They say you slipped away

In the glorious morning sun.

Yet even the quietest leave-taking

Is beyond you who are now purest light.

All that you held

Barely contained

Burst forth in fire

Consuming all tears.

Each word crafted

Shines forth brighter than stars.

Each image holds itself aloft

With no effort at all:

Masterfully done.

Your hands never wavered

Or shook when guiding the pen:

Yours, ours, all who would

Partake of your courage,

All who took of your

Boundless strength and grace.

You have gone nova,

As befits a star that

Lights the paths of the heavens

In echoes and blinding luminescence

For eons after.

There is no dark

In your shadow:

Only poetry in the sun

Of an eternal summer

Spent basking in your words.

We will ever see you,

Set where you belong:

Beyond our reach now,

Shining on. Your canvas is the sky.

Paalam, Cirilo.

Salamat po.