My Love Who Comes as a Star[1] A Felon’s Heart[5]

Victor Manalili
It is something
invisible to the naked eye Shakespeare’s gone blank
It’s a radiant point of light Cold is the night
that appears only My brain shivers to pain
when you keep your eyes close woe, and desirousness
My love,
who comes as a star Just a boy
No! A man at an infantile epoch
who loved a chancy patrician
SIJO[2]
Yun Seondo (1587-1671) The lion kissed the deer
yet Cupid’s demanding back his arrows
You asked how many
Friends I have? For many reasons,
Water and stone, bamboo and pine flair lip can’t explain
The moon rising over the eastern hill is a joyful His tears are tepid
comrade Yet
Besides these five companion, Cold is his night
What other pleasure should I ask?

Where is Without Me[6]

A Rain in February[3] Victor Manalili
Victor Manalili Jr.
The trees drew silhouettes before the night sky
A faint clap of thunder I could hear the tangling of the grasses
clouded skies as they wove back and forth with the wind
Perhaps, the rain comes I rested beside her
If so, In the open field where the crickets sang,
Will you stay here with me? And where the moon gazed down at us.

A faint clap of thunder My top stunk with mud all over

clouded skies But she did not care
Perhaps, the rain comes Her cold palm filled mine
If so, She was a beautiful as ever
I’ll stay here with you. Even with her pale face
I could see the sea in the green of her eyes
This night won’t end
SIJO[4] “Oh Jane! I stole you from your coffin.
Hwang Chin-I
Can you smile for me?”
Blue mountains speak of my desire
Green waters reflect of my lover’s love
The mountain unchanging
The waters flowing by [7]
Sometimes, it seems the waters cannot forget me Her eyes gazed upon the wonders he said
They part in tears, regretting, running away but his grin widened
He’ll maybe keep her heart
Crush it in his grasp or slowly let it fall
Both will leave her broken
and both will the poet of this poem helplessly
watch

Reyco Castardo
In Vain[8]
Chairil Anwar

The last time you came,

You brought bright flowers
Red rose, white jasmine
Blood and holiness
and spread them in front of me
with a decisive look: for you

We were stunned
and asked each other: what is this?
Love? Neither of us understood.

That day we were together

We did not touch

But my heart will not give itself to you

And does not care
That you are ripped by desolation

Sowing Seeds[9]
Every roadside
we walked past
was wet as early dawn
So I,
still roam in the fog
Not knowing
The way to my hometown

The message of the last card

left in the garden of God
was love
But I
was always poor at love
and it was so difficult to love you
that I couldn’t say “I love you”
Until the last moment
And let you go alone in loneliness

Now,
You are in a place so high
I can’t make myself heard
Even if I shout
So I picked up your love for me

In my sheet music of God where

it is kept as an everlasting song
I remain a function word
Behind your back
and sow seeds in tears

In the wet road,

We once walked past
Walking along in a path of dawn
I am waiting for morning.