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Philippines Graphic Reader
Cassandra’s Tale
Leafing through the brittle pages and reading the short story again and again, Cassandra seeks the rhyme and rhythm she thinks necessary for it to flow water-like into the mind’s nooks and crannies, and thereby gather sufficient momentum to push itself forward, whether...
SHARK WALL KEY
(Or Triste at the Santa Barbara Sea Center)
Maybe it was the quiet desperation of the
sea horse, holding on to a spine of sea grass
inside a cobalt blue aquarium that brought it on.
Or perhaps the distressed Stingray flicking
a missing tail, as the frantic hands...
The Long Road to Capiz
The dawn had barely broken, the rooster was still asleep, and stillness enveloped the sleepy village of Casanayan. There was no moonbeam for now since it was a new moon, so the room, carrying the scent of aged wood and memories, was wrapped...
FOUR POEMS FOR 2024
Philippines, Proposed Addendum to Definition of
noun
: a stream that cuts through districts or fields of grass
: an enclosure of water (see Badjao or Aquarian)
: a subterranean wanting
: a recollection of faces
: a great and significant number, just below innumerable but above sufficient
: parable,...
The Commencement Speaker
He arrived a couple of hours early before the appointed hour. Earlier, he took the first plane to his province at five in the morning and was at the island airport an hour later. He rented a van to take him to his...
A Farmer’s Memory
The neighbors say he suffers from
dementia. On the balcony, he stares at
the cloudless sky. How he declares
the stars have turned into tubers
of motley shapes and colors! He asks if
he could fish some and trade them for
a gantang of rice. Perhaps the
copious harvest at...
