Confucius Say
The dreams I can’t recall on waking
Must be shaking their heads if they were
Folk, from not a false universal
Sense of waste that extends to even
The airy nothing that they are – such
As, if the ruthless truth be quoted
From Quixote, we all of...
Seeking
In silence I render my song
In stillness I yield
In the dimness and the brightness
I could see that it is
The One
Still I seek
I am drawn to the distant sound
Of waves splashing on waves
Of rocks breaking on rocks
Of soft rain seeking to blend with...
Stone and Scratcher
after a photo by Frank Cimatu
My human knows how to scratch
ecstasy and submission out of me,
rendering my retractable claws
cold as a wet nose.
My side turns into a Zen garden.
I lie, a stone smoothed by hands
of love, slender fingers
tracing landscapes on my...
I see a scarecrow
On the yellow moon
By the window
Of the third kind
Woman or man
I ought to know
I look to the left
It shifts to the right
Towards Venus
I look to the right
It pivots to the left
Away from Polaris
But the night
Out of the spotlight
Restarts daylight
A Dirge
(Majayjay-Lucban Road,
June 16, 2024)
How swift the shift
from Thalia’s smile
to Melpomene’s frown.
One moment, Jack
was about to crack
a joke. Then smack
into our bus the trike
smashed, a deadly
strike. Traffic crawled
at the bloody spectacle
of the sprawled body
splayed in a strange
angle. Dazed in shock,
I brace myself
for a...
The Demanding Gospel
For Sunil Stephens
“Luke’s Gospel is a gospel of mercy; it emphasizes Jesus’ identification with the poor and the lowly, and His willingness to forgive sinners. Yet it is also a demanding gospel, for it shows that being a follower of Christ...
Gipit
Kapag kawalang-wala,
Nandiyan mayâ’t mayâ;
Pagtanggap ng biyaya,
Wari mo’y nagsabula.
Sino?
Nang ihain ang dalág,
Nagsipasok ang lahat;
Ay, sinong maghuhugas?
Isa-isang lumabas.
Bugaw
Iyon bang batang-bata
At tiyak na sariwa?
O iyong dalubhasa
Ngunit medyo...
Confucius Say
The dreams I can’t recall on waking
Must be shaking their heads if they were
Folk, from not a false universal
Sense of waste that extends...
Malalim ang ‘yong mga mata’t
Hapis na ang mukha.
Hindi ko na mabilang ang iyong mga gatlâ.
Dati-rati’y parang tigre ka kung tumingin,
Matikas ang tindig,
At buong katawan...
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)
:...