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.
