Peb 28, 2006

February 24, 2006

My thanks to Bulatlat.com for publishing this poem. Many thanks for all my friends who participated in the instant sms workshop over the weekend. I decided to pour all the comments into a coming piece, a homage to dialogue. Although I don't preclude the solitariness of the writing act, I think the practice of writing a poem must be heavily informed with dialogue.

In effect, such a practice is a performative argument against the current curtailing of the freedom of expression.

Like everything else in the here and now, this next poem is waiting to happen. Like all else, it is happening.

Peb 17, 2006

"Blot Testing" and "The Third Teat"

Two love poems (or the closest to love poems that I can manage) are in the February 13 issue of the Philippine Graphic. Would be nice if you read them.

Peb 15, 2006

End of the Four-Month Wait

I have lost all faith in those I trained. It is weak to not find hope, to know nothing beyond the fact that the case is closed, to understand and yet refuse to accept that if they can break their promises to little children, all their poetry is pomp and fart. All their vaunted social consciousness echo advertisements.

"Your heart is in the right place, but you leave it to the wrong people," said my friend. Can I ever dismiss them? At all? They are green, green, green. My friend asks me to consider if hope and effort is best placed elsewhere.

No. I have imagination enough for this.

"What if they don't?"

How can they not have it?

"Upbringing? Insecurities? Apathy? Lethargy? Religion? Politics? Love? You know, all these big excuses for being plain stupid."

They are not that! Or they could be, for now. But there are years.

"They broke their word to the children. The children were waiting. They still wait. People don't really change."

They are kids, my charge. I am responsible.

"Your mea culpas, man! You think they get you anywhere? They have no one word, how can they be poets?"

They are kids. We have years.

"You have only months. Even a mother can only push so far, so long."

Kids.

"Then you caused them. The hypocrites."

Kids.

"They broke their word to children. The children are still waiting for them to come. You have not passed judgment. You cause the children to wait longer."

The case will be closed.

"Punish."

Years.