Ang Tanong ng Babaylan ng Bundok Kapayapaan

Poetry by | April 5, 2009

(A rap-song still waiting for its music)

Narration:
Tila buong buhay ko na ay inialay ko
sa pagakyat ng bundok na ito…
Kapayapaan…ang kanyang pangalan….

Start of rap /song:
Unti-unti ang mga kasama ko ay
Napipikon na, nawawalan ng pag-asa
Unti-unti ang mga kasama ko ay
Napapaslang ng mga halimaw sa daan
Unti-unti ang mga kasama ko ay
Nadadapa, napipinsala
Ang iba sa kanilay humina na ang kalooban
Sa kaniya-kaniyang dunong ay nagpasiklaban
At sumilakbo sa pag-aalitan
Mga halimaw sa daan ay naghiyawan
Ahahahahaha

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Six Degrees

Nonfiction by , | March 29, 2009

Six DegreesI am better than you. We are better than you. They are better than you. You are better than me.

What made you say that? Why did you say that? How can you say that?

Our senses are fixed only on what we perceive. Black and white. Short and tall. Fat and thin. Male and female. The list goes on and on and on. The question remains: are we really all that different from each other?

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Bliss

Poetry by | March 29, 2009

bliss
Bliss
is when you talk to somebody
and you get it right
the moment the first words were uttered.

Bliss
is like walking on words
like petals as soft as the roses.

Bliss
is like looking at the mirror
and seeing a face
entirely different from yours
but speaking the same language
treading with the coolness
of a thawing spring,
that gushes,
strong
with a force of a hundred waves
pouring from the deep recesses of the ocean.

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LitOrgy: Poetry, Music, and Visual Art

Events by | March 22, 2009

litorgy
Following the success of our Poetry Nights comes LitOrgy, an evening of music, poetry, and visual art. LitOrgy incorporates these disparate forms into a fusion of collaborative performances from the young artists of Davao City.

LitOrgy happens on Saturday, March 28, from 8:00PM to 10:00PM at the Durian Bar, Madrazo Compound. There will be an entrance fee of P50.

If you are interested in joining LitOrgy, please post your name in the comments section below, or sign up at the Facebook event page.

Rowing Away

Fiction by | March 22, 2009

My mother told me how lucky I was to be Raul’s wife. Unlike her, I had chosen to marry my husband. “During our time, our parents decided whom we should marry,” she told me.”Teyi bagi kan, you are not a dwey and there is no sign of looking for a second wife in your husband’s face either.” This would always crop up in our conversations about her and my father. Although she never admitted it, she envied my freedom.
rowing
Yes, my mother was right. Even Maria, my high school friend, praised me every time I passed by her fish stall at the market. “You look younger every time I see you, Bea,” she said, waving her hands and inviting me to come closer. “Your husband really loves flesh. Ah, uhm, fresh! I mean, like these fresh tilapias, fresh tomatoes. But you look fresher than them. Don’t you?” And then she laughed in the way that irritated me. “Well, who would love to eat rotten food after all?” I answered, shooing away the flies that might ruin her fresh display.

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Dalha Ko Sa Imong Payag

Poetry by | March 22, 2009

Dalha ko sa imong payag
Ipakita sa ako ang mga buak mong kolon
Ang mga kutsara’g lapis nga nagpasad sa abuhan.
Ang bag mong dugta kagabii sa uwan,
Ug ang mga libro mong giilo ni Tatay.

Dalha ko sa imong payag
Ug ipakita ang mga supot nga wa’y sud
Ang mga abo ning sug-angan, una gakayo
Mulupad sa iyang kapuwa
Dayon malumos ngadto sa hangin.

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Kung

Poetry by | March 22, 2009

Kung lulukuban ka,
Ng libu-libong demonyo na dala ay pamuksa,
Huwag kang pasasakop, lumaban ka.
Kahit pa man hawak na nila ang ulo mo’t paa,
Huwag mo sanang ipasaklaw pati ang iyong kaluluwa.
At kung inaakala mong talo ka na,
Mag-isip kang mabuti bago magpasya.
Pagkat kapalit niyon ay ang iyong katapusan.
Baka pagsisihan mo ang iyong kahihinatnan.

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