Floraime O. Pantaleta – Dagmay.online

She went to walk to the other end of the stage
Her feet rises one after the other, as if jumping,
When she reaches the other edge, she raises her arms and stands a while

She did this for many times; sometimes running,
sometimes walking. Her eyes sometimes search
she is looking for something;
There is a little girl who came with her mother

First, the wave of prayer. “Santa Maria
Madre de Dios rega por nosotros…”
It is seconded by her feet: pak pak pak pak

“…pecadores ahora y hasta para cuando…”
No one complains, no one thinks wrong of it
even if everyone sits, kneeling, praying
The Holy Virgin sits on the table

Three: A little girl’s laughter
“Amen.”

Floraime is a Basileña who majored in Literature, Linguistics, and Language Teaching at the Iligan Institute of Technology of the Mindanao State University. She is currently teaching subjects on Literary and Language Studies in the same university. The poem “Santifica” is the first Chabacano literary piece ever published in Dagmay. “Sanctify” is the approximation of the meaning in the Chabacano language, and not the translation, as indicated by the author herself.

Ya anda le kamina para na otro punta del entablado
Ta alsa alsa un pies acaba el su otro, como ta brinca brinca,
Llega otro lao, ya alsa le su maga braso y ya para un rato
antes le abaha na jutay escalera del entablado

Ya hace ste ele por cuanto vezes; tiene vez ta kore,
tiene vez, ta camina. Su ohos tiene vez ta mira mira
na areredor, como tiene kosa ta anda busca;
Tiene jutay mujer ya anda sigui con su nana

Una, el avenida del reso. “Santa Maria
Madre de Dios rega por nosotros…”
Ta segunda su maga pies: pak pak pak pak

“…pecadores ahora y hasta para cuando…”
No hay quien ta reklama, hende ta pensa malo
masquin sila todo ta sinta, hinca, y ta resa
El santissima virgen cintao lang alya na mesa

Tres: Risas del jutay bata mujer.
“Amen.”