Poetry by Michael Angelo Lopez Marquez | September 30, 2012
Nagtuo ko nga gihiktan tas
Duha ka pulang pisi sa kapalaran
Gikan sa akong kumagko
Ngadto sa imong kumingking
Nga kita maghiusa sa pagkita
Sa atong kalag ug kasingkasing.
Apan nasayop ko sa pagtuo
Ang duha ka pulang pisi sa kapalaran
Nahimong usa na lamang
Ug magpabiling handurawan
—
Si Michael Angelo Lopez Marquez mao ang presidente sa Union of Literature Students sa University of Southeastern Philippines.
Poetry by Ritzchild John Cariaga | September 30, 2012
Wa pa mikaylap ang Adlaw
Mibangon na si Dodong
Aron pagpukaw sa
Usa ka gatos ug traynta-otso
Ka mga higala nga
Nagdamgo pa sa kahiladman.
Gipunit ni Dodong
Ang bagtinganan
Aron magsugod na sa iyang
Trabaho nga halangdon.
Bagting dinhi,
Bagting didto,
Aron ra jud molurat
Ang mga mata
Nga serado pa tawon.
“Let us bless the Lord”
Ang singgit nga
Imbitasyon ni Dodong
Ug sa kalipay, mitubag
Ang mga baba “And give Him Thanks.”
Ug si Dodong, mibalik na
Sa iyang pwesto
Aron mangandam sa
Iyang pagligo.
—
Si Ritzchild uska 4th year AB Philosophy student sa St. Francis Xavier College Seminary, Davao City.
Poetry by Reymond Pepito | September 30, 2012
Naningkamot sa pagsuwat og balak,
dagkong singot ang mitulo sa agtang
makita lang ang mga pulong
nga modakop sa akong kahulogan.
Nagsugat ang mga kilay sa paghunahuna.
Nanagat og inspirasyon sa lain-laing dapit,
maskin gagmayng butang hatagag bili,
Sa panghinaot nga unta ang mahimong balak
basahon sa mga mambabasa
ug makakita silag imahe, makabatig emosyon
ug labaw sa tanan, makaingon sila
nga kining suwat nimo, Doy, balak gayod!
Dili yaga-yaga sa pinulongang binisaya,
Dili ulaw-ulaw sa literaturang Bisaya,
Ug pwede ipasigarbo sama sa mga buhat
Sa iladong magsusulat nga Bisaya.
Apan, hangtod karon, pakyas gihapon.
Padayong nagtulo ang dagkong singot,
Nagsugat ang mga kilay,
Nanagat og inspirasyon sa bisan asang baybayon.
Bisag pakyas ako,
Sa ngalang taga-Mindanaw ko
Ug midako sa Tagum,
dili ako moundang,
dili gyod ko!
(Lagi. Kinahanglan gyod writing spirit.- Macario Tiu, ed.)
—
Si Reymond Pepito migradwet sa AB Mass Communications sa Ateneo de Davao University sa 2012.
Nonfiction by Mila Gimeno | September 23, 2012
February 2004
Kibalatong is a sitio of Barangay Panialum, Paquibato District. It is a community of Ata Manobo. To get there from Malabog, you have to ride a motorbike for 30 minutes, and then, as there is no road anymore, you have to walk, in my case, for one hour to reach Kibalatong.
There is no electricity in Kibalatong, and while on a visit there in February of 2004, a boy with an empty Tanduay bottle went house to house to ask for kerosene which is commonly called gas. When he came to our hut we learned that the gas he was collecting was for the use of the teachers.
The people who shared some drops of kerosene showed their simple way of supporting the teachers and the school that was built for the indigenous children of the area. I was awestruck that from their own poverty, they were willing to share the little they had for their teachers.
The bottle got half filled and the boy gave us the collected gas which provided us light even more than enough for the night.
Poetry by Mila Gimeno | September 23, 2012
Small steps, big steps, up we go on our journey
Tik, tak, tok, you are perspiring too
Am I heavy for you, Tor?
If I am I rattling too much
It is to forget
The pains in my back and buttocks.
I am tired, and so are you, I know.
But we need to keep moving
Now, at last! I can see the roof of the school
Come, a little more distance and we are there!
Thank you, Tor, for patiently carrying me through
This ordeal of climbing God’s mountains
Through the stony paths and winding streams
To see the vast expanse of earth
Relish the freshness of mountain air
And make my dream come true…
To be with the Lumads in Toruyan.
Reaching up, I feel God
Welcoming me in His/Her embrace.
Poetry by Mila Gimeno | September 23, 2012
Shared drops of gas
Fill up the teachers’ lamp
Solitary lamp in the night
Lighting up the whole world
From the generous hearts of simple folks
Thank You, God, for the gift of Your People
So we can go on with a lightened load.
Note: Gas is what locals call kerosene.
Poetry by Mila Gimeno | September 23, 2012
Through the small window in my room,
I glimpse a bit of yellow hue from the East.
“Welcome to the new day!” says the Sun.
My spirit soars high
My heart sings songs of gladness
As the new day dawns.
My skin feels soft,
My eyes glow with anticipation
Of what this day will bring.
Will it be joy, sorrow and pain?
Or will it be a new challenge and
Fresh discovery of who I am?
It is up to the heavens above.
Mine is to open my heart
To what the Divine Power ordains.
For whatever this day brings,
It is for the greater good
Of discovering myself.
I only have to learn
To wait with an active listening heart
To the Spirit’s whispering.
Poetry by Raul Mario Santiago II | September 16, 2012
Gossamer strings converge
Playing a sound
That can not be heard
But felt by the heart that pounds
Against a wall
A silken lair
A creature dangles in the air,
And descends, small but deadly.
The moth draws its last breath.
—
Ram is a 4th year BSEd major in English at the Ateneo de Davao University.