I was in Mt. Makiling Laguna in 1993 for a Poetry Grant by the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Together with colleagues from the University of San Agustin Mirror Poetry Guild (John Iremil Teodoro, Joenar Pueblo, Isidoro Cruz, Joseph Espino, my best friend Edward Divinagracia just to name a few) and other poets from UPV and other Iloilo universities, our poems were literally sliced into pieces, the contents spilled out and scrutinized one by one, word for word under the expert tutelage of our wise mentor Dr. Leoncio Deriada. His priceless assessment of every work and his technical attention to literary detail carved out deep impressions on our craft and made us even more powerful writers. All of us had to go through some sort of “baptismal by fire”. Even the best and most seasoned among us were no exception. Everyone had their taste of the bitterest critique on their work.
After about a week in the misty curvaceous peaks of Maria Makiling, we were given half a day to write new poems on any language - English, New Filipino, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Akeanon, etcetera, as entries to a small competition among ourselves. Here’s an entry of mine that won the co-1st Prize in New Filipino.
New Filipino Poetry dwells on the premise that Tagalog as the base of our national language should integrate words from the other Philippine languages, particularly Cebuano and Hiligaynon as they are spoken by a predominant two-thirds of the population. A poet of non-Tagalog breeding has the sanction to experiment and articulate Filipino in his own innate way, like the way his heart might beat or skip at every emotion, or how his tongue might flick to utter words when he’s surprised. The more natural and relevant the equivalent words to him the more powerful the effect on his readers. This novel form of Filipino Poetry is the brainchild of Dr. Deriada and honed to perfection by one of our country’s foremost feminist writers, Palanca Awardee John Iremil Teodoro.
BUNDOK
Madugay ko ring
Ginustong tahakin
Ang tuktok ng Makiling.
Kaya’t nang maabot ko ito
Nagambala ang mga ibon
Sa tunog ng aking halakhak.
Ako’y napabuntung-hininga
Sa ganda ng mga islang
Nagtatampisaw sa kumikislap na tubig.
Nang ako’y mapatingin sa ibaba
Napansin ko
Ang nagliliitang mga barong-barong
Sa tiilan ng bundok,
Ang talipapa’t simbahan,
Ang mga sasakyang
Nagparang langgam.
Naalala ko tuloy
Ang mga batang lansangan,
Ang mga iskwater,
Ang mga pulubi sa simbahan.
Kumanta ang nagsibalikang mga ibon.
Ako’y nagnaog
Bitbit ang isang supot
Ng mga bagong pangarap.
- JCT, Mt. Makiling Laguna, 1993
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