Poetry by Kim Ocariza | May 10, 2015
ascent of a scent, your scent—
a nascent I wished
prescience was sentient,
like Lourd with Anna,
as Emma with Charles,
like ramen kills pain,
as adobo brushes off ruined hearts,
unlike devouring monggo
with Lav, or gorging
caldereta with Raya
a decadence of words and
feelings devoid of coherence
—
Kim Ocariza is an Electronics Engineering student at the University of San Carlos and a soon-to-be-legit-cinephile.
Poetry by Gary Mondejar | May 3, 2015
Ang gugma dili puro kalami
Dili pirminti nindot sa pamati.
Ang gugma dili kanunay mahimayaon
Dili kada adlaw sa preskong baybayon.
Ikaw buhatong kabos na ulipon
sa tanang kalisdanan paantoson.
Buang ang gugma kay malipay sa imong kapait
Giatay ang gugma kay biyaan ka sa kangitngit.
Burag kawatan sa tungang gabii
Kawaton imong pangandoy ug kinabuhi.
Walay ibilin ang gugmang tinuod
Imong pagkatao ibahug sa mga ulod.
Mas sakit pa sa kung matunok ka ug tuyom
Kay tamas tamason lang imong mga pahiyom.
Mas alaot pa sa pagkapildi sa lasto
Kay wala na jud mahibilin kanimo.
Ang gugma dili para sa mga talawan
Dili sa huyang ug sa dali muundang.
Kay ang gugma puno ug kasakit
Kay ang kasakit maoy dalan sa langit.
Busa kaugalingon ayaw pagpasagad ug sangpit
Nga ikaw gusto mahigugma nga hingpit.
Kay ang gugma puno ug kasakit
Kay ang kasakit maoy dalan sa langit.
—
Gary Mondejar is an engineer.
Poetry by Gary Mondejar | May 3, 2015
if i am to write about you&i
it will be like this—
no capitals, all small caps
no proper punctuation marks
some words have rong speling
stream of thoughts, free flowing
like a river meandering, unrelenting
like raindrops falling, dancing
sometimes freighted with meaning
other times devoid of anything
if i am to write about you&i
it will be like this—
no period, no sentences
peppered with commas to give us space
no rules, no labels
relationship rebels
with inside jokes between the two of us
shower, bon appetea—it just made me laugh
with you&i separated by an ampersand
us, holding each other’s hand
if i am to write about you&i
it will be like this—
fantasy colliding with reality
certainty with a tinge of ambiguity
the past doesn’t matter
only the present and forever
oozing with sweetness
sealed with a kiss
with an ellipsis
it shall end like this…
—
Gary Mondejar regards himself as “nationalistic”, having been to schools with the word “Philippines” in them: Philippine Normal University – Agusan Campus for elementary, Philippine Science High School – Southern Mindanao Campus for high school, and the University of the Philippines Diliman for college. When he’s not working as an engineer, sometimes he finds himself writing or sleeping.
Poetry by Rory Ian Bualan | April 26, 2015
alibangbang
nitugpa sa bulak
gikulbaan
pako di mabuklat
alibangbang
nawagtang ang kiat
ginapugngan
sa hangin mukalat
apan…
alindanaw
nilupad kapaspas
gilamian
nikirig ang lawas
alindanaw
gibitbit ang hawak
nitugsaw
sa tubig gilamat
apan,
ang apan niambak.
—
Rory Ian Bualan usa ka OFW sa Indonesia.
Poetry by Simon Anton Nino Diego Baena | April 26, 2015
Under the shade
of these cumulus clouds
here the earth greets you
with blinding light, but
the rain is always in
your somnolent eyes.
And you gather something
out of the viridian sea:
a handful of shells
for your dead loved ones
a fistful of sand
for your city of rust.
You hear flatlines
in the distance
as the horizon blooms
with a procession of waves—
beneath the fire rainbow
a sailboat drifts
towards carabao island
like a slow
moving funeral.
—
Simon Anton Nino Diego Baena, originally from Bais City, Negros Oriental, is now based in Iligan. Some of his works have already been published in Mascara Literary Review, Philippines Free Press, The James Franco Review, The Blue Hour Magazine, among others.
Poetry by Jessrel Gilbuena | April 26, 2015
They also¹ call it “lamppost.” It is a raised² spring of light commonly on the edge of a walkway or a road. Technically, it only lights up when needed³. However, sometimes they are lit in the brightness of the day, but it doesn’t matter anyway. No one cares about it, as long as it won’t bother the light people needed as they cross the street.
The early street lights were used by the Greek and the Romans. Predominantly, it was oil lamps that gave light to the street as they provide moderate and enduring flame. Interestingly, the Romans have laternarius ̶ a slave⁴ assigned to light the lamps in front of villas⁵. Until the Middle Age, the task⁶ remained but passed to a person tagged in different⁷ name: link boy.
Candlelight was engaged in cities before incandescent. A lamplighter was made in-charge of touring the city to light up the lamps until an automatic ignition⁸ device was employed to strike the flame once the gas supply become activated. Then in 1417, Sir Henry Barton, a mayor of London, mandated a public⁹ illumination*.
—
Jessrel E. Gilbuena is an islander who longs for more islands.
Poetry by Angelito Nambatac Jr. | April 12, 2015
Sa Iyang kamot nalalang
Ang nag-inusarang pormula
Nga nagpabutho sa kalibotan
Lakip ang kawanangan
Sulod sa unom ka adlaw.
Gikan sa mga puyang dahong
Migitib sa inahang-liso
Padulong sa mga bituong
Nagkatibulaag diha sa kahalapad
Sa langit-kagabhion. Kining tanan
Mituo, misunod, sama
Sa usa ka saad, usa ka mando.
Sa ikapitong adlaw,
Siyang,naglalang, nagpahulay
Samtang naglantaw
Sa iyang mga ginama, apan
Basin gipamaolan ba kay hangtod
Karon wala pa man nakabakod.
—
Si Angelito “Gil” Gomos-Nambatac, Jr migradwar sa MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology sa kursong AB English. Siya nakatampo nag balak alang sa Kabisdak ug Dagmay ug artikulog komiks sa Bisaya Magasin. Siya ang nagdumala sa bag-ong gitukod nga “Ang Lantay” (http://salantay.blogspot.com/), usa ka attempted project nga mahimong usa ka literary journal ug reference site para sa literaturang Binisayang Sinugboanon. Siya kasamtangang nagtrabaho sa City Mayor’s Office- Office of Youth Affairs sa Dakbayan sa Iligan.
Poetry by Cyrell J. Alingasa | April 12, 2015
Gihidlaw ko sa mga lakaw nga way kapadulngan,
Ang atong mga tiil ug biste sa abog mapuno,
Tong adlaw nga niuban ko nimo–ikaw nga way ngalan–
Nangawagtang tanan nakong mga kasubo.
Gimingaw ko sa mga adlaw nga mapanganoron,
Aduna diay kalipay nga mahitabo ra kon magpiyong,
Samtang ako naminaw sa imong mga sugilanon.
Ang imong kamatuoran, sa mga atik mo ra mahuloganon.
Gapangandoy ko nga subayon ta sa ikaduhang higayon
Tong dalan nga gilakwan sa atong mga kalag.
Matag-gabii gahidlaw ako nga unta muanhi ka dayon,
Ug ilupad ko nimo ngadto sa mainitun mong salag.
Ikaw ang nawala nga nota niining hinanaling tukar
Unta mabatian nimo ning akong panghupaw.
Kon akong mga panaghoy imong mamatikdan
Anhia ko dinhi, manayaw ta sa tugtug sa kamingaw.
—
Cyrell is a psychosocial worker in a local NGO that helps young adolescent children in vulnerable situations. She is taking her Masters in Applied Social Research at Ateneo de Davao University. She paints and sketches, aside from writing fiction and poetry.