Pagsuwat og Balak

Poetry by | 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.

Notes from the Heartland of Pakibato

Nonfiction by | September 23, 2012

20120923-210647.jpgFebruary 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.

Continue reading Notes from the Heartland of Pakibato

Journeying with the Horse, Tor

Poetry by | 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.

Drops of Gas

Poetry by | 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.

Early Morning in Malabog

Poetry by | 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.

Spider

Poetry by | 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.

Gagamba

Poetry by | September 16, 2012

Nagising ang puyat na gamo-gamo
Mula sa sandaling idlip
Giniginaw sa hangin ng umaga

Nakikita niya ang ninanais
Sa ilalim ng kumot
Na hinabi ng gagamba

…hahalikan siya ng manghahabi
At hindi na siya magigising

—
Si Karlo Antonio G. David ay 2012 gradweyt ng AB Literature mula sa Ateneo de Davao University. Nakapagdalo na siya sa Bacolod at Dumaguete writers workshops.

Damang

Poetry by | September 16, 2012

Sayo pa sa buntag
ang puti ug pino nga pukot
gidayandayanan og
brilyantes nga nagsidlak-sidlak.

Sa daplin sa pukot
usa ka itom nga kalimutaw
hinay-hinay nga nagsubay-subay
ug hilom nga nagpaniid.

Taudtaod, usa ka pulang pares nga pako
nitugpa sa mga puting hilo
ug nangahagbong ang nakapilit
nga mga brilyantes.

Nagkisi-kisi ug nagkapay-kapay
Naningkamot nga makabuhi ug makaikyas.
Apan giduol kini sa kalimutaw
ug gilikosan og puting hilo.

—
Si Diana Jean C. Tuquib uska 3rd year MassComm student sa Ateneo de Davao University.