Isang Dosenang Araw ng  Bakasyon

Nonfiction by | December 16, 2012

Taun-taon, inaabangan ng maraming empleyado ang bakasyon tuwing Disyembre. Masaya kasi. Masarap gumala. Maraming atraksyon sa paligid. Kabi-kabila ang handaan sa tahanan ng mga kaanak at kaibigan. At higit sa lahat, maraming pera mula sa bonus at 13th month pay. O ‘di ba, ang sarap lang sa bulsa!

At isa ako sa mga nasasabik na gumala. Isa ako sa mga nasasabik na gastusin ang laman ng aking ATM card. Minsan lang kasi itong magkalaman ng ganito kalaking halaga, kaya nanamnamin ko na. Isa ako sa mga nasasabik na magtampisaw sa dagat o ‘di kaya’y gumala nang gumala sa iba’t-ibang lugar. Kahit na sabihin pang dito lang sa Pilipinas, gala na ring maituturing ‘yon. Isang linggo bago ang bakasyon ay nakaplano na ang mga dapat kong gawin. Nakatala na sa aking tala-arawan ang mga lugar na gusto kong puntahan sa bakasyong ito. Labindalawang araw din ang aming bakasyon. Mahaba-mahaba rin ‘yon. Tamang-tama rin ang laman ng aking account para sa gala ko. 

Continue reading Isang Dosenang Araw ng  Bakasyon

Zero Gravity

Poetry by | December 16, 2012

gravityThe astronaut is dreaming of Earth in zero gravity.

Tucked in the weightlessness of space, he free floats

across the cabin and softly bounces against the walls.
He is dreaming of old alleyways and of older nightclubs

and of the girl he left back in the city a few million miles

away. She is lovely. It is nighttime and she is looking
at the stars, wondering what it feels like to sleep alone

in the sky. It feels like it is never morning, he would tell

her. It feels a little cold but the weather is not that bad.
The astronaut is awake. He blinks his eyes into dreams

of rain.

Walking Alone in Ilustre



Poetry by | December 16, 2012

You stand there,

fixed with an intention

as I walk with uncertainty,

looking for street lights

in this cold, dark eleven thirty air.



The damp cement casts 

small, vertical white clouds,

breathing out the day’s frustrations 

telling me it’s empty; save for some 

taxis lining up for a late catch.



Tall, intimidating walls of 

this giant we hail ‘GS’ greet

me in a nonchalant way.

And my feet carried me to its

lonely, awkwardly angled corners – 

where fixed intentions meet.



Taking a sharp turn, 

I walk towards the
almost-erased street sign.

There I stand feeling pierced

by sharp, eager eyes probing.



But then, there you are.

You with your intention, 

heading toward me.

Teatro ng Pag-Ibig

Play by | December 9, 2012

teatroTauhan:

Ming – Isang 2nd year student ng Kolehiyo de San Ignacio. Siya ang babaeng bida ng kwento. Sikat na estudyante dahil sa ganda at talino. Si Berto ang matalik niyang kaibigan.

Berto – Isang 2nd year student ng Kolehiyo de San Ignacio. Siya ang lalakeng bida ng kwento. Isang simpleng musikero. Matalik na kaibigan niya si Ming. Ngunit…

Direk – Ang director ng dulang pinaghahandaan ng dramatics club.

Mga props people – Ang mga gumagawa ng props para sa dulang magaganap.

Eksena: Ang mga miyembro ng dramatics club ay naghahanda para sa isang dula na gaganapin sa ika-14 ng Pebrero. Sila, ang mga miyembro at ang director, ay nasa loob ng auditorium. Ang stage ay di pa gaanong napaganda. Merong mga estudyante na gumagawa ng props. Sa gitna ng stage, ay mayroong babaeng nakatayo at handang mag emote

Narrator: Ang pag-ibig ay mahahalintulad sa kamatayan;
       Wala itong pinipiling oras ni kung sino ang matatamaan.
       Tulad na lamang ng kwento ngayon.

       Isang linggo, bago sasapit ang araw ng mga puso,
       sa Kolehiyo de San Ignacio,
       ang mga estudyanteng kabilang sa Socio-Teatro,
       ang dramatics club ng paaralan,
       ay naghahanda para sa “Dula ng Pag-ibig”,
       ang taunang palabas na ginaganap tuwing ika-14 ng Pebrero.

Continue reading Teatro ng Pag-Ibig

Dinnertime

Poetry by | December 9, 2012

Mama, Papa, and I
are eating in the dining room,
Mama sitting opposite papa
on the dining table.
There is only silence
but the clang of my spoon
hitting the bowl
as I stir mom’s special law-uy.
Until Mama stabs her plate with a fork
and glares at Papa
and shouts at him about a woman
named Julie.
Papa scoots from his chair
but Mama throws her glass,
exploding on the wall.
Papa tells me to go to my room
and play with Barbie
but I hide near the dining room
and hear screams shattering like the
thrown glasses and plates.
When I hear Mama’s sobs,
I frown
because dinner time is over.
And I’m a bad girl
because I didn’t eat Mama’s special law-uy.

—
Glyd works as a research assistant at Philippine Women’s College of Davao. He was a fellow of ADDU Writers Workshop 2010 and Davao Writers Workshop 2011.

Sa Panahon ng Internet at Cellphone

Poetry by | December 9, 2012

Ipinagbubunyi natin ang pagdagsa
Ng mga gadyet na tila infusyon
Nating ikinakabit sa ating mga ugat.
Sapagkat kundi man tayo iga
Sa tango at pansin ng mga kakilala
Ay takot tayo sa mga sandali ng ating pag-iisa.
Kinakabahan tayong manatili sa isang silid
Na istakato lamang ng ating pulso at dibdib
Ang mauulinig sa kinasasadlakang paligid.
Kaya sa halip na ang isip ay makikumpas
Makidama sa pagitan ng bawat paghinga
Pagbubulaybulay at pagkilala sa pagkatao
Ay abala tayo sa pagpindot ng mga teklado
At pagbuo ng mga niritokeng teksto’t litrato
Gayong kinakatay lamang natin ang saysay
Ng ating mga panaginip at paglalakbay ng malay.

—
Edgar Bacong studied AB Sociology at the Ateneo de Davao University, and now lives in Zurich, Switzerland.

Transforming Imagery in Three Poems by Young Davao Writers

Nonfiction by | December 2, 2012

The transforming image is one of the most captivating things about poetry. When a poem transforms one thing into another right before the reader’s eyes, it becomes magical. Such a feat of ingenuity demonstrates the creative genius of the poet-magician.

This poetic element has been central to the poetics of many Filipino poets. It has been argued by many Philippine literary critics that the earliest form of poetry in the Philippines is the riddle, which represents things in fresh, often startlingly unexpected ways to tease the curiosity of the reader or listener. The “teasing of curiosity” lives on today to be the main appeal we get in reading poetry.

The successful execution of transforming imagery involves comparison between two things, and by properly connecting the dynamism of one thing to that of the other. The transforming image may be central to the poem, or may simply be a supporting element in its overall effect. The image may result in fantastic, often semantically deviant language, or it may arise in intended ambiguity.

Today, particularly in Davao, the transforming image is championed by local men of letters such as Don Pagusara and Macario Tiu, and many young writers, picking up from their poetics, also demonstrate this in their poetry.

A look at three particular poems by young Davao poets would reveal a harvest rich in imagination and transforming images.

Continue reading Transforming Imagery in Three Poems by Young Davao Writers

Ode to a Facebook Photo

Poetry by | December 2, 2012

This time, there are only your eyes.
Your gaze, fixed intently into space
as if searching the air for lost light
waves, digital owls, a revelation
of vagrant angels. I turn my laptop
towards the window so you too
could see a band of moonlit clouds,
some apple trees, and at a distance,
a pack of griffins.

—
Allen Samsuya is a creative writing major from the University of the Philippines Mindanao. Instead of a dislike button, he hereby proposes a “throw magic tomato button” on Facebook.