A June Poem
after a hard rain--
the skies are trapped
in our bedroom.
------HomeLife, June 2004, p.24.
a woman’s heart
replacing it with
chimpanzee’s
aching back
my wife’s kiss
puts me to sleep
after a cataract operation
wrinkles
become unbearable
afternoon
mother smoothens
the edges of her dining table
anang gintukuran
ro adlaw para kakon--
si Nanay
***December 1, 2012
baye
niyog
duga’t pangabuhi
baye
ro syudad ginhimo
ginhurma kimo
behind Pilma
a moon shines
brighter
beside my wife
Rafflesia opens
its petals
Besperas it kasae
ro nobya indi magtabing sa anang
eambong pangkasae
blue skies
Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller
and her doll
Boracay Beach
half-naked blonde women
bath in the sun
by the sea
a girl carries
a fresh sea onion
childhood friend
she sees me again
after dusk
Christmas Day--
no rescuers to save
Typhoon Ursula's victims
***December 25, 2019
Christmas--
houses feed
the fire
**December 25, 2019
crossing a bamboo bridge--
a son holds
his father's arm
daywang baye gahiyumhiyum
ro sambilog gabatak it kaingod
ro isaea hay gapusdak ka anang katrabaho
departing vessel
a mother waves goodbye
to her child
distant shore
a baby breastfeeds
in a front porch
Diwata ng Dagat--
a small
fig leaf
Dominggo't agahon--
ro ungang eaki hay gakaekae it lahar
nga nagtampok sa katedral
Dusk
a man goes to Estancia
wife sobs
dusk—
an old spinster
paints her eyebrows
eapukon nga saeog
halin sa Domingo nga Misa
ro asawa nagpangisog sa anang kabulig
early morning
a candidate for chancellorship
embraces her adversary
early morning
calm sea
my mother
floody city street
a woman in mini-skirts smile
at the passing military truck
full moon
Oblation smiles at
Diwata ng Dagat
gasakit nga likod
ro haru kang asawa
nagpatueog kakon
graduation—
mother stops counting
her wrinkles
gray day
what a pleasure
to see her smile
hambae’t
baye
daeaura
hapon
ginapino it nanay
ro kilid it andang lamesang kaean-an
high noon
a mother still plays tong-its
at her neighbor’s house
high noon—
mother plays tong-its
beside her, a child cries
Holy Friday
Mary Magdalene finally meets
her Son on the Cross
home under the bridge
a mother
nurses her son
--December 29, 2009
in my room
your lingering perfume
our bridge
inside a megamall
a small boy cries--
his mother is missing
inside a shuttle bus—
two women talk about Ground Zero
while a man sells lotto tickets
inside an air-conditioned room
a woman
fans herself
jeepney strike--
women in miniskirts
wave at the passing government trucks
Kaadlawan it Tagipusuon
ginabasa it baeo nga baye
ro nagadueao nga sueat ka anang bana
Kaadlawan it Tagipusuon
ginbuksan it baye ro kahon
bag-ong pagtan-aw sa mga sueat it paghigugma
katueondon--
ro asul nga kahayag
gaagi eampas sa kalibutan
katueondon--
si Flor nag-uli halin sa Singapore
sa sueod it kahon
late afternoon—
for the first time
she counts the notes she plays
leaving all
the blooming orchids
and roses to his wife
lightning
a girl lies dead
beside a store
mid-afternoon
my mother lights a candle
Mt Pinatubo just erupted
mother and child
on the pavement
not seen by the city of men
mother in the ICU
everybody in the family
cleans the house for her homecoming
mother
leaves home to her new home
gracefully
now a grandfather—
the younger look of Pilma
still in my mind
orange horizon
a woman extracts toxin
from a sea snail
paghueaw it bunok--
ro kaeangitan hay na trap
sa amon nga tueoeogan
pagkatapos it operasyon it katarak
ro linya sa dahi
hay nalisod batunon
passing white clouds
your first kiss
stays
pasunod
ginahimo ni nanay
nga ro kadabinit hay sentro
Pilma
I close my eyes
to see her beauty
Pluto--
mainit-init pa gihapon
ro banig nga gin-eugban naton
***Melcichon
Nov 18, 2012
raya maisut nga bituon
makaron gatikang
sa pangpueong daeaura
ro tagipusuon it baye
bayluhan it tagipusuon
it chimpanzee
sa kilid kang asawa
nagbuskad ro bueak
ku Rafflesia
sa likod ni Pilma
ro buean gasiga it
mas mahayag
sa sueod it air-conditioned room
ro baye
nagapangabkab
sa sueod it megamol
gatangis ro ongang eaki
ay naduea ra nanay
sa sueod it shuttle bus—
daywang baye gaistorya hanungod sa Ground Zero
samtang ro eaki gabaligya’t tikit it lotto
she breaks
the dawn for me--
Pilma
si nanay sa ICU
tanan sa pamilya
nagalimpyo it baeay sa anang pag-uli
si nanay
nag-uli it matawhay
sa anang bag-ong baeay
soiled floor
home from a Sunday Mass
a wife shouts at her servant
Spring
salmon swims to the river
to pay her parents
step by step
my mother makes
every corner a center piece
summer solstice
a woman slowly
crosses a bamboo bridge
summer—
a woman walks
on a smoky mountain
Sunday morning
a boy offers three roses
to a 70-year old woman
Sunday morning
old man holds
a young girl’s hand
sunny afternoon
a man sits in their front porch
a woman neighbor finally waves
sunset
Flor returns home from Singapore
in a box
tagbus it saging
gapahupa nga hikap
it nanay
this starlet
now walks
on cloud ten
to him
sunset
again I long for my mother’s lullaby
tungang gab-i--
ro eaking unga gapakalimos
sa baybayon it Boracay
two women smiling
one lifting a neighbor
the other pushing down a colleague
unopened banana leaves
a soothing touch
of a mother
Valentine Day
a widow reads her husband’s
yellowed love letter
Valentine Day
a woman opens a box
fresh outlook on love letters
wedding eve—
a bride-to-be refuses
to touch her wedding gown
with fresh sampaguita
a girl joins a crowd
in pushing a tank at EDSA
woman
a city is designed
after you
woman
coconuts
juices of life
woman’s
words
clouds
&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
HAIKU
she breaks
the dawn for me--
Pilma
jeepney strike--
women in miniskirts
wave at the passing government trucks
sa sueod it megamol
gatangis ro ongang eaki
ay naduea ra nanay
inside a megamall
a small boy cries--
his mother is missing
sa sueod it shuttle bus—
daywang baye gaistorya hanungod sa Ground Zero
samtang ro eaki gabaligya’t tikit it lotto
inside a shuttle bus—
two women talk about Ground Zero
while a man sells lotto tickets
sa sueod it air-conditioned room
ro baye
nagapangabkab
inside an air-conditioned room
a woman
fans herself
si nanay sa ICU
tanan sa pamilya
nagalimpyo it baeay sa anang pag-uli
mother in the ICU
everybody in the family
cleans the house for her homecoming
si nanay
nag-uli it matawhay
sa anang bag-ong baeay
mother
leaves home to her new home
gracefully
eapukon nga saeog
halin sa Domingo nga Misa
ro asawa nagpangisog sa anang kabulig
soiled floor
home from a Sunday Mass
a wife shouts at her servant
pasunod
ginahimo ni nanay
nga ro kadabinit hay sentro
step by step
my mother makes
every corner a center piece
daywang baye gahiyumhiyum
ro sambilog gabatak it kaingod
ro isaea hay gapusdak ka anang katrabaho
two women smiling
one lifting a neighbor
the other pushing down a colleague
Kaadlawan it Tagipusuon
ginabasa it baeo nga baye
ro nagadueao nga sueat ka anang bana
Valentine Day
a widow reads her husband’s
yellowed love letter
Kaadlawan it Tagipusuon
ginbuksan it baye ro kahon
bag-ong pagtan-aw sa mga sueat it paghigugma
Valentine Day
a woman opens a box
fresh outlook on love letters
Besperas it kasae
ro nobya indi magtabing sa anang
eambong pangkasae
wedding eve—
a bride-to-be refuses
to touch her wedding gown
ro tagipusuon it baye
bayluhan it tagipusuon
it chimpanzee
a woman’s heart
replacing it with
chimpanzee’s
gasakit nga likod
ro haru kang asawa
nagpatueog kakon
aching back
my wife’s kiss
puts me to sleep
pagkatapos it operasyon it katarak
ro linya sa dahi
hay nalisod batunon
after a cataract operation
wrinkles
become unbearable
hapon
ginapino it nanay
ro kilid it andang lamesang kaean-an
afternoon
mother smoothens
the edges of her dining table
sa likod ni Pilma
ro buean gasiga it
mas mahayag
behind Pilma
a moon shines
brighter
sa kilid kang asawa
nagbuskad ro bueak
ku Rafflesia
beside my wife
Rafflesia opens
its flower
Boracay Beach
half-naked blonde women
bath in the sun
by the sea
a girl carries
a fresh sea onion
childhood friend
she sees me again
after dusk
departing vessel
a mother waves goodbye
to her child
distant shore
a baby breastfeeds
in a front porch
Diwata ng Dagat--
a small
fig leaf
dusk
a man goes to Estancia
wife sobs
dusk—
an old spinster
paints her eyebrows
early morning
a candidate for chancellorship
embraces her adversary
early morning
calm sea
my mother
floody city street
a woman in mini-skirts smile
at the passing military truck
with fresh sampaguita
a girl joins a crowd
in pushing a tank at EDSA
full moon
Oblation smiles at
Diwata ng Dagat
graduation—
mother stops counting
her wrinkles
gray day
what a pleasure
to see her smile
high noon
a mother still plays tong-its
at her neighbor’s house
high noon—
mother plays tong-its
beside her, a child cries
Holy Friday
Mary Magdalene finally meets
her Son on the Cross
in my room
your lingering perfume
our bridge
late afternoon—
for the first time
she counts the notes she plays
leaving all
the blooming orchids
and roses to his wife
lightning
a girl lies dead
beside a store
mid-afternoon
my mother lights a candle
Mt Pinatubo just erupted
mother and child
on the pavement
not seen by the city of men
now a grandfather—
the look of Pilma
still in my mind
orange horizon
a woman extracts toxin
from a sea snail
passing white clouds
your first kiss
stays
Pilma
I close my eyes
to see her beauty
spring
salmon swims to the river
to pay her parents
summer solstice
a woman slowly
crosses a bamboo bridge
summer—
a woman walks
on a smoky mountain
Sunday morning
a boy offers three roses
to an old woman
Sunday morning
old man holds
a young girl’s hand
sunny afternoon
a man sits in their front porch
a woman neighbor finally waves
to him
sunset
again I long for my mother’s
lullaby
sunset
Flor returns home from Singapore
in a box
tagbus it saging
gapahupa nga hikap
it nanay
unopened leaves of banana
a soothing touch
of a mother
raya maisut nga bituon
makaron gatikang
sa pangpueong daeaura
this starlet
now walks
on cloud ten
baye
niyog
duga’t pangabuhi
woman
coconuts
juices of life
baye
ro syudad ginhimo
ginhurma kimo
woman
a city is designed
after you
hambae’t
baye
daeaura
woman’s
words
clouds
blue skies
Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller
and her doll
crossing a bamboo bridge--
a son holds
his father's arm
***
A June Poem
after a hard rain--
the skies are trapped
in our bedroom.
------HomeLife, June 2004, p.24.
katueondon--
ro asul nga kahayag
gaagi eampas sa kalibutan
--
tungang gab-i--
ro eaking unga gapakalimos
sa baybayon it Boracay
---
katueondon--
si Flor nag-uli halin sa Singapore
sa sueod it kahon
---
paghueaw it bunok--
ro kaeangitan hay na trap
sa amon nga tueoeogan
---
Dominggo't agahon--
ro ungang eaki hay gakaekae it lahar
nga nagtampok sa katedral
---
Pluto--
mainit-init pa gihapon
ro banig nga gin-eugban naton
***Melcichon
Nov 18, 2012
home under the bridge
a mother
nurses her son
--December 29, 2009
anang gintukuran
ro adlaw para kakon--
si Nanay
***December 1, 2012
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