MANONTON DALAN
aliling moy tubon ngalog
ed mataban dalin
mankurkurung anggad
nasapyot na palin
agnasayang ilaok kad inigar
ya ungel na seba,
babang tan asin; panpiestaay
baboy ya mataba
no sikay nabini unsalumpapak
kan mandosas
dagupen kay pukyutan,
ampingilan, kumpapey,
gilata tan arun niran bigis
manpirawat ed linggas
anggapoy biskeg mon mangipulisay
o mangiyawey
sikay malenleneg ya
mangaksobi ed amina tag-leey
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A Prayer to St. Jude
AG
Like the moon in the sky that comes and goes,
Life is on a schedule, much like a city bus,
Experiences and lessons that hitch the ride,
Become the best teachers always by our side!
My story took place during my college days, when a lot of things were happening in my life. That October day, on my way back to Manila from my hometown after a school break, I happened to meet a girl who was a student at the Philippine Women’s University. The train ride then took about four hours, long enough for people to meet and forge friendships. She was seated on the couch across from me, intently reading the book Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal. After a while, she stopped reading and dropped the book by her side. Our eyes met and she gave me a faint smile. It was the right opening that I was waiting for, so I asked her, “Do you know that Leonor Rivera lived in Dagupan for a while and that she also had relatives in Lingayen?” I must have aroused her interest because as it turned out, she was from Dagupan City herself. She introduced herself as Julie. She was reserved and pretty with a little slant in her eyes; when she smiled, her face radiated the morning sunrise.
The previous semester, I had just finished the course on the life and times of Jose Rizal, so my knowledge about his life was still very fresh in my mind. To impress her, which is one way boys try to attract girls, I talked in detail about Rizal. I made it appear that I was a well-informed and a well-read person, but I really wasn’t because the only books I would read at the time were my textbooks. Anyway, our conversation got more animated when we discussed in depth Rizal’s love for Leonor Rivera, who was to become the Maria Clara character in Noli Me Tangere. “Leonor eventually married an Englishman,” I said, “because her mother harbored a deep distrust of Rizal.” I enjoyed the girl’s company so much that at the end of the trip, I suggested that we should see each other again. She agreed to meet me in front of the St. Jude Church the following Thursday, which was novena day in honor of the saint. That, I thought, was good timing for both of us because it was college enrollment week and classes would not start until the Monday of the following week.
I looked forward very keenly to that Thursday. So, after putting on my best, I left home early and made it to the church a full thirty minutes before the agreed-upon time for our date. I went inside the church to say a prayer of thanks for my good luck in having met that girl. At ten minutes before 5:00 P.M., I positioned myself inconspicuously in front of the church; all that time my thoughts were racing, figuring out where he two of us would go after the church novena. I was so excited and nervous as I screened every face that came my way. But fifteen minutes passed and my date was still nowhere around. I thought that maybe she was held up by heavy traffic. I waited for another hour to give her a chance to beat the traffic, but still she was a no-show. I ended up alone in front of the church, standing in a corner like a statue.
I was so disappointed when I realized that I had been stood up. Feeling like a fool, I decided to go home with my wounded pride. The irony in my situation was that I waited in vain in a church named after St. Jude, the patron saint of the hopeless. On board the bus that I took going home, I thought deeply about my misfortune and it brought to mind the movie An Affair to Remember, which I had seen sometime back. I began to imagine myself as the character played by the actor Cary Grant, stood up by his date at the very top of the Empire State Building. I recalled that the two lovers had promised that if one of them could not make it to the date, it would be for a very good reason. I wondered then if my date had such a good reason, perhaps an afterthought that it was not proper to have a date with a new-found friend who is still very much a stranger. But I decided that she was not worth any further thought and crossed out her name forever from my life. Still, I went home so dejected, never even mentioning to my brother what happened to avoid being teased as the forsaken dashing Romeo.
When the second semester started, I fell back to my study routine. Like many of the students in my school, studying was my total preoccupation during the weekdays, keeping only Saturdays free for unwinding myself and seeking relief from the pressure of my studies. During that time, the Women’s Club of our school was sponsoring once-a-month Saturday dances to create a conducive atmosphere for girls to meet boys. For freshman and sophomore girls enrolled in the Euthenics class, one of the requirements was to attend those monthly socials so they could practice the social graces that they were learning from the class.
I distinctly remember that particular Saturday night in December when I attended the last monthly socials before the school’s Christmas break. On one side of the dance hall were girls lined up like wallflowers, waiting to be invited to dance by the boys. My roving eyes were captivated by one of them—a girl with hair in ponytail and wearing a red-and-white dress. It took me a while to summon enough courage to approach her, but I finally managed to do so and introduced myself. I think meeting her that night was providential, for I soon found out that she spoke the same dialect as mine and came from the same province as mine. In any case, before the socials that night ended, I asked her if it would be all right for me to visit her during the Christmas break and meet her family. She didn’t respond, probably thinking that I was just one of those many crazy young men who would swear by the moon.
I went back to my hometown during the Christmas break, and the day after Christmas, I set out to visit the girl in her own hometown. The trip took about an hour along bumpy and dusty roads. I did not know where she lived so when I reached the town, I asked around. Thankfully, the town barber knew everybody and he directed me to the shortest route to her house. I showed up in the girl’s house in no time at all, surprising her and her family with my determination and with my resourcefulness to come and see her. After that first visit, it dawned in me that she was the girl that I would like to marry someday. Many years still had to pass, though, before both of us were convinced that we were really meant for each other. We eventually decided to get married after getting to know each other much better. I found my soul mate in her and she found her first and only love in me.
Three decades later, my wife and I attended her high school reunion in Chicago. There, we met the barber who had given me the directions to her house in her hometown. And as a fond reminder that he was once a tiny but crucial bridge in our love story, my wife and I had photos taken with him in between the two of us.
Like the moon in the sky that comes and goes,
Life is on a schedule, much like a city bus,
Experiences and lessons that hitch the ride,
Become the best teachers always by our side!
My story took place during my college days, when a lot of things were happening in my life. That October day, on my way back to Manila from my hometown after a school break, I happened to meet a girl who was a student at the Philippine Women’s University. The train ride then took about four hours, long enough for people to meet and forge friendships. She was seated on the couch across from me, intently reading the book Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal. After a while, she stopped reading and dropped the book by her side. Our eyes met and she gave me a faint smile. It was the right opening that I was waiting for, so I asked her, “Do you know that Leonor Rivera lived in Dagupan for a while and that she also had relatives in Lingayen?” I must have aroused her interest because as it turned out, she was from Dagupan City herself. She introduced herself as Julie. She was reserved and pretty with a little slant in her eyes; when she smiled, her face radiated the morning sunrise.
The previous semester, I had just finished the course on the life and times of Jose Rizal, so my knowledge about his life was still very fresh in my mind. To impress her, which is one way boys try to attract girls, I talked in detail about Rizal. I made it appear that I was a well-informed and a well-read person, but I really wasn’t because the only books I would read at the time were my textbooks. Anyway, our conversation got more animated when we discussed in depth Rizal’s love for Leonor Rivera, who was to become the Maria Clara character in Noli Me Tangere. “Leonor eventually married an Englishman,” I said, “because her mother harbored a deep distrust of Rizal.” I enjoyed the girl’s company so much that at the end of the trip, I suggested that we should see each other again. She agreed to meet me in front of the St. Jude Church the following Thursday, which was novena day in honor of the saint. That, I thought, was good timing for both of us because it was college enrollment week and classes would not start until the Monday of the following week.
I looked forward very keenly to that Thursday. So, after putting on my best, I left home early and made it to the church a full thirty minutes before the agreed-upon time for our date. I went inside the church to say a prayer of thanks for my good luck in having met that girl. At ten minutes before 5:00 P.M., I positioned myself inconspicuously in front of the church; all that time my thoughts were racing, figuring out where he two of us would go after the church novena. I was so excited and nervous as I screened every face that came my way. But fifteen minutes passed and my date was still nowhere around. I thought that maybe she was held up by heavy traffic. I waited for another hour to give her a chance to beat the traffic, but still she was a no-show. I ended up alone in front of the church, standing in a corner like a statue.
I was so disappointed when I realized that I had been stood up. Feeling like a fool, I decided to go home with my wounded pride. The irony in my situation was that I waited in vain in a church named after St. Jude, the patron saint of the hopeless. On board the bus that I took going home, I thought deeply about my misfortune and it brought to mind the movie An Affair to Remember, which I had seen sometime back. I began to imagine myself as the character played by the actor Cary Grant, stood up by his date at the very top of the Empire State Building. I recalled that the two lovers had promised that if one of them could not make it to the date, it would be for a very good reason. I wondered then if my date had such a good reason, perhaps an afterthought that it was not proper to have a date with a new-found friend who is still very much a stranger. But I decided that she was not worth any further thought and crossed out her name forever from my life. Still, I went home so dejected, never even mentioning to my brother what happened to avoid being teased as the forsaken dashing Romeo.
When the second semester started, I fell back to my study routine. Like many of the students in my school, studying was my total preoccupation during the weekdays, keeping only Saturdays free for unwinding myself and seeking relief from the pressure of my studies. During that time, the Women’s Club of our school was sponsoring once-a-month Saturday dances to create a conducive atmosphere for girls to meet boys. For freshman and sophomore girls enrolled in the Euthenics class, one of the requirements was to attend those monthly socials so they could practice the social graces that they were learning from the class.
I distinctly remember that particular Saturday night in December when I attended the last monthly socials before the school’s Christmas break. On one side of the dance hall were girls lined up like wallflowers, waiting to be invited to dance by the boys. My roving eyes were captivated by one of them—a girl with hair in ponytail and wearing a red-and-white dress. It took me a while to summon enough courage to approach her, but I finally managed to do so and introduced myself. I think meeting her that night was providential, for I soon found out that she spoke the same dialect as mine and came from the same province as mine. In any case, before the socials that night ended, I asked her if it would be all right for me to visit her during the Christmas break and meet her family. She didn’t respond, probably thinking that I was just one of those many crazy young men who would swear by the moon.
I went back to my hometown during the Christmas break, and the day after Christmas, I set out to visit the girl in her own hometown. The trip took about an hour along bumpy and dusty roads. I did not know where she lived so when I reached the town, I asked around. Thankfully, the town barber knew everybody and he directed me to the shortest route to her house. I showed up in the girl’s house in no time at all, surprising her and her family with my determination and with my resourcefulness to come and see her. After that first visit, it dawned in me that she was the girl that I would like to marry someday. Many years still had to pass, though, before both of us were convinced that we were really meant for each other. We eventually decided to get married after getting to know each other much better. I found my soul mate in her and she found her first and only love in me.
Three decades later, my wife and I attended her high school reunion in Chicago. There, we met the barber who had given me the directions to her house in her hometown. And as a fond reminder that he was once a tiny but crucial bridge in our love story, my wife and I had photos taken with him in between the two of us.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Not Only in My Dream!
AG
As I threw myself into the thick of the night
To fathom its dark recesses with just a beam of light,
It was fortunate that there was a little twinkling star
Whose rays gave light to the byways to where you are.
Because in my mind I knew from the very start
That your silhouette fit the contours of my heart.
So when l gazed upon your beautiful and gentle face,
I knew then that I found in you my long, lost wish.
It started when I first saw you in that crowded hall
Where your loveliness bounced against the mirrored walls,
And when the radiance of your eyes penetrated my soul,
It melted my yesterdays’ pasts, leaving me with nothing at all.
So happily as I was holding you in a tight embrace,
Beams of bright light showered my happy, smiling face.
But as I held you tight and tighter while I kept on dreaming,
I was overjoyed to wake up and find you beside me this morning.
***
Afterthoughts
I have been thinking why women enjoy poetry more than men enjoy it. I know that when I write poetry, my feelings are more intense than when I write prose. Does it mean then that women are more intense in matters of love?
What is romantic love? Science could not explain it but people know when they are in love. Sometimes, it is just the smile or the eyes that would trigger the feelings of being in love. It is indeed a mystery in life and I think it’s best to leave it that way.
A lot of times, love could easily start with a smile, then could grow with a kiss but could end up with laughter or with tears.
As I threw myself into the thick of the night
To fathom its dark recesses with just a beam of light,
It was fortunate that there was a little twinkling star
Whose rays gave light to the byways to where you are.
Because in my mind I knew from the very start
That your silhouette fit the contours of my heart.
So when l gazed upon your beautiful and gentle face,
I knew then that I found in you my long, lost wish.
It started when I first saw you in that crowded hall
Where your loveliness bounced against the mirrored walls,
And when the radiance of your eyes penetrated my soul,
It melted my yesterdays’ pasts, leaving me with nothing at all.
So happily as I was holding you in a tight embrace,
Beams of bright light showered my happy, smiling face.
But as I held you tight and tighter while I kept on dreaming,
I was overjoyed to wake up and find you beside me this morning.
***
Afterthoughts
I have been thinking why women enjoy poetry more than men enjoy it. I know that when I write poetry, my feelings are more intense than when I write prose. Does it mean then that women are more intense in matters of love?
What is romantic love? Science could not explain it but people know when they are in love. Sometimes, it is just the smile or the eyes that would trigger the feelings of being in love. It is indeed a mystery in life and I think it’s best to leave it that way.
A lot of times, love could easily start with a smile, then could grow with a kiss but could end up with laughter or with tears.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
maligan agew na puso bilay ko
MANONTON DALAN
walay malugon pokal ed pagew
ililiing toy iliw nen tiyagew
nen saray dosas et mabusbuskag
ya mansiyayap iray bangbangkag
anengneng takan amamayoy liket
imis moray alay samit manmegket
akilasonak met lad bektan gayaga
sanagew kaulop takan manteyengteyeng
ed pegley na mabalingit ya kadosasan
angetelak na sakeya alay santing
bagbagay ed imis mo tan kuliriritim
agko apukpukan so angub kon mapilit
kinarot moak na magingintil ya ansakit
balet intepel ko ta nain-inut ya naaknit
mapekepeket ka lapud saman agko lingwan
agni akabutay agew wadtan kan manalagar
anggapoy saew sikatan duwa so mana-akar
on; anggad asabin limmakad biyek na taew
maruksa ka say pusok so nilam ya tinakew
pasalamatak ta agmoak met inkaindan lawas
anggan mabayag so panalagar kon unluwas
talagan tumbuken takad tan ya andi oras
natan pinabli agew lamet na maaron puso
naawat ko lara may pawit mo katekep aro
agko naim-imanon kaplasen koy bibil ko
ya inonot kod sika nen wadyakan katupag
antoy nagawak mananosak ta sikay pilalek
tan sasambaen toyan pusok ya malenleneg
***
magayagan agew na puso ed sikayon amin.
say arok ed para sikayon amin.md
walay malugon pokal ed pagew
ililiing toy iliw nen tiyagew
nen saray dosas et mabusbuskag
ya mansiyayap iray bangbangkag
anengneng takan amamayoy liket
imis moray alay samit manmegket
akilasonak met lad bektan gayaga
sanagew kaulop takan manteyengteyeng
ed pegley na mabalingit ya kadosasan
angetelak na sakeya alay santing
bagbagay ed imis mo tan kuliriritim
agko apukpukan so angub kon mapilit
kinarot moak na magingintil ya ansakit
balet intepel ko ta nain-inut ya naaknit
mapekepeket ka lapud saman agko lingwan
agni akabutay agew wadtan kan manalagar
anggapoy saew sikatan duwa so mana-akar
on; anggad asabin limmakad biyek na taew
maruksa ka say pusok so nilam ya tinakew
pasalamatak ta agmoak met inkaindan lawas
anggan mabayag so panalagar kon unluwas
talagan tumbuken takad tan ya andi oras
natan pinabli agew lamet na maaron puso
naawat ko lara may pawit mo katekep aro
agko naim-imanon kaplasen koy bibil ko
ya inonot kod sika nen wadyakan katupag
antoy nagawak mananosak ta sikay pilalek
tan sasambaen toyan pusok ya malenleneg
***
magayagan agew na puso ed sikayon amin.
say arok ed para sikayon amin.md
bangon kila
manonton dalan
nengneng yo pay kaliberliber yo
nasinag yo pa ni liwaway kabuasan
ap-aplusen toy toktok na kawayanan
talostalos toy aping yon akadanganan
bangon kila agi, aalagaren kayo
na inawa'y abangunan, manalisto
agyo la aalagarey pawit ed biyek taew
alingwanan yola kari irap dan sanagew
mipupuligesgesan ed uran tan tiagew
makalmo labat na malaem ya sentimos
no arom kulang ya kulang ya pangastos
bangon kila agi ta masiblet lay subol
pati say sintimos agto tanton matanol
duga latay anak dakedakel tilan maong
duga latay pasikatan, duga lay kalitong
iba-iba tayon italikarkar iyan imanes
piyan amin tayo et walay maluyon anges
nengneng yo pay kaliberliber yo
nasinag yo pa ni liwaway kabuasan
ap-aplusen toy toktok na kawayanan
talostalos toy aping yon akadanganan
bangon kila agi, aalagaren kayo
na inawa'y abangunan, manalisto
agyo la aalagarey pawit ed biyek taew
alingwanan yola kari irap dan sanagew
mipupuligesgesan ed uran tan tiagew
makalmo labat na malaem ya sentimos
no arom kulang ya kulang ya pangastos
bangon kila agi ta masiblet lay subol
pati say sintimos agto tanton matanol
duga latay anak dakedakel tilan maong
duga latay pasikatan, duga lay kalitong
iba-iba tayon italikarkar iyan imanes
piyan amin tayo et walay maluyon anges
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