Tag: Loraine Jo

Alang kay Didap

Poetry by | November 6, 2023

Adunay bay tukmang pulong
alang sa kamingaw
ning dughana
nga kita karon
nag-uban pa,
apan sunod adlaw
ikaw mulakaw na

Ug uban sa paglisan mo
handumon ko
ang tanan tang kaagi

Sa kandilaon
mong mga tudlo
nga misudlay sa akong
kulot nga buhok
nga matod mo
paspas ang tubo
kon laki ang mukampa
dala simhot
apan kay ikaw man
maong katunga ra gayud

Sa tingog mong
buntag sayo manampit
sa akong ngalan
takna nga ikaw tabuon
ko og halok sa tuo
mong aping

Sa katawa mong lagtik
nga makatakod
bisan kinsa o bisan kanus-a
inig magvolleyball man,
praktis sa banda,
jam sa kanta ni Moira,
pamainit og sikwate,
plano-plano sa eskwelahan
ug sa atung paingnan

Sa mata mong
puno sa paglaum
sa ngisi mong tahom
sa gininhawa mong lawom
sa akong kiliran samtang
gidamgo mo ang
imung paglisan

Dap, labaw sa kamingaw ko
karon ug sa tanang panahon
giampo kong makita mo
ang tinud-anay nga
kagawasan ug kalipay
niini imung pagbiya

Sa hinaot
bisan asa man kita
dal-on sa kapalaran
niining kalibutana
ug kon itugot
kita magkita pa
sa makausa
tabuon ta ang usa’g usa
sa hugot nga kagus,
matam-is nga ngisi ug halok
sama sa atung
gisaluhan karong taknaa

Sa pagkakaron
hubaron ko
ang tukmang pulong
alang sa kamingaw
nga gibati ko
maskin imung pagbiya
sa wala pa diha.

Loraine Jo calls Talisayan, Misamis Oriental her new home. She finds solace watching fishermen set on their sails along its endless shoreline. She teaches at a public high school in this humble municipality.

The Moon Peeps

Poetry by | July 26, 2015

Tonight
I’m closing
the window on
my west
because the moon,
in its silver face,
shines so bright
and brings back
bittersweet memory
of a February night
at the deserted boulevard
where I met your
eyes in dark,
tasted your mouth
and loved your soul.

—
Loraine is a Secondary Education student from Balingasag, Misamis Oriental.

Mermaid Dreams

Poetry by | May 24, 2015

Old golden days of a little mermaid
With a bright red tail and pale skin
Swimming the shallow waters of blue
And endless building of gray sand castles

Quite a distance from the shore
Guards the red-tailed mermaid
Is a tranquil man in his sixties
Clothed in his faded orange shirt

Finally the sun tired of shining
Kisses goodbye the vast turquoise sea
The little mermaid leaves her tail
And seeks solace in the senescent eyes

Now where the little mermaid swam
Are fish cages floating side by side
And where the aged man stood guard
Is an empty longing space

—
Loraine Jo is a Secondary Education student from Balingasag, Misamis Oriental.

Windowsill

Nonfiction by | July 27, 2014

I stood outside our house, waiting for my best friend. I was holding a Tupperware of spaghetti and salad, which Nanay prepared last night for Noche Buena, and a white Coca-cola shirt from Ate. I guess the weather was moody on Christmas. It was a bit indecisive. It rained at dawn and became gloomy in the morning. Then it was sunny and rainy at the same time in the afternoon. I could almost inhale the mixture of dust and rain. It irritated my nose. If I was still a kid, for sure one of the elders would shout at me from the window to get inside for I might get a fever. The raindrops were getting bigger. I decided to go inside the house and get an umbrella. The umbrellas were neatly placed behind the house’s front door. I chose the white one with a blue floral design. I went back outside. Raymond finally arrived three minutes later. He was my best friend for eight long years and one of the reasons why I did not hurry in getting myself into a relationship. He brought me to movie houses at least once in three months. He bought me mefenamic acid whenever I had my period. He would come to my place on weekends and ask permission from my Tatay and Nanay if we could stroll around the neighborhood for the night. He was tall, skinny, and beautiful. He was the most beautiful gay guy in the world.

Continue reading Windowsill

Shot Glass

Poetry by | June 1, 2014

Shot glass
left on the table
alone,
wine spill
at the bottom
crystal clear in the
early morning light,
a remembrance of
unsaid love
between two lips
sharing the coldness
of the air
from last night’s
silent bliss.

—
Loraine Jo is a Secondary Education student of Xavier University- Ateneo de Cagayan.