Pagkabanhaw

Poetry by | January 12, 2014

Pagkabanhaw
ibabaw sa gilubngan
sa among iro’ng naligsan
gabarog ang labong nga santan
nga sa matag karon ug unya
mamulak og alibangbang.

usa ka hangyo
kon mahimo
ayaw intawon putla
ang mga gasiwagkang nga sanga
sa punoan
diha sa imong tugkaran
kay di lang ang mga langgam
ang nanginahangla’g
kabatogan ug kasilongan
lakip sad

ang kasingkasing
ang hunahuna


Gratian Paul R. Tidor is a young poet and visual artist from Dipolog City. He is a fellow of the 17th Iligan National Writing Workshop.

Last Hour

Poetry by | January 5, 2014

Remember when dusk glow danced
Laying a final warmth upon polished floors
Of a forgotten place we claimed under our sigil
Hidden among groves of fertile promises
Here are our secrets and stories written and sealed
Today I sneaked out of classes and found you there
Waiting with those Moorish eyes
Golden specks lit up your hair, your smile
I was used finding you busy
But beneath crimson and lilac clouds
Your gaze fixed on me
Your embrace didn’t hold back its silence
Hold me close here in the setting sun
Whisper your heart’s cry
Before sparrows sing of tears
Before goodbyes come


Born in General Santos City, Monique is a Second Year student at UP Mindanao. She’s currently studying BS Biology.

Afloat

Poetry by | January 5, 2014

Seated near the life-size poster of a man promulgating a clothing brand
Unfamiliar voices clouded the girl’s mind
She sits there, nonchalantly
Her eyes wandering
Observing people’s crooked smiles and arched eyebrows
Her senses falter, she loses track of time
Books piled up to her nose
Papers scattered in front of her, like stars seen when the sky is clear
She reaches for her phone inside her dusty purple bag.
None. No message from anyone, not even from her sim card’s service line
She places the device on top of the pile of books by her side.
She takes her pen and her little notebook
Scribbles a few lines trudging, pounding inside her head
Eager to be caught in the pen’s charmed ink
Her thoughts, rushing, bumping like wild beasts
Her hands, her pen, cannot keep up with the impossible
Words ran frantically in her fragile domain
And then abruptly she stops, gasps for air, for life
Tears surface from the wells of her heart
She lets go of the pen and covers her face with bare hands
“I’ve had enough remembering for the day.”
She reaches for her pen, not to write a line or two
“Now, back to work.” She whispers to herself
As she picks another test paper to look through

Sums is currently a 3rd year student at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan

Paragraphed

Poetry by | December 22, 2013

I am paragraphed.
Downed on dead nostalgia.
Daggers keep sway my song
Of buzzing doves and lions.
Fleets of sunken words
Tread on silent leaves.
Echoed sighs of empty pens
And woes of crumpled sheets.
Unblossom my emotions.
Let the infinite unbleed.
Words have failed me;
Paragraphed, I remain.


Joseph is a 3rd Year BS Biology student at the Ateneo de Davao University.

Things to Do

Poetry by | December 22, 2013

treadmill for thirty minutes
after a five-round brisk
walking at the plaza
prune the duranta
its leaves cover
the window’s horizon
do the laundry
whites first,
coloreds next
pay the electric bill
arrears only
to avoid disconnection
cut cauliflower, broccoli,
carrots and cabbage
for four seasons
iron uniforms
take a rest
dream a dream
these tasks
will disappear
tomorrow


Raul has been a fellow to various writers workshop and won several awards for his fiction and poetry. He writes from Cagayan de Oro.

Ambot Lang

Poetry by | December 8, 2013

Dili ko kasabot,
Walay mahatag nga hinungdan.
Kung uban ko siya nga naa ka,
Kasingksing
hunahuna
di gyud magkasinabot.
Kung ang utok musulti.
Ang kinabuhi ko
Siya na.
Sulod
sa kasingkasing
ug ang kita…
rosas
wala namiyuos.
Apan misiyagit ang dughan,
Ikaw
Ikaw gihapon.
Laraw
Gitinguha
Pasalig
tumanon
bitoon
abuton…
Ngano man ko?
Dautan nga dughan!
Sauna siya,
gihigugma siya
Karon napul-an
Nawad-ag gana
Oh gihigugma ko ba siya?
o gipahimungtan lang?
Kay magpa-ambit kanimo
Sa gugma ngatim-us
Dili…
Dili mabuhat!
Nagdaot nga dughan.
Di kaila ug
gugma.
Unsay buhaton?
Di ko buot
Siya pasakitan
bisan kasingkasing ko
gikumot-kumot
Unsay buhaton?
gipangga niya
ako pag-ayo
labaw sa kinabuhi
Unsay buhaton?
Murag gihigugma taka…
Apan ikaw
Nahigugma ka ba?
Unsay buhaton?
Gihigugma ba gayud taka?
Nakita ba ko nimo?
Di ko naba siya mahal?
Wala nako kabalo.
Kasingkasing…
Hunahuna…
Buang…
Hangal…
Gago…
Ngano?
Ambot lang.
Kinsa?
Ambot lang.
Unsa?
Ambot lang…
Ambot lang…
Ambot lang!!!


Rodulfo is a student at Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan.

Unta Matarong pa

Poetry by | December 8, 2013

Skandalo na pud?
kanus-a man mo magsawa?
gipuno ug bakak
among kasing-kasing ug panghuna-huna.
abi ba namo ma tul-id ang dalan,
ngano sa kinatungaan ningbaluktot man?
unsa ning kalokohan amigo?
nga wala man unta ta nagyabag-yabag.
ayaw hulata mawad-ag pagsalig
mga tao sa inyo gadapig
kita sa among mga mata,
maling binuhatan, ngano man na?
ipairal unta ang spiritu sa pagbag-o,
kbalo man ko nga naa pay tarong sa inyo.
kumbinseha mi pag-usab sa pagbalik
aron kamo among saligan ug dayegon.


Michael is from Davao City. studying at University of Southeastern Philippines taking up AB Literature.

The Weekend

Poetry by | November 24, 2013

It seems like a lifetime
ago since I last had
the weekend all to myself.
And that includes every
Friday afternoon that went

unspent on cheap spirits,
and strangely riotous porn.
Instead, there is always
work. These days,
there is always work,

or a phone call, or a lover.
It seems like I have grown
heavier since I last enjoyed
dinner, or excessive
sleep, or a lonesome run

in the morning. Only
the alarm clock keeps
me quick on my feet
these days. Even when
I wake up on the wrong

side of the bed, I roll
out with enough patient
alertness. There are
absences I have yet
to offset as always._


Allen Samsuya is a creative writing major from the University of the Philippines Mindanao. He is not a porn star, yet.