Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Pasumbingay
Pasumbingay
NATIONAL COMMISSION
FOR CULTURE AND THE ARTS
633 Gen. Luna St. Intramuros, Manila 1002
Tel. 527-2192 • Fax 527-2191
Email: infro@ncca.gov.ph • www.ncca.gov.ph
copyright
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher
or from the organization - BATHALAD INC..
ISBN
alang nilang anhing Pantaleon Auman, Leonilo Estimo ug Rene Estrella Amper
9 Foreword
10 Pasiuna
225 Pasukip sa mga Editor
229 Pasalamat
15 Tem Adlawan
23 Butch Bandillo
31 Bambi Beltran
41 Jonah Bering
49 Josua Cabrera
59 Lamberto Ceballos
67 Vince Cinches
81 Adonis Durado
89 Richel Dorotan
103 Greg Fernandez
111 Chai Fonachier
119 Tonton Kintanar
127 Kevin Lagunda
135 Ernesto Lariosa
143 Neile Genica Mijares
155 Myke Obenieta
163 Hi-D Palapar
171 Karla Quimsing
179 Kei Valmoria
195 Bal Marsius L. Valdehueza
187 Cindy Velasquez
203 Noel Villaflor
211 Januar Yap
219 Hope S. Yu
Foreword
“So where is the new Cebuano poetry?” I was asked several years ago
by the poet and scholar Virgilio Almario, acknowledged high priest of
modern Tagalog poetry. I assured him there was a great deal of fresh,
exciting work among contemporary writers in Cebuano but I knew this
was not exactly what he meant. If indeed such writing existed, it has not
as yet acquired a visibility, voice, presence in the national scene.
There is, of course, a bias in Almario’s question, intending as it
did the complaint (and challenge) that Cebuano poetry is not visible to
Tagalogs – those who, by virtue of law and location, write in a privileged
language, imagine themselves creators of the “national discourse,”
enjoy greater access to the resources and rewards of writing (publishing,
awards, exposure, recognition) and all the other advantages that invest
those who write in the center with the aura of the “national” and mark
everyone else as merely “local” or “regional.”
But this is already a familiar lament, one I shall not rehearse.
The future of Cebuano poetry lies with its poets. The imperative
is for Cebuano poetry to make itself heard, first in the community that
speaks the language and then the other communities into which it
enters by force of reputation or virtue of translation. What this require
is not easy. Conditions of production, publishing, and promotion need
to be improved. A culture of criticism must be encouraged. Yet, at the
core of this effort, is writing itself, both of the individual writer as
well as that group of community of writers to which he or she belongs
– writing that presents itself as aesthetically and critically different and,
therefore, writing that can be ignored only to the diminution of the
substance of that “republic of letters” we call Filipino literature.
This book – which samples the writings of some of the best and
most promising poets in Cebuano today – lays claim on the privilege as
well as necessity to be heard. We should have more books of this kind.
– Resil B. Mojares
Pasiuna
10
bino, ug ang balak kay yanu-yano na lang nga mobuwa sa ilang baba.
Apan human sa usa ka dekada, unsa man kahay ikadalit sa
Pasumbingay nga molahi sa Kaliring o sa nangagi pang hinugpong?
Daku. Gumikan mihisgot kini sa panuwat sa bag-ong mga sakop
niini diha sa bag-ong tsapter sa kasaysayan sa kapunongan. Tungod
sa unang higayon, karon pa nahitabo nga ang tibuok pamunuan sa
BATHALAD kay lunlon nang gihuptan sa aktibong mga batan-ong
magsusulat. Ug dugang pa niini, milipang usab ang kababayen-an nga
nahimong kaanib, diin kaniadto naila ra gayud ang BATHALAD isip
lunsay nga pundok sa kalalakin-ang magsusulat.
Ug kung atong itandi ang Pasumbingay ug Kaliring, makita ang
dakung kalahian: gaugpat ang tingog sa mga bag-o, mga batan-on, ug
mga babayeng mamamalak.
Sinyal na ba kini sa pagpasa sa sulo ngadto sa bag-ong
henerasyon? Signus na ba sab kini sa kabag-uhan sa kurso sa panuwat
ug pamalak?
Sa akong nahibaw-an, ang mga batan-ong mamamalak
karon kay morag nagdumili na sa pagtawag sa ilang kaugalingon
isip “magbabalak”, ug mas mopabor kung tawgon isip “balakero” o
“balakera”. Gikan sa pormal nga “magbabalak” ngadto sa medyo yaga-
yagaon – “balakero” ug “balakera”. Kung sa pasumbingay pa, gikan sa
mga nakakurbata ngadto sa naka-sneakers ug naka-mini-skirt.
Ug siguro, kining Pasumbingay maoy testamento kung ang
kaugmaran ba sa Sugbuanon pamalak kay anaa ba sa maayong kamot
sa mga palakero ug libakera – este, sa mga balakero diay ug balakera.
– Adonis Durado
Octobre 2008
11
The Cebuano poet today does not come upon a language
that is already there, ready to use; he has to recreate it
not only out of the rawness of daily speech but summon
out of language that which has already fallen away from
common consciousness and use.”
– Resil Mojares,
“Cebuano Poetry: Looking Backward, Forward”
12
The word “pasumbingay” does not have an equivalent word in
English. It can be translated as parable, allegory, fable or apologue,
depending on the context. It can even be any literal or rhetorical
device (metaphor, metonomy, synecdoche, irony) that consists in the
use of words other than their literal sense. All poems are therefore
made up of “pasumbingay”.
13
14
Temistokles Mangila Adlawan
Kamalig
Tem is a BATHALAD Hall of Famer in the field of fiction, after competing and
winning the top prize five times. He is a Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas awardee,
a prize given to distinguished Filipino writers by the Unyon ng Manunulat nga
Pilipinas. After retiring from public service, Tem devotes his time into writing.
Adlawan 15
Kamalig
16 Adlawan
The barn
Adlawan 17
Kasinatian sa usa ka panagbagat
18 Adlawan
Experience of one rendezvous
20 Adlawan
Rady’s Roasted Chicken
Adlawan 21
22
Vicente Vivencio Bandillo
Bandillo 23
Mga tuwapos sa kilumkilom
24 Bandillo
Orphans at twilight
Bandillo 25
Pito ka tamdanan sa pagpili og baraw
26 Bandillo
Seven guidelines for choosing a dagger
Bandillo 27
Ang katahom nga nag-apong sa kamatayon
“Eos rhododactylos…” – Homer
28 Bandillo
The beauty that attends death
The fingers of dawn are long and transparent like rose petals. They
were rising to the east of the wide plains of Troy when they burned
the mangled body of Hector whom Achilles killed in combat. And,
too, after more than three thousand years, over an island in the Pacific
where American soldiers were getting ready to capture a barren hill
from the hands of the Japanese.
Bandillo 29
30
Maria Victoria Beltran
Sa akong paglakaw
Bambi is a poet, fictionist and essayist. In n 2007, she won the Gawad Komisyon
for fiction. She is also a visual artist and an actress but considers herself first and
foremost a creative writer. She played the lead role in the film “Pagbalik” which
is the winner of the 2006 Gawad CCP short film competition. She was also an
associate producer and a supporting cast of the indie film Confessional, winner
of national and international awards.
Beltran 31
Bagyo sa balaknong kinabuhi
32 Beltran
Storm in a poet’s life
Beltran 33
Inig gradweyt nakos haiskul
Talianak
Na usab si Nanay
Napulo nay myembro
Sa among banay,
Lupig pang madyikero
Sa akong tatay
Nga dayag gyud
Ang pagtuo
Sa karaan nga sugo kuno
Sa Ginoo ang pagpadaghan
Sa mga tawo
Wala siguro ang kahitas-an
Kahibalo nga naghuot
Na mi sa among baryo
Kung mosuol ang tiyan
Sa among kamanghoran
Kung manukot
Ang among giutangan
Modagan ko sa silingan
Sa kaulaw niining tanan
Sige lang,
Inig tungtong nako
Sa hayskol
Dili na gyud ko maguol
Kay matud pas akong
Suod nga higala
Inig gradweyt namong duha
Mokagiw mi sa syudad
Manarbaho bisag unsa
Aron naa koy mapadala
Sa dugay nang
Gisapot nga tindera.
34 Beltran
When i finish highschool
Nanay
Is pregnant again
There are now ten
Siblings in our brood
Tatay is better
Than a magician
He believes in God’s call
To go out in the world
And multiply
Maybe the heavens
Do not know
That there is no more
Space in our barrio
When the stomach
Of our youngest one
Turns sour
When the shopkeeper
Comes to collect
I run to our neighbour
Ashamed of this all
It’s okay
When I reach highschool
I won’t worry anymore
Since my best friend
Has been telling me
When we finish highschool
We will stow away
To the big city
Work on any job
So that I have something
To send to the forever
Angry shopkeeper.
Beltran 35
Sa akong paglakaw
36 Beltran
When I leave
Beltran 37
sa abog nga natulog
ilawom sa katre
sa kanhing pagbati.
Kalimti ang mga hunghong
nga sa kasakit ming-usbong.
Yab-i og tubig
ang gakatkat nga kalayo
kay kitang duha
nasaag na
sa kalibunan
sa atong mga lasang.
Lupad pahilayo
kuyog ang mga ani
sa atong mga gabii
ug ayaw kalimti pawnga
ang mga suga sa poste.
38 Beltran
sprouting from sadness
And pour water
on the creeping fire
because the two of us
are now lost, in the thickets
of our jungle.
Fly away
together with the harvest
of all our nights
And don’t forget-
Switch off the lights
of the lamp posts.
Beltran 39
40
Jonah Bering
Ang pag-inusara
Amnesia
Gugma
Bering 41
Pag-inusara
42 Bering
Solitude
Bering 43
Amnesya
“He thinks we all have been cured. He believes
in amnesia and he will never mention it again.”
— Margaret Atwood, Under Glass
44 Bering
Amnesia
“He thinks we all have been cured. He believes
in amnesia and he will never mention it again.”
— Margaret Atwood, Under Glass
Bering 45
Gugma
hopeless ra.
46 Bering
Love
just hopeless.
Bering 47
48
Josua S. Cabrera
Text
Sudlay
Josua was born in Butuan City but grew up in Maasin, Southern Leyte. He began
writing English poems and found his poetic voice in Cebuano. His poems “Steam
Rice” and “Hoy Alimukon” won second prize (1997) and first prize (2001) in the
SunStar Superbalita Poetry Contest. In 2005, he bagged third prize in the Palanca
Awards for Cebuano fiction. He works as editorial cartoonist for SunStar Cebu.
Cabrera 49
Text
Naglingkod ka,
nanampiling
kilid sa imong bintana.
Imong panan-aw nilusot
sa mga lihang
sa galinya-linyang ulan
latas sa dakong
wanang lahos
didto sa nagsadyang
kakahuyan ug kawayanan.
Sila nagkaway-kaway
gadayeg nga naghangad sa langit.
Kay sa pila ka buwang
ting-init, nangliki ang yuta,
nikaging ang mga dahon
ug nibagtok ang kahumayan.
Apan, kaganiha, nanawag
ang langit. Nilanog ang iyang tingog.
Dayon, iyang gipabuhagay
ang iyang gugma, pagpahinumdum
kanila nga sila wala niya hikalimti
bisag kanus-a.
Apan ang dagayday sa ulan
sa imong bintana morag mga luha
sa imong hulagway
50 Cabrera
Text
You sit
With your hands on your face
Beside your window
Your glance slits through
The lines of rain
Through the big emptiness
Over the happy trees
And bamboo shrubs.
They wave. Praising,
Looking up to heaven.
For so many months of drought
The earth cracks
The leaves stiffened
And the ricefields dried-up.
But before the heaven
Calls. His voice echoed.
Then he showers his love,
To remind them that
He has not forgotten them ever.
But the drizzle of the rain
On your window pane
Are like tears
Of your picture
Cabrera 51
nga nianinaw sa bildo.
Pila ka minutos ang nilabay,
Nibarug ka, nanghupaw,
gikab-ot nimo ang jacket
nga sa lansang gisangit.
Padulong kang mogawas sa imong
lawak, apan nagdagan
kang nibalik dihang nitingog
ang imong cellphone sa lamesa
nga imong giakbuan ganiha.
Imong gibasa.
“Hey, I’m ok, musta na?”
Nilanog ang huni sa libuhang
mga anghel sulod sa imong dughan
ug nangudlot og pahiyom ang
imong ngabil.
52 Cabrera
Reflecting on the glass.
How many minutes pass
You stand up, and sigh
You take the jacket hanging on the nail
You go out of your
Room. But you run back
When you heard you cellphone on the table
That you waited on before
The you read.
“Hey I’m fine. How are you?”
A thousand music echoes
From the angel inside your heart
And a smile sprouted on your lips.
Cabrera 53
Sudlay
54 Cabrera
Comb
Grab
My hair.
You are kissed
By my shadow while
Slowly you comb
My hair that went around
In curls.
And suddenly
Your face glowed
How sweet is your smile
You noticed my hands
That settled on your hips
Fixing your in-shirt
Cabrera 55
Ang balak ni Julian
56 Cabrera
Julian’s poem
Cabrera 57
58
Lamberto G. Ceballos
Villanelle sa binilanggo
Nyor Lam have won numerous awards for his fiction and poetry. He was a writing
fellow in the Silliman Summer Writers Workshop, under the Tiempos. His latest
prize is from the Carlos Palanca Foundation for Cebuano fiction. After retiring as
public accountant, he now serves as the literary editor of Sun Star Superbalita.
Ceballos 59
Villanelle sa binilanggo
60 Ceballos
Villanelle for a prisoner
Ceballos 61
Di kita malipayong mga tawo
62 Ceballos
We aren’t happy men
Ceballos 63
Sa ilawom ning lapida
64 Ceballos
Under this stone
Ceballos 65
66
Vince Cinches
Tabanog
Daman
Binsoy is from Talisay City, Cebu. He first published his English poems in high
school and developed his Cebuano poetry during his stint in Today’s Carolinian.
He is the current executive director of the Central Visayas Fisherfolk Development
Center. He had involved himself in various social movements since high school.
Cinches 67
Ang tigmo ni benedicto
pagbantay gyud
sa iyahang tigmo
kay lamaton ka
basta tugtan nimo
iyang pulong nga mohalok
sa imong dunggan
kahinumdom gyud ko
sauna nga naa pay
landong ang patag
kami ni benedicto
moinat sa among lawas
kilid sa isig usa
unya iya kong tigmoan
nga dili nako maasoy
68 Cinches
Benedicto’s riddle
Do you remember
that deranged woman
last night?
I still remember
that day when he and I
lay stretched out
on a grassland. He started
riddling, and I found myself
strewn along an aisle
of tales, of things farther
than what my mind
could hold.
Cinches 69
unya akong singot morag iyang
kamot nga dili moundang
og dagayday sa akong lawas
70 Cinches
sweat drips upon my body
as though it were
his own hands reminding me
of a presence.
Cinches 71
Tabanog
gani karon
sa imong pagkanaog
imo kong nasaypan
nga bungbong
misandig ka
migunit
ug mihunghong
72 Cinches
Kite
where once
your feet knew
what it was like
to stay.
Cinches 73
nga bisan naa ka sa langit
ang bituon dili
gihapon makab-ot
74 Cinches
But now as I gaze
at you, waves break
on this same shore
singing dirges
as your feet
once again take
their covetous steps
to the deepening
water.
Cinches 75
Daman
(kang J, mananahi og sugilanon)
kay karon
lunhaw pa kaayo
ang mga pulong
nga ningtadlas
sa gadilaab
mong dila
nanudlo padulong
sa katulugon
tuod diay
ang bakho
ang balak
wala magtinguha
nga mokabakaba
mosamok
sa imong paglangyaw
76 Cinches
Daman
(kang J, mananahi og sugilanon)
I want to hold it ,
enfold it in my hands,
and keep it that way.
A sob,
a poem,
Cinches 77
sa eskina sa gision
kong hunahuna
dili ko kapanaw
padulong sa imong mata
kay dugay na
nakong gihipos ang paku
ug ang panganod
mipahulay na
sa imong kamot
ang adlaw
napalong
sa imong paghinanok
ug ako dugay
nang miduyan
mihagok
og sonata
milupad
sa imong ngabil
nahimong dahon
nahagbong
morag sugilanon
sa imong kamot
milupad
nahimong
balak
78 Cinches
on this street corner
floating in my mind,
can neither decide
nor distract their
own flight,
or yours.
A winged music
alights on your lips,
now a leaf falls
and falls
gentle,
fearful joy
of poetry.
Cinches 79
80
Adonis Durado
Unsay pulos
Recipient of the Emmanuel Lacaba Prize, Dons recently launched his first book
of poems entitled “Dili Tanang Matagak Mahagbong” (Not All That Drops
Falls). In 2001, he received the “Best New Writer Award” given by the Cebuano
Studies Center and Faigao Foundation. A graphic designer by profession and
currently based in Thailand, he serves as the group design director for a chain
of American magazines.
Durado 81
Ang pinakamalipayong balak
sa tibuok kalibutan
82 Durado
The happiest poem
in the whole world
Durado 83
Unsaon pagpangga
sa babayeng claustrophobic
84 Durado
To love
a claustrophobic girl
Durado 85
Unsay pulos
86 Durado
What use
Durado 87
88
Richel Dorotan
Halok sa suba
Pagpangandam
Also known by his pen name Omar Khalid, Richel was born in Medellin, Cebu.
He is currently the literary editor of Bisaya Magazine. He has won various literary
awards from Bathalad Inc., Gawad Komisyon, Carlos Palanca, and Superbalita Gov.
Gwen Garcia Award for his poetry and fiction.
Dorotan 89
Halok sa Suba
“Wala kaayo koy nasayran bahin sa mga diyos;
apan nagtuo ko nga ang suba usa ka kusgan ug gamhanang diyos.”
— kinutlo ug hinubad sa “The Dry Salvages” ni T.S. Eliot
90 Dorotan
Kiss of a River
I do not know much about gods;
but I think that the river is a strong brown god.—T.S. Eliot
Dorotan 91
Imoha na sab ang among kababayen-an
(Si Himaya, anak ni Kilaw-Baga
Si Dalilang, anak ni Bali-Alho
Si Gasa, anak ni Sagpo-Baha)
Ang ilang inampingang buhok
Ipadunghay nila sa imong aping —
Buhok nga wa pa masud-ong
Sa mga anito ug diwata
Tungod kay nasayod silang ikalipay mo kini
Ang luha sa among mga inahan
Mahimong kuwawing mo — tagoangkan
Aron sa ingon, sa nagsugwak mong dugo
Moubog ang pisot namong mga puya
Sa matag takdol.
Padayon namong itakgos ang aso sa kamanyan
Sama sa ritwal kon hilantan ang among mga masuso
Ipalupad namo ang talinis nga mga pana
Bisan pag sa tiil namo motaop sa pagtugpa
Guhay-guhayon namo ang kaaliputo sa kaudtohon
Wa kamiy kalisang sa kilat ug dugdog
Ug unya motambol ang liboan namong lakang
Magdaghong sa gibikogang pangpang
Magpangatipak kini, sama sa pagkadugmok sa among mga bukog
Nga giusap ug gilamoy sa taga Kasadpan
Napagaw na ang tuktugaok sa mga manok-ihalas
Ug ang among mga singgit ug bakho
Dili mapukan sa mga agta
Nga nagkulit sa makahilos nga timaan sa among agtang
Natilok na ang kusog sa among katigulangan
Ug naughan na ang naglambod nilang mga tinai
Nalisang kami: hangtod na lang kaha dinhi
Ang pagsanay sa among tribu?
O kaha monunot na lang kami sa imong panaw
Hangtod mosangko kami sa rumbo mong lawod
Hangtod ang lawas namo sa kasuko mo ianod
Hangtod moluhod na lang kami sa puting mga diyos...
92 Dorotan
You can have our womenfolk
(Himaya, daughter of Kilaw-Baga, the burning coal eater)
(Dalilang, daughter of Bali-Alho, the pestle breaker)
(Gasa, daughter of Sagpo-Baha, the flood blocker)
Their guarded hair
Will be dangled in your cheeks—
Hair never seen yet
By the spirits and fairies
Because they know you will be happy with it
And the tears of our mothers
Will be your streams— celestial womb
In that way, in your gushing blood
Our uncircumcised infants will take a dip
In every Full Moon.
We will continue to tie around the smoke of incense
Like the ritual every time our babies are afflicted with fever
We will unleashed our sharp arrows
Even if they will stick to our feet upon landing
We will tear to shreds the madness of noonday
We fear not of lightning and thunder
And our thousand steps go thumping
And groan in the cramp-hit ravine
This will crack, like the crushing of our bones
Chewed and devoured by the Westerners
The crowing of the wild chickens now hoarse
And our shouts and sobs
Will not be toppled by the black pigmy
Who sculpted the burning sign on our foreheads
The strength of our ancestors already exhausted
And their messy entrails gone dry
We are scared: will the proliferation of
Our tribe ends here?
Or we just go along with your flight
Until we reach your open sea
Until our bodies will be washed away by your fury
And to the white gods we kneel and pray…
94 Dorotan
Arrow: Black Prose of the Lost History
Dorotan 95
sayaw nga ako dinihogan na man sa lana sa laing yuta?
Bakikaw ang akong sura, way
gugma ang kumpas sa hinulamang balitaw.
Unsaon ko pa pagsumpay sa akong kagahapon
sa kasakit sa sudya ning gapasan?
Gibuhian ko ang butang ug tul-id kining mituhog
sa akong lapalapa ug ang akong dugo mikuyog sa bul-og sa sapa.
Ug tuhaw mitungha ang katingalahang langgam misakdap
ug gilabni kanako ang misteryosong kahilipsan
sa akong kaugatan. Sa iyang paglupad,
gidagit niyag apil ang akong kalag.
96 Dorotan
the dance since I am now tainted with oil in another land?
Awkward was my sway, the strides
are without love of the borrowed folk song and dance.
How could I link up the past
with the fang of confrontation with this arrow?
I released the thing and it directly stabbed
my sole and my blood went with the current of the stream.
And suddenly the strange bird appeared and assaulted
and seized from me the mysterious implements
of my veins. As she flow away,
she also took away my soul.
Dorotan 97
Pagpangandam
(Kang higalang magbabalak, Myke O.)
98 Dorotan
A Preparation
(for my poet-friend, Myke O.)
Dorotan 99
Nga gibandilyo sa irong nag-uwang.
Ayaw na ko butara
Natagam na ko adtong gidala
Mo ako sa panganod
Nahubsan ko sa hambog
Apan kon imo kong pugson
Andam na kong motando og hinay
Bahala nag mahimo kong kikik
Magbidyoke kog yabag nga huni
Matag tadlas sa alas dose sa gabii
Bisag ang tanan mong ngipon
Mahimong bangkil
Ug ang tanan mong buhok mahimong sungay
Andam na ko sa pagsapnay sa mga
Sanglitanan sa hubog tang kaadlawon.
100 Dorotan
Of lies and truths
Being announced by the howling dog.
Dorotan 101
102
Greg Fernandez
Hangyo ni Batman
Eros-Thanatos-Paltos
Greg works as a graphic designer for SunStar Cebu since 1999. He was a member
of Bathalad since 2000 and writes poetry and fiction reflecting the Cebuano
experience. Greg was one of the casts of the award-winning indie movie,
Confessional
Fernandez 103
Hangyo ni Batman
104 Fernandez
Batman’s plea
So prepare yourself
for you shall be Batgirl
Fernandez 105
Abat vs. Balak
106 Fernandez
Phantom vs. Poem
the reputed white white ladies, the priest with no head, tikbalang, santilmo
And of any other creatures that your neighbors see each night
Fernandez 107
Eros-Thanatos-Paltos
108 Fernandez
Eros-Thanatos-Paltos
Fernandez 109
110
Chai Fonacier
Kilomkilom sa Skywalk
Ika-20 sa Septembre,2007
Patya
Chai started writing when she was 11, but began to tinker her craft seriously when
she was 17. In 2006, she did a showbiz stint for which she is ashamed of, and
threatens to devour alive anyone who screams “PDA!” (Pinoy Dream Academy)
at her. At present, she juggles three jobs with a lot of side projects – including
putting together melodies and lyrics for her band. She also dreams of finally
knowing what it is she wants to do with her life, while learning ballet, playing the
drums, and growing taller.
Fonacier 111
Kilomkilom sa Skywalk
Ang skywalk
Nga nagtanga
Sa kasubo nga daw robot,
Niguroy kanako
Padung ngadto,
Nagpakuyog
Kay lagi,
Holiday.
Ug sa sugyot sa kilomkilom,
Atbang sa kahil, ako ang morado;
Ako miginhawag lawm
Gigakos ko
Ang kangiob sa semanang milabay
Sa usa ka oras nga pahuway
Sulod ning kalaay
Kay lagi,
Holiday.
112 Fonacier
Dusk in the skywalk
The skywalk,
that looks stupid
from sadness like a robot,
drags me
going there,
brings me
because today,
Is holiday.
Fonacier 113
Ika-20 sa Septembre, 2007
Kalimot ko da.
Bisperas na man pud diay karon.
Kalimot kog handom
Sa mga baby boomers
Nga gibombahan
Og tubig ug granada
Sa mga kadalanan.
Apan unsay handumon,
Mora pud kog naa didto da.
Moundang na kog pamakak:
Gikapoy ko
Gikan sa trabaho.
Busa inig ka ugma
Dili na ko kakuyog
Sa pagmartsa-martsa
kay ngitngit na among balay
ug masirad-an unya ko
sa VECO.
114 Fonacier
The 20th of September, 2007
I forgot.
It is again the day before, today
I forgot to remember
The baby boomers
That was blasted
With water and hand grenade
In the avenues.
But what is there to remember,
As if I was there, then
I will stop lying
I am tired
From work
So, tomorrow
I won’t be able to go
To the street marches
For our house is dark
And maybe, I’ll be switched off
By VECO
Fonacier 115
Patya
116 Fonacier
Kill
Fonacier 117
118
Anthony Kintanar
Pagkaplag
Pagbantay
Pagpakaingon
Kintanar 119
Pagkaplag
120 Kintanar
Seek
Kintanar 121
Pagbantay
122 Kintanar
Caution
I squeeze my rag
Of a brain and dip it
Into the pail of dreams.
Then, slowly, I wipe
The window blackened
By my thoughts.
Through the drops
Framing the view, I see
The rainbow broken
By your passage.
Kintanar 123
Pagpakaingon
Gihikyad sa Kangitngit
Ang papel ug gisulat
Ang ngalan sa Kagabhion.
Gilabni sa Kahayag
Ang papel ug kini nagisi.
Sa dihang gisumpay
Sa Kangitngit ang pulong,
Iyang nahikapan ang mga tudlo
Sa Kahayag nga nagpangab-ot,
Nag-alindasay. Iya kining gisapupo
Ug sila naggunitay hangtod sa pag-abot
Sa naglangaylangayng Kadlawon.
124 Kintanar
Becoming
Darkness unfolds
The paper and writes
The name of Night.
Light grabs the paper,
Tearing it.
When Darkness tries to put
The word back together,
It touches Light’s fingers,
Reaching and restless.
Darkness cups them to its chest,
And they hold each other,
Till lingering Dawn arrives.
Kintanar 125
126
Kevin Lagunda
Gugma
Kevin grew up in Mandaue City and is currently a junior student of Cebu Nor-
mal University, taking up a degree in BA Communication. He was named Most
Promising Writer in Bisaya 2008.
Lagunda 127
Gugma
128 Lagunda
Love
Lagunda 129
Sa dihang nahimong buyog ang akong kaibog
(Alang kang Elvie)
130 Lagunda
When my admiration became a bee
(for Elvie)
I’ll be swayed
by my confusion.
Hesitating, questioning if
I’m worthy to land on you.
Lagunda 131
Panimawos sa tinderog sigarilyo
hapit gyud
nabungog
sa tingog
sa iyang pagsuyop
sa ice water nga mipakurog
sa udtong-tutok
nga misuksok
sa iyang tutonlan
ug kaunoran
132 Lagunda
Revenge of the cigarette vendor
almost losing
his hearing
to the sound
of his sipping
hiding down
his throat and muscles
Lagunda 133
134
Ernesto Lariosa
Lariosa 135
Dihang gigakos mo ang mga balod
136 Lariosa
As you hold tight the waves
Lariosa 137
Kamatuoran pagbundak sa ulan
138 Lariosa
The Truth As Rain Pours
Lariosa 139
Sa gabii nga mitadlas ang kalayo
140 Lariosa
The night when fire cuts across
Lariosa 141
142
Neile Genica Mijares
Gen is a member of the feminist group Gabriela and aspires to write poems
echoing the women’s cause. She was a fellow of Faigao Writers Workshop and the
UPVCC Creative Writing Workshop. Her English poems have been published in
SunStar Weekend and her short fiction was anthologized in the book Hinugpong.
Mijaries 143
Ang puwang bokswagen ni tatay
Inig suka
Maabirya sa daplin
Sa dan, kilid sa plasa
Usahay
Mag-illegal parking
Sa gawas sa Melie’s
Sa beerhouse
Sa may unahan
Inig pauli
Mag-alburoto ang iyang
Tambutso
Modasmag
Sa pultahan ug sofa
Kay napundiran sa iyang
Headlights
144 Mijaries
Father’s red volkswagon
When he spews
His engine dies
On the street, on the plaza curb
Sometimes
He parks illegally
In front of Melie’s
TYhe beerhouse
Nearby
He collides
On the door and the sofa
His headlights
Have gone busted
Mijaries 145
Kada Sabado sa buntag
Ang puwang boksawagen
Magbuy-od sa lantay
Sa gawas, kilid sa balay
Wala nakagrahe
Gitiketan ni Nanay
Para palit og pamahaw
Bayad sa tulo ka kilong bugas
Sa duha ka latang sardinas
146 Mijaries
Every Saturday mornings
As the red volkswagon
Lies wasted on the lantay
Outside the house
Mijaries 147
Pagbiya sa Pier Tres
6:30 A.M.
148 Mijaries
Leaving Pier Three
At this hour
the sun is hanged
and drowned by the sea.
6:30 A.M.
Mijaries 149
sa isig ka tumoy sa mga pulong
1. elipsis
tulo ka luha
nagsunod og
patak
niginhawa
og lawm
patak
ginhawa
patak
ningpatik ningkapyot
sa mga linya sa akong aping
2. koma
manguhit sa abaga
ang mga pulong
nga nakigtapad sa linya
150 Mijaries
At the end of a sentence
1) ellipis
drop
breathe
drop
breathe
2. comma
Mijaries 151
mga pulong nga sa usa ka kidhat
makab-ot makuhit malugit
matuhog ang linya
padung sa langit
gamit ang gagmayng ikid
tumoy sa lapis
3. tuldok
kining tanan
mahuman ra
karong taud-taod
hukman na sa langit
kung kanus-a moabot
ang katapusan sa
zero zero
ang sunod
152 Mijaries
words that in one wink
hold, fondle, penetrate
thread the line
towards heaven
with the small swagger
of a pencil tip
3) period
all these
will soon end
in a moment
the bedridden
long dextrose tubes
long hospital bills
all of these darling
when placed with a period
zero zero
will follow.
Mijaries 153
154
Michael U. Obenieta
Myke is a bilingual poet and has attended several writing fellowship all over
the country. He has won several awards for his poetry, including the Gawad
Komisyon in 2006. His first collection of poem Iring-iring sa Tingbitay sa
Iro was published by the NCCA. He now lives in the United States while still
maintaining a regular column for SunStar Cebu.
Obenieta 155
Sa akong pagkaanod sa ganghaan sa panganod
“The most popular sculpture in the city of Chicago, the Cloud Gate is a threestory
110-ton stainless steel sculpture in Millennium Park… shaped like a bean and
resembles a drop of mercury hovering at the point of landing on the park. The
curved, mirror-like surface of the sculpture provides striking reflections of visi-
tors…” – Wikipedia
156 Obenieta
About my state of drift through the cloud gate
“The most popular sculpture in the city of Chicago, the Cloud Gate is a three-story
110-ton stainless steel sculpture in Millennium Park… shaped like a bean and
resembles a drop of mercury hovering at the point of landing on the park. The
curved, mirror-like surface of the sculpture provides striking reflections of visitors…”
– Wikipedia
Obenieta 157
Kawhat sa kahinam: Nagkayuring nga yamyam
sa nag-ugom og uling
“Siloy, also known by its other local name, the Black Shama, is difficult to draw out into the
open. The territorial bird is suspicious of human beings in its habitat.” – matod sa website
sa Wild Bird Club of the Philippines
Pananglitan, si Prometheus
Maoy santos sa mga kawatan.
Kon mao, maghupot kog usa ka pungpong
Nga kandila ug mangiyupo nga dili unta maposasan
ang mga pak-an: mga bantogang balhiboon og kamot
Sa Pasil, Ermita, Villagonzalo, Lorega, Hipodromo.
Kay ang kidlap sa ilang pulso—makakawhat bisan
Sa tipasi sa mga aligato— lagmit mao ray
Makasakmit sa langgam nga nagkalayo
Sa matag huyop sa panghupaw sa kahinam
Ug taghoy sa kamingaw. O, Siloy!
Silaw kaayo ang anino sa iyang paglupad ug
Pagtugpa sa kawayanan taliwala sa lapad nga
Wanang sulod sa alimpatakan—tin-aw,
Walay kalainan sa alisngaw sa Antartika, bulok-puti
Ang pagkahanaw: buwa sa kalimotaw nga hagbay rang
Gatutok sa pulang letra sa kalendaryo—petsa onse
Sa Septembre—nga lagmit maoy adlawng natawhan
Sa tanang mga kirawan nga naglabni bisan sa kalag
Sa kabukiran nga nangaugdaw, tin-aw ang aso
Ug wala’y kalainan sa mga abo nga nanugdon
Sa mga dahon sa kakahoyan alirong
Sa Auschwitz-Birkenau, Hiroshima, Nagasaki…
Way utlanan ang tungol, padayon ang kahangol.
Sus, kon ang siloy magpabiling dili madakpan
Sa akong mata—O, Prometheus!—
Simbako gyod kon pasagdan niya nga masubli nako
Ang gidangatan sa mangtas mokilaw nga T-Rex.
Magbukal unta kanunay akong laway, magpanilap
Sa panghinaot uyamot nga makatilaw
Puhon og barbekyung Phoenix.
158 Obenieta
Reach of yearning: Babble of someone
stuffing coal in the mouth
“Siloy, also known by its other local name, the Black Shama, is difficult to draw out into the
open. The territorial bird is suspicious of human beings in its habitat.” – matod sa website
sa Wild Bird Club of the Philippines
Obenieta 159
Dili ko inutil kon makatukod ko’g motel
(Harana alang ni Miss America nga nagdamgo og world peace ug sa tanang
dumuduong nga natanggong taliwala sa katahom ug urom)
sa gatas ug dugos
dili na kinahanglang
magtukod ko og simbahan
hangtod manglugmaw
sa akong mata ang bindita
sa gatas ug dugos
sa gatas ug dugos
dili na kinahanglan
ang mga anghel kon mag-abot
sa akong motel ug di mag-ibot
ang turista ug ang terorista
160 Obenieta
I’m not worthless if i could build a motel
(serenade for Miss America who dreams of world peace and for all the visitors
stranded between beauty and nightmare)
no more need
to build a church
until my eyes brims over
with holy water
no more need
for angels if ever they would meet
in my motel and stay stuck
together the tourist the terrorist
Obenieta 161
162
Hi-D Palapar
Batil
Kandiis
Hi-D Palapar’s ultimate dream is to spend the rest of her life just reading and
writing. She cannot see home without books. She mainly writes poetry, but tiers
with other genres. She has been to the Faigao, Iligan, UP and Iyas workshops.
She also writes heritage and art articles for local newspapers.
Palapar 163
Batil
Akong namatikdan
unsa ka kahanas
mobatil og itlog.
padayon ka
sa pagbatil hangtod
nga mibiya ko kanimo.
164 Palapar
Beating Eggs
I’ve noticed
how expertly
you beat eggs.
* ’day (short for Inday)—a title or term of address for a female the same age or younder
than the speaker, often adopted as the informal first name (Wolff 1972)
Palapar 165
Kandiis
166 Palapar
Dimple
Palapar 167
Santo Niño Spring, Camiguin
niadtong usa ka Semana Santa
168 Palapar
Santo Niño Spring, Camiguin
one Holy Week
Palapar 169
170
Karla Quimsing
Kalay is an Ilongga who started writing poetry in Filipino. When she moved to
Cebu City from the sleepy coast of Iloilo to pursue graduate studies in literature,
she was challenged and inspired to appreciate and celebrate the poetry of the
Visayan tongues. Her struggles in expressing her sensibilities in the most
appropriate language led her to realize that writing poetry is like cooking pancit.
Quimsing 171
Sa kaila nakong musikero
172 Quimsing
To a musician
Quimsing 173
Alang Kang Juliet
Ikaw daw
ang adlaw sa kalibutan.
Unsa pa gani to?
Bisan hutdon pa niya
og ihap ang mga bituon
basta masud-ong ka lang,
bahala na
bisan manglagom pa siya
sa pinaakan sa mga lamok
kay makapahayag man
ang imo mga halok.
Bahala na
bisag mag-antos pa siya
sa katugnaw sa tun-og
naa bitaw ang imong gakos.
Wa ka nag duha-duha
nga talikdan
ang kalibutan
kay nagtuo ka, Juliet,
nga iyaha ang langit.
Sus, day,
wa ba ka kahibalo?
Patay na si Romeo.
174 Quimsing
For Juliet
He told you
for him, you are
the sun of the earth.
Oh what else?
He will count the stars
just to get a glimpse of you.
It doesn’t matter
even if mosquitoes sting him
black and blue
anyway, your kisses
will give him a handsome glow.
It doesn’t matter
even if the night is cool and cruel
anyway, your embrace
is warm and gentle.
Sus, inday!
You don’t know?
Romeo is dead.
Quimsing 175
Gugma sa Leap Year?
176 Quimsing
Love in the Leap Year?
*”Roaming” is a slang which means you can receive and send text
messages worldwide.
Quimsing 177
178
Bal Marsius L. Valdehueza
Palito
Chalk dust
Pagsawp
Valdehueza 179
Palito
180 Valdehueza
Matchstick
Valdehueza 181
Chalk dust
182 Valdehueza
Chalkdust
Valdehueza 183
Pagsawp
184 Valdehueza
Sunset
Valdehueza 185
186
Kei Valmoria
Pahimatngon
Nahimulag
She read and admired Cebuano poetry since her days as an editor of a campus
publication. But it was only in early 2007, while recovering from a broken heart
and boozing it up with her literary-minded friends, that she ventured into writing
it herself. She works as a copy and documentation specialist for a European
software company while pursuing graduate studies in anthropology at the
University of San Carlos.
Valmoria 187
Pahimatngon
188 Valmoria
Notice
Valmoria 189
Love Triangle #2: Palahubog
190 Valmoria
Love Triangle
Valmoria 191
Nahimulag
Nahinumdum ko.
Ganihang kadlawon, sa akong pagpauli,
Sa dihang ako nadakin-as sa ulan,
Nakita ko ang adlaw nga misubang
Kuyog kanatong duha,
Didto sa usa ka baybayon sa Habagatan.
Estranged
I remember.
Yesterday dawn, on the way home,
I glimpsed flashes
Of the sun rising with you and me
Over a beach somewhere South,
Even as I slipped and fell
With the rain.
Sirkiro
Writing has always been Cindy’s favorite hobby. She realized that by words and
imagination, she’ll be able to weave dreams and reality. She feels she’s full of life
every time she finished writing a poem. She is a currently senior AB English stu-
dent of the University of San Carlos
Velasquez 195
Sirkiro
196 Velasquez
Acrobat
Velasquez 197
Tinagidyot nga panultihon ni Inday
198 Velasquez
Bits and pieces of sayings of Inday
Velasquez 199
Unsaon pagkaon sa impyerno?
200 Velasquez
How to eat hell?
Velasquez 201
202
Noel Villaflor
In 2000, Noel was named a fellow of the Faigao Writers Workshop and UP
National Writers Workshop. He also won the poetry contest sponsored by the
NCCA, found a job as editor of a community paper, got married, and became a
father. He resigned from SunStar Cebu recently to pursue several careers, such as
raising chickens, hogs and goats.
Villaflor 203
Ang renaissance man
204 Villaflor
The renaissance man
Villaflor 205
Bulalakaw nga naugsok sa akong kalimutaw
bata nga nawala sa mall. buta nga nabiyaan sa diskoral. iring nga
gibikugan taliwala sa dalan. buwak nga imong gibalibag sa lanaw.
kasing-kasing nga nisilaob sulod sa akong hurna.
206 Villaflor
Comet buried in my eye
child lost in the mall, blind man left in a street disco, cat catching
cramps in the middle of the road, a flower you’ve hurled into the lake.
this heart ablaze in my furnace.
Villaflor 207
Ang dimalasong tawo nga gitiaw-tiawan sa suwerte
Gipasuk niya iyang ulo sa oven, apan nahutdan siyag gasul. Gituslob
niya ang blower sa bathtub, apan naputlan siyag kuryente. Gibitay
niya iyag baratohong necktie, apan kini nabugto. Nilandig siya sa
iyang iro, apan ang buko-buko niini nikuto. Gibalikas niya ang
ginoo, giihi-an siya sa langit.
208 Villaflor
Luck plays on the unfortunate man
He sticks his head inside the oven! but he runs out of gas. He
dips his blower in the bathtub! but his lights are cut. He hangs
his cheap necktie! but this breaks. He lands on his dog! it’s back
breaks. He curses god! Heaven pees on him.
Villaflor 209
210
Januar Yap
Konsepto sa nasuhito
Januar was a recipient of the NCCA Ubod New Writers Series grant for his
collection of short fiction Ang Aktibistang Gi-Syphilis ug Uban pang mga
Sugilanon. His short story “Ang Suhito” won in the Palanca Awards. He is a copy
editor of Sun.Star Cebu and currently teaches journalism and literature subjects at
the Cebu Normal University.
Yap 211
Konsepto sa nasuhito
212 Yap
A concept by the knowledgeable
Yap 213
Usa ka adlaw sa presinto ni S.P.O 2 Disconcerto:
imbestigasyon kabahin sa akong pagpangulata
sa usa ka pastor sa ginoo
Tiaw ba god na, chip, nga nagdala kuno siyag pan sa Ginoo.
Giingnan ko siyag, bi,bi,hain man na kay hagbay rang nagkutoy ning tiyan ko.
Madawat ko ra to, chip, kay sayod man pod ko nga ang sarang pastor
Nga nagsangyaw sa maayong balita sa Ginoo watsinanggo.
Gikinahanglan sa trabaho, kay tiaw ba god og makatulog uroy
Ang mga manimbahay,mosangko lang sa hagok ang maayong balita sa Ginoo?
Mao nang gikinahanglan ang mga pasiaw, gagmay nga mga pakapin,
Mga diskarte aron mas mabulokon ang pagsangyaw sa nindot nga balita.
Pero, chip, sakto ba gud na nga sa dihang mohisgot na siya sa mga makasasala
Dayon niyang pasiplat kanamo, manudlo ug moingon,
“Saksihi ninyo ang wala motambong sa bangkete sa Ginoo!”
Pastilan, chip, nahamangha man gyud ko, chip. Mingkuyos gyud
Ngadto sa kagamyon sa utitod ang akong kaugalingon.
Kung bangkete lang ang hisgotan, ngano gud intawn
Nga dili ta man tambongan. Kon adunay bangkete sa pista,
Sayud pod ko sa gamay kong nahibaw-an nga aduna po’y pakals
Alang sa kalag: adunay pag-ampo nga balig lima ka hiwa sa tinuwa,
Adunay paghinulsol nga sama kalami sa balbakwa, ug adunay po’y
Pangaliyupo nga, pastilan, inasal gayod para mahilangit.
214 Yap
One day, at the precinct of SPO2 Disconcerto:
investigation about my beating up God’s pastor
Yap 215
Hinumdomi usab nga kaniadto, ang susama kanato didto sa kalbaryo
Gipatapad sa Ginoo. Kita lang ang gikahinabi ngadto sa kataposang
Ginhawa sa Ginoo.
216 Yap
Remember that before, the likes of us were the only ones in calvary
Who were allowed to be near God. We, alone, had the last conversation
With God until his last breath.
Yap 217
218
Hope S. Yu
Kalugwayan
Yu 219
Kalugwayan
220 Yu
Survival
Yu 221
Pinatipas nga silaw
222 Yu
Refraction
Yu 223
224
Gamayng pasukip gikan sa mga editor
225
226
Bathalad set of officers (2008)
Credits
• Cover Design–Adonis Durado • Layout–Greg Fernandez • Illustration–Josua Cabrera
• Editors–Adonis Durado, Maria Victoria Beltran, Anthony Kintanar
227
228
Pasalamat
229
So where is the new Cebuano poetry? A question once
hurled by National Artist Virgilio Almario to Cebuano
historian and literary scholar Resil Mojares who wrote
the foreword of this book. Here is the gathering of fresh
voices and new poems by the members of BATHALAD
literary group which offers proof that the state of
Cebuano poetry is very much alive and kicking. The
twenty-three poets included in this anthology consist
of three generations of writers – the the old guards
(Ernesto Lariosa, Lamberto Ceballos, Vicente Vevencio
Bandillo, Temistokles Adlawan), the virtuosos (Michael
Obenieta, Januar Yap, Adonis Durado, Josua Cabrera),
and the future torchbearers.