ulahi na ang kahiamgo dungan
sa pagkahanaw unya sa tanan natong
gibahandi. Wala gihapon ta’y imik.

Wala’y tingog gawas sa minghoy nga awit
sa radyo dihang gipasakay tika’g taxi hangtod
nahabilin ko ug ang akong anino nadum-ok

duol sa bata nga gahithit og rugby. Nagpadayon
ang kagabhion. Giwitik ko ang sigarilyo
ug gisakmit ang abo duyog sa panghupaw,
nisakdap sa dalan nga taas

ang kadulom. Bugtong saksi ang buwan
niining tanan sa wala pa hingpit
nga gitukob sa gabusdik nga dag-om.

—
Mark “Ton” Daposala was born and raised in Cagayan de Oro City. His works have been published in Bisaya Magasin and Kabisdak. Ton now works as a faculty at Humanities and English Department of Capitol University. He’s also a member of CDO writers bloc, Bathalad-Mindanao, and NAGMAC.

The Song of Kagan, the Song of Unity

Poetry by | September 4, 2016

Bayok ng Kagan, Bayok ng Kakaysa (Original Kagan)

This is a call for everyone
Whose spirits will soon taste death
Rich and poor, you must remember
So your faith may increase.

This is to wake those sleeping souls
In a hopeful remembrance of their kin.
Cut not your ties
For Allah forbids it.

Empty the souls from enmity.
Stand for unity.
Stand for faith.
So you may fulfill our noble pledge
To Allahu Ta’ala.

Follow His commands.
And sow the unity in your heart
While it still beats.

English translation by Mohammad Nassefh R. Macla

—
Abdul Khaliq Tayongotong is a Kaagan-native from Lupon, Davao Oriental. He is currently taking up Bachelor of Education and Islamic Studies in the Davao Regional Arabic Academy, Inc. The poem Bayok ng Kagan, Bayok ng Kakaysa is originally a Kagan song, composed and sung by the author.