IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

POLYTECHNIC
Sta. Maria, Bulacan, Philippines Inc.
Marian Road, Poblacion, Sta. Maria, Bulacan
Chapter 4
Poetry

Poetry, literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of

experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and
arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm (Nemerov, H., 2020). It is said to
aspire to the conditions of music, hence its rhythmic quality. It employs
figurative and symbolic language that makes it susceptible to different
interpretations. It was used in the old days for religious rituals and
ceremonies, and later for narrating mythological stories. One of the earliest
examples is the Epic of Gilgamesh, considered as the “first great work of
literature.”
Elements of Poetry
 Structure and Poetry it has something to do with the overall
organization of lines and/or the conventional patterns of sound. It
includes the stanza and form.
 Sound Patterns three other elements of poetry are rhyme scheme,
meter, and word sounds. These are sometimes collectively called
sound play because they take advantage of the performative, spoken
nature of poetry.
 Meaning and Poetry poetry is not always about hidden or indirect
meanings, sometimes it is implied and directly stated or evident in the
poem itself.

The poem that you are about to read is written by Dr. Noel Christian
Moratilla. He is an educator. He finished his Bachelor of Arts in Education
degree at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila in 1999. Then continued his
education taking up his Master’s Degree in Education at the University of the
Philippines and finished in 2007. And lastly, he had his Ph. D. in Philippine
Studies at the same university in 2015. Currently, he is practicing his craft as
an educator. His focus is on picturing out the present situation of our country
in his works, one example of it is his poem “Coup de Grace”.

Coup de Grace
By Noel Christian Moratilla

When you bother to come

to our slums,
remember to carry
the hardest and heaviest rifles
to jog our memory.
Bring some gasoline to singe
our unwashed
conscience.
Sear our flesh
misshapen by
bullet holes
with my eyes that never shut.

When we welcome you

with hands
reeking of slime or grease,
you’ll find us
disgusting
so have us handcuffed
for such impropriety
and whisked
to the nearest prison
or graveyard.

Show no mercy if
we forget
to stoop when
asking for charity.
Cut off our fists if
we clench and raise them
in protest.
Demolish our houses empty
as our stomachs,
with cardboard-thin
walls
standing in the muck.

Gorge our parched throats

with your dirt
and show more pleasure
when we grovel
At your feet.
should you hear
our famished
babies cry,
bury a dagger deep
into each one’s neck.
When they die,
we’ll put them in
paper coffins
brittle as our sanity.