Last Night

Last Night

***Melchor F. Cichon

Sept. 17, 2020

Last night

I vowed to forget you.

But this morning

When I saw your smiling picture

In my wallet,

I remembered how we awed

Seeing the rising full moon

At Boracay Beach;

How we enjoyed

Seeing the setting sun

At Jawili Falls.

Now I know

I can't forget you

Even just for a moment.

Alam Namin

 

Alam Namin
Ni Melcichon
February 9, 2014

Alam naming nag-aral ka ng PhD
At kami'y hanggang Grade One, Section 10 lang;
Alam naming kasing bilis ng kidlat ka kung magtratrabaho
At kami'y mga pagong;
Alam naming kasing talas ng samurai ang dila mo
At ang amin ay pangal;
Alam naming ala-Mt. Everest ang tayog ng talino mo
At ang amin ay below the sea level;
Alam naming ala-tigre ang tinig mo
At ang amin ay ala-tupa.

Pero alam mo ba na tao rin kami
At may pakiramdam din?
At kung puno na ang gantangan
Ay marunong din kaming magpantay nito?
At alam mo ba na lahat ng pisi
Ay may dulo din
At napuputol din ito sa kakabanat?
At alam mo ba na ang tahimik na lawa
Ay nakakalunod din?

 

 

Haiga, Aiza B. Beso

 

My Tiny Thoughts

My Tiny Thoughts: Make Anger as an Inspiration
***Melchor F. Cichon
Sept. 16, 2020

I have developed this saying: You can be a lightning without producing a thunder. This saying has been my guideline wherever I am.

Like any other human beings, I also get angry. But I have a five-story stocking area for my angers. Hence whenever someone degrades me even in front of other people, I just keep quiet although my heart is breaking and my blood pleasure is rising beyond the 140/90mmHg level. When that happens, I become creative. It gives me inspiration for my poem. There was a time when someone kept on insulting me in front of other people. A few days after that I wrote this poem:

Alam Namin
Ni Melcichon

Alam naming nag-aral ka ng PhD
At kami'y hanggang Grade One, Section 10 lang;
Alam naming kasingbilis ka ng kidlat kung magtrabaho
At kami'y mga pagong;
Alam naming kasing talas ng samurai ang dila mo
At ang amin ay pangal;
Alam naming ala-Mt. Everest ang tayog ng talino mo
At ang amin ay below the sea level;
Alam naming ala-tigre ang tinig mo
At ang amin ay ala-tupa.

Pero alam mo ba na tao rin kami
At may pakiramdam din?
At kung puno na ang gantangan
Ay marunong din kaming magpantay nito?
At alam mo ba na lahat ng pisi
Ay may dulo din
At napuputol din ito sa kakabanat?

 

 

My Tiny Thoughts: My Cooking Problem

***Melchor F. Cichon

Sept. 14, 2020

I am the youngest of nine siblings.

Because of this, most of the house duties were done by my elder brothers and sisters. As a result, I do not know how to cook Filipino dishes like adobo, pochero, sinigang, menudo and other Filipino dishes that are served during fiestas and birthdays. Of course, my favorite foods to prepare are boiled eggs, fried eggs, simple sinigang. My expertise is in rice cooking. But I can wash and iron my clothes and those of my family.

When I found a stable job, I thought of looking for a lifetime partner. But I was also thinking of my inadequacy in the kitchen. If she happens to be like me, the problem, I said, could be solved by buying our foods from the nearby restaurants or carinderias. But then that would be costly. We could learn cooking foods through recipe books. You tube was not invented then yet.

Fortunately, I met my Parayaw, Bing, who learned cooking from her aunt and later took lessons on a Filipino and international cuisine.

So my cooking problem was solved. She also taught our children how to cook adodo, pochero, sinigang, menudo and other Filipino dishes. So when we have birthday celebrations in our house, my wife and our children do the cooking while I do the washing of the dishes.

With the presence of this Covid-9 pandemic in our midst, Bing's expertise in cooking has helped us in our daily survival. She cooks and sells pork and chicken molo balls, chicken cordon bleu and chicken galantena.

So I think that God really fills up the inadequacy of a partner to make their family a happy family.

 

Sept 14, 2020
My Tiny Thoughts

Thank You, Lord for the New Challenges
by Melcichon
September 14, 2014

Let’s close our eyes and feel the presence of our Lord.
Lord, we are so thankful to you Lord, for this moment you have allowed us to gather here to hear with open arms and open minds of whatever new information and new challenges that our high officials will give us.
Bless us oh Lord with firm hands in handling whatever cross we will encounter in the following days to come, so that our missions and vision for a healthy community will be truly accomplished. And when that happens, our country will be more progressive for they say a healthy mind with a healthy body will greatly boast the developmental programs of our Department and of our country.
With this in mind, we joyfully say, thank you Lord for your blessings.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

 

My Tiny Thoughts: Fish Eyes
***Melchor F. Cichon
Sept. 13, 2020

Every time we cook fish like milkfish, tuna or snapper, I usually prefer its head. I like to sip its eyes. For me it is yummy. And I wonder why fish eyes are delicious to eat.
Because of that, I wanted to know the secret behind the fish eyes. Through my research, I learned that indeed fish eyes are nutritious. It has omega 3 fatty acid which are beneficial to our health.
1. It improves our vision.
2. It helps in the prevention of heart attack, stroke and related condition.
3. It treats depression and it acts as antidepressant.
4. It protects the health of the brain.
5. It relieves inflammation.
6. It prevents diabetes because of the presence of vitamin D.
7. It increases the quality of sleep. Also because of the presence of vitamin D.
8. It relieves joint pain
9. It prevents asthma in children.
10. It lowers cholesterol, particularly the bad cholesterol
11. It reduces the risk of cancer such as digestive, oral cavity, pharynx, colon and pancreas cancer.
12. It reduces the risk autoimmune diseases
13. It increases metabolism
14. It improves concentration or attention.
Next time we buy fish, let us always remember the health benefits we can get from the fish eyes.

Source: https://drhealthbenefits.com/…/fish/health-benefits-of-fish…. Retrieved: Sept. 13, 2020.

 Sept. 12, 2020
My Tiny Thoughts
***Melchor F. Cichon

It's difficult to study away from your parents or siblings who financially support your studies. There are many times when your allowance does not come on time, especially so when you needed it most like you have to pay your boarding house or buy your foods. There are times when you can borrow money from your friends or from your relatives, but then if you cannot pay them on time it will be difficult to borrow money again from them.

When I studied in UP Diliman, my parents were in Aklan while my elder brothers who occassionally sent me my allowance were in Zamboanga City. The other problem was that my mother was a house-wife while my father was a municipal treasurer who received not more than two hundred pesos a month and my elder brothers had their own families, hence many times my allowance would come one or two weeks late. At that time the cost of one ganta of rice was only P0.60. To save money, at times I had to take my breakfast at ten in the morning and took my lunch at four in the afternoon to cover my dinner. I would be lucky if some of my friends would give me biscuits.

One lunch time, I took my meal at the U.P. University Canteen. While taking my lunch, I noticed that one of the canteen helpers was my classmate. After my lunch, I approached him and asked him how he was able to work at the canteen. He told me that he approached the Canteen Manager and inquired if he could work in the canteen as a student assistant. He was accepted and was assigned as a helper at the University Canteen. The next day, I went to the said Canteen Manager to apply also as a student assistant at the canteen. Luckily I was accepted. I was assigned at the Narra Residence Hall canteen. My work schedule was from 5 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. My duty was to serve rice to the canteen buyers. After the dinner services to the clientele, I would take my free supper. After which I would mop the floor of the whole dining hall. In exchange for my two-hour work each day as a student assistant, I would have free breakfast, free lunch, free dinner, plus free merienda in the morning and in the afternoon from Monday to Sunday. And I could choose the foods I wanted to eat from the leftover in the canteen. That was how I solved my food problem. But I resigned from my work at the canteen after I received my first salary as a library assistant at the U.P. Main Library. That first employment of mine as a library assistant at the U.P. Main Library was the start of my lifetime career as a librarian.

My Tiny Thought
***Melchor F. Cichon
Sept. 12, 2020

Many Filipino parents would not suggest to their children to take up library science or librarianship as a profession. They think that this profession is boring and the salary is below than that of nursing, education graduates. But if we look at the compensation of librarians in public schools, colleges and universities, we would be surprised to know that the salaries of librarians especially if one is employed in state colleges and universities, their salaries are equal or even much higher than that of a nurse. If we look at the salary standardization law of 2019 of the government employees, we will know that Salary Grade 18 librarians receive P42,159.00 a month aside from other benefits. That was my Salary Grade when I was College Librarian III at UP Visayas College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, although that was before the implementation of RA 11466. Even then, I was receiving more than twenty thousand pesos a month aside from other benefits from the government like rice allowance, Christmas bonuses, vacation and sick leaves which could be converted into cash if they are not used.

As I said earlier that some parents would say that librarianship is boring. That's depends on one's perception. But librarianship is a challenging job. You will be involved in managing your staff. You will be challenged to write research proposals, prepare budget proposals, write your monthly and annual reports, prepare indexes, bibliographies, catalog books. You will be dealing with different students and faculty members and help them find the needed information and data for their academic requirements.

And if you are a writer you will find your library your great source of ideas for your journalistic and literary write-ups. And that is my advantage for I can read a lot of books, journals, magazines, newspapers free of charge. As a result, my stock of knowledge has widened.

Another good thing for being a librarian especially when you treat your library clientele with respect and dignity, and you professionally help them in their information needs, later when these students have become professionals in their respective fields of endeavors, they can help you too. I have experienced this. When I visit government or private institutions, my needs are easily met because some of the former students whom I helped before while they were still in college would gratefully extend their help to me. One good example was when I underwent a colon operation. I did not know that the surgeon was a former student of the institution where I worked as a librarian. He reduced his professional fee to one half.

 

Sept. 11, 2020

My Tiny Thoughts
Melchor F. Cichon

Although I graduated as an honor student in high school, but when I entered U.P. Diliman for my first college degree, I really found it very difficult to catch up with my English I class. My English was faulty. When I got back my submitted essays, they were filled up with red marks. But I did not give up. Fortunately, I met my high school classmate. He too had the same problem as mine. And he too did not give up. We decided to buy a book, English for Filipinos, by Jean Edades. Together we studied that book. To test our English skill, we wrote letters to the editors of the Manila Times, Philippines Graphic, Philippine Panorama, Philippines Free Press, and the Philippine Collegian. Many of our letters were returned to us with Rejection Slips. But we continued sending more letters to the editors. Fortunately some of them were published. Then I tried sending poems to these magazines. Fortunately too some of them were published. The first Aklanon poem ever published in the Philippine Collegian was written by me. Of course, I was so happy to see my bylines in national magazines. By then, I knew my English has improved. So I told myself: Be consistent and persistent with your desire and soon you will achieve your goal.

Sept. 10, 2020

My Tiny Thoughts
Melchor F. Cichon

When I was in the elementary grades, many of my classmates would laugh at me because I could hardly read the words our teachers would ask us to read. I did not get mad at them. But I promised myself to improve myself. So when I was in high school, I befriended my bright classmates. From them I learned that instead of staying outside of their houses with their barkada, they spent most of their time studying their lessons. I followed their habit. Later in college, I spent most of my time in the library reading and writing essays and poems. I also attended several poetry writing workshops.That improved my skills in writing until I was able to compile my poems. Now I have several published books on poetry and have received the 2001 Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas Award presented by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL), the first Aklanon to receive that award. Hopefully, many of my elementary classmates especially those who used to laugh at me are also writers.

 

Sept. 9, 2020

My Tiny Thoughts
Melchor F. Cichon

There are times when you feel that you are smaller than the mustard seed. But then, you feel that although you are that tiny thing, you can be as big as Andre the Giant. Just do what you wish to do as long as it is not against the law. In the end, people will appreciate and honor you.

 

 

 

 

Haiga, K-Joy Pagunsan

haiku, Paghalin Mo

kon siin-siin ta rang piniino nasab-it
paghalin mo
O, Parayaw
--Melchor F. Cichon
Sept. 4, 2020

haiga, Precious Nadhine Bonifacio Inguillo

haiku, Harana

alas dos it kaagahon--
ahay...may nagahara
sa pihak nga baeay
**Melchor F. Cichon
August 28, 2020

Haiga, Emily Arangote

Sa Gihapon

Sa Gihapon
Melchor F. Cichon
December 29, 2019

Kon pangutan-on ako kang mga amigo
Kon gabisita-bisita pa ako gihapon kimo
Rang sabat hay sa gihapon
Maski ginatuslok it tatlong dagum rang tagipusuon.
Kon pangutan-on ako kang mga amiga
Kon gatutan-aw-tan-aw pa kita't pagtunod it adlaw
Sa baybay it Boracay
Rang sabat hay sa gihapon
Maski gahiyum-hiyum sanda kakon.
Kon hikita ako ni Nanay
Nga nagamiha-miha rang mga mata
Ag kon ana ako nga pangutan-on kon ok pa kita gihapon
Rang sabat kana hay sa ginapon
Maski mabatyagan nana nga gahaba rang ilong.
Kibuean eon man abi ako sa kapaslawan
Sa paghigugma.
Pero ikaw man sa ginahapon
Rang Parayaw.
Sa gihapon.

Luwa in the Moment of Covid 19 Pandemic, as of August 25, 2020

Luwa in the Moment of Covid 19 Pandemic

By Melchor F. Cichon

August 25, 2020

The world, including us Filipinos, was caught unprepared when the Covid-19 pandemic attacked us. Because this disease is very fatal, millions of people around the world are forced to stay at home. Like the rest of the people around the world who have been quarantined, many of us have to think of something to make ourselves productive like selling different types of goods. Or do something just to entertain ourselves. And to help push our local literature to the national literature.

Me for example, since writing is my favorite pastime, I spend most of my time with my computer composing poems or short stories. One of the poems that I compose is luwa. In Aklan, luwa is called ditso. In the book Folk Poetry by Amorita C. Rabuco, she called it lo-a.

What is luwa?  

Luwa is a form of poetry that is usually written in four lines. There are also luwa that are longer ones, but each stanza has four lines. Luwa is recited in the house of a bereaved family during wakes to lessen the sorrows of the bereaved family.

It is said that luwa was brought to the Philippines by the Spanish missionaries. One reason for this is its relationship to the religious activities of the Filipinos. 

It used to be the first stanza of corrido, that kind of poetry that relates the exploits of kings and princess. There are also luwa that are used to get the hands of a lady. This is known as enamoracion.

Here are two examples of such luwa:

*Mataas nga lamesa ang akon ginlakbay.
Kutsara  kag tinidor ang akon kaaway.
Wala ko ginbaliha ang akon kabudlay
Tubtob lamang makita larawan mo Inday. (Rabuco, A., 2003, p. 91.

*Lakat mga tiil, sunod dapa-dapa,              
Makadto sa harden, mamupo sang bunga.
Pananglit ako sitahon,
Sugo sang paghigugma.  (Rabuco, A., 2003, p. 90.)

Luwa are recited during wakes as part of the punishment to whoever loses in the game.

It is said that it is not advisable to recite luwa if one is not in the wake, because it is believed that a member of the family who recites it will die if this is done not in its proper place.

Because luwa are recited in wakes as part of a punishment to whoever is the loser in a game like konggit, truth or consequence, bordon, it is very much appreciated if the lines have rhymes, rhythms, and humor. This is one reason why there are nonsense luwa. The rhythms of luwa are not consistent though, but there are a lot of luwa that have rhyme. This includes the aaaa, aabb, and abab rhyme structures. Occasionally, we can find luwa that have abcd endings.

Here are some examples:

Example of a luwa with an aaaa rhyme:

Pag-agto ko sa Ibajay,
May hakita ako nga patay;
Ginbagting ko ra eagay,
Mas mabaskog pa sa lingganay.

Here you will notice that the endings of all lines are in ay.

For the aabb example:

Pag-agto ko sa bukid
Nakakita ako it ibid;
Paglingot ko sa waea
Gatueok kakon rang nobya.—Melchor F. Cichon (MFC)

Here the first and second lines end in id, while the third and fourth lines end in a.

Here is another ending scheme, the aabb

*Kon gusto mo gid ako
Nga mangin nobya mo,
Ro adlaw imo nga tukuran
Agod indi kita madueman.--MFC

Here the first two lines end in o, while the third and fourth lines end in an.

Here is another ending, the abab:

*Igto sa bukid,
May busay nga naga-ilig;
Kon magpaligos igto si Ismid,
May daeang butong nga binulig. --MFC

There are luwa with Spanish and English words.

Paris it navagante
Sa tunga it travisya
Kinueabos rang suwerte
Hay gulpi nga nadisgrasya.

***

*Igto sa bukid
May kwarta nga nagaligid
Nagaligid-naga roll
Dumiretso sa waterfall.

There are other luwa that are bawdy, but full of imagery. Here is an example:

Pag-agto ni Inday sa Boracay
Napusa ro anang tuway;
Pagkasayod ka anang nanay,
Ana imaw nga ginminueay.-- MFC

For a nonsense luwa here is a classic example:

Secut erat en principio
Bisan libat basta gwapo;
En principio secut erat
Gwapo pero libat.

Secut erat is a Latin word that means Glory be, a Catholic prayer.

Here is another nonsense luwa:

Nag-agto ako sa Nabas
May hakita ako nga bayawas;
Akon nga ginpaeas,
May nahueog nga sibuyas.

There are luwa that have double meanings. These are the luwa that belong to the adults, if they can decipher the meaning. Here is an example:

Maligos ako kunta
Sa maisot mo nga sapa
Ugaling ro kinasaea
May guardia civil sa tunga.--MFC

There are luwa that are really metaphysical. Here is one:

Ako mangunguma nga taga-Lezo
Maagto sa eanas agod mag-arado
Rang saeaburan puno’t bungot-bungot
Rang mabuot nga arado,
Indi magdueot kon indi magtindog.-- MFC

***

Ako si Haring Marikudo
Manugtanum it amamakoe;
Pero ro gusto-gusto gid ni Inday kuno
Amamakoe nga sukoe.—MFC

***

Kon gusto mo gid man ako
Nga mangin nobya mo,
Ro adlaw imo nga tukuran
Agod indi kita madueman.

Bordon is a kind of game wherein the participants form a circle, either setting or standing inside the house or outside. Someone called “pulis” or kuring is inside that circle who will try to catch the participant who holds the stone called singsing, while the group is singing, Ang Singsing. When the pulis is able to catch who holds the stone, that participant will be punished by reciting a luwa. If the participant cannot recite a luwa, he/she will either sing or dance in front of everybody. At times, the loser will kiss his/her boyfriend/girlfriend if he/she happens to be around. If the loser does not recite a luwa that rhymes, the group would say estangko. But once the group likes the recited luwa, the participants will clap their hands or say bitor.

There is another version of this game, while the group is singing, the participants pass the singsing to the next participant, making sure that the pulis does not know who holds the stone.  When the singing stops, the participant who holds the singsing is punished by asking him/her to recite a luwa. After which, the game continues until the participants stop playing.

The third version of the bordon is instead of using a singsing, the participants use lighted candle. Once the group starts singing, the participants will pass the lighted candle to the next participant. Whoever holds the candle with put off light is asked to recite a luwa.

Here is the lyric of that song:

Ang Singsing

Singsing papanawa
Palibot-libota asta makalab-ot
Sa hari kag sa reyna.

Ang hari kag reyna
May mutyang trabangko

Dalaga si Inday
Nga mayo-ayo.

Dali-a sa pagpalakat
Singsing sa pagpadangat
Basi kon malipat
Yadtong kuring nga makawat.

*Singsing ay abaw singsing
Ay abaw Nena, ay abaw Neneng
Singsing ay abaw singsing
Ay abaw Nena, ay abaw Neneng.

The normal structure of luwa has four lines, but there are also luwa that have two lines only. Here are some examples:

*Rosas, rosas nga kamantique
Soltero nga waay nobya, agi. (Rabuco, 2003, p. 17)

*Bulak, bulak sang tangkong
Dalaga nga wala sang nobyo, bingkong. (Rabuco, 2003, p. 17)

*Covid-19, Covid-19, Inday--
Ro frontliner nga indi mag-face mask, patay.-- Melchor F. Cichon, June 12, 2020)

Here is the latest luwa structure which I invented, a one-line luwa:

Nag-eukso si Inday sa swimming pool, ay kalbo.—(Melchor F. Cichon)

Another luwa structure that I recently invented is what I call hailuwa. This is a combination of haiku and luwa.

 Here are some examples:

*Hangin it Amihan-- 

Sa pag-agto ko sa baybay 

May napueot akong sigay 

Ginbaylo ko it kaeamay. 

**Melchor F. Cichon December 14, 2008

*haywey-- 

pag-agi’t estudyante 

sa kilid it higanteng balete 

gulping may nagtungang 

Babayeng nakaputi ra saya. 

***Melchor F. Cichon. July 25, 2020

*ugsad-- 

namunit si Tay Itsong sa Maeara 

Agod may isumsuman  sa tuba 

Ugaling ro mga nagtueokob hay puro paka. 

Nag-eaha eon lang imaw it eangkuga. 

**Melchor F. Cichon 

July 25, 2020

*gatunod nga ugsad-- 

isaeahanon nga nagatan-aw 

it asul nga rosas sa Malinao; 

pero sa gihapon ikaw 

rang Parayaw. 

**Melchor F. Cichon. 

July 25, 2020

*bueawanon nga paeay-- 

ro ikog 

ku tiki nga busog 

nahuslog 

sa puno it katilog. 

**Melchor F. Cichon
July 25, 2020

There are also luwa that are in five or six lines. Here are two samples:

Paghalin ko sa balay,
Nagbilin tugon si Nanay.
Mangayo katahuran,
Katahuran nga indi ko malimtan:
Maayong gab-i sa inyo nga tanan.—Rabuco, A. p. 124.

Partido sang hari,
Kag kamo nga tanan,
Ini nga sentimiento
Nga akon ginahuptan,
Bulkan nga nagalupok
Sa inyo atubangan. –Rabuco, A., p. 49.

Some of the topics being touched in luwa are love, courtship, death, sorrows, happiness,  disasters, anything and everything under and above the sun.

Luwa on Love:

Inday, kon ako imo nga batunon,
Owa ka gid it ibang handumon,
Ay bisan ro buean ag ro mga bituon,
Sa kama mo akon nga daehon.
**Melchor F. Cichon, June 16, 2016
Igto sa Nabas
May sangka daeaga;
Kon abuton ka paghigugma
Galigid-ligid sa baeas. –(Melchor F. Cichon, 2020)

***

Hambae mo kakon kaina
Ako gid lang ring nobya;
Gali may imo pa gid
Nga ginabuesa-buesa. —(Cichon, M. &  Ureta, C., 2019, p. 41)

***

Inday, magpili ka eang,
Sa kasae o sa taban-taban;
Sa kasae, may euhod-euhod,
Sa taban, may guyod-guyod.

Mayad ro taban-taban,
Owa't libog sa ginikanan.
***Gin-Inakeanon ni Melchor F. Cichon
July 31, 2016

Luwa on Courtship:

Inday, maski siin ka magtago,
Maski sa alibutod it nonok;
Tigban ko, barinahan ko
Gugma ro nagasugo.—Melchor F. Cichon
***
Paghalin ko sa baeay,
Nagbilin kakon si Tatay;
Kon ako kuno mangasawa,
Pilion ko gid kuno ro daeaga.-- Melchor F. Cichon

***

Inday, kon batunon mo eang ako,
Indi mo gid pag-angkiton ring siko;
Kon mag-usoy ka’t makabitan,
Mausoy man ako ku akong masab-itan.

Luwa on Death:

Pagkamatay ni Francisco del Castillo,
Nag-ugyon pa gid ro mga Katipunero
Asta napalayas ro mga Katsila,
Ugaling umabot si Uncle Sam.—Melchor F. Cichon

***

Si Francisco del Castillo,
Puno sa Aklan it mga Katipunero,
Namatay sa bala nga naghalin kay Moises Elecito
Nga ana man lang nga kasimanwa. –Melchor F. Cichon

***

Pag-agto ko sa Ibajay,
May hakita ako nga patay;
Ginbagting ko ra eagay,
Mas mabaskug pa sa lingganay.

***

Luwa on Happiness

Sa amon nga dingding,
May nagtubo nga everlasting;
Kon sin-o kara ro makalingling,
Magaeukso-eukso gid ra kasingkasing.

***

Luwa on Politics

Ro mga senador sa Manila
Nagahabuyanan it eutay;
Ro mga army sa patag-awayan,
Nagasuksok it gision nga saewae. –Melchor F. Cichon, p. 34

***

Maeleksiyon eon man.
Magapueuti eon man ro mga uwak.
Magakarnero eon man ro mga tigre.
Pero kon makalingkod eon ngani
Nagabaealik sanda sa daang ugali.

Luwa on Sorrow

Si Edad nagpanamgo
Sa boyfriend nana nga Amerikano;
Pero pagkasayod nana nga abo ra kuto,
Nagbag-id eon lang imaw ka siko.

***

Hambae ni Nanay,
Owa’t santos kon owa’t gaantos;
Hambae ni Tatay,
Owa’t baeay nga puno eang it kalipay.

Luwa on Disaster

Pagtapas ko’t lawaan sa Ormoc,
Tanan nga mga baboy naghueagok.
Pag-agi ko sa baybay,
Nagtambak ro mga bangkay.

***

Pagsunog ko’t Madia-as,
Tanan nga ilahas nagwaeas.
Pag-abot ko sa baeay,
May mga PC kakon nga nagabantay.

Luwa on Covid-19

Pag-abot ni Covid-19
Sa Pilipinas
Naghiyum-hiyum ro mga botika;
Nagkueoriit ro mga ospital ag ro bangko sentral.—Melchor F. Cichon, July 29, 2020

O, ano nga disgrasya
Ro natabu sa atong banwa;
Nadueaan ro ABS-CBN it prangkisa,
Sa tunga it Covid-19 pandemya. –Melchor F. Cichon, July 29, 2020

Gatueo rang euha kon akong makita
Ro mga Filipino nga gatueog sa binit it karsada;
Indi makauli sa andang probinsya
Bangod owa’t masakyan sanda. –Melchor F. Cichon, July 29, 2020

What is the difference between the old and the new luwa? In terms of subject matter, number of lines, number of syllables per line, the same.

Perhaps, until proven otherwise, the contemporary luwa have wider scopes like tsunami, and politics  since some of the poets are college trained and have gone to different countries like Canada, America, Switzerland and Germany.

From the luwa that I heard and gathered, I noticed that politics is not given so much importance.

This is one aspect of luwa that should be looked into. I know that luwa like any other poetry can be used to dissect our society, including our politics.

Luwa is dying in Aklan and in other parts of Panay.  In fact many of our martial law babies have not heard of luwa. It is good that there are universities in Panay like the University of the Philippines Visayas that offer subjects on Literature in Western Visayas. In Aklan, the Northwestern Visayas Colleges (NVC) is offering a subject specifically on Aklanon Literature. One of the topics that are included in their syllabus is luwa.

Because of this, I wrote luwa. These can now be read in my website: http://aklanonlitarchive.blogspot.com/…/mga-luwa-ni-tay-its….

Luwa writing is easy. Just remember these:

1. Focus on one subject and it is advisable that it has a conflict.

Sa amon nga opisina,
May baeo nga senyora;
Adlaw-adlaw imaw nagabongga
Pero kon kinsina, ro gasukot kana gapila.--Melchor F. Cichon

2. If possible, inject humor in your luwa.

Sa amon nga barangay,
Madasig magtubo ro paeay;
Nagasabud pa eang si Tatay,
Nagapadaeawat eo't bugas si Nanay.--Melchor F. Cichon

3. Try to use rhyme and meter

Indi ako magpadagit-dagit
Sa banog nga nagahapit-hapit
Bisan ako man dagiton
Kon banog nga taga-amon.---Rabuco, A., 2003,  p. 48.

4. Maximize the use of the various figures of speech.

Hyberbole

Nag-agto ako sa Banga,
Nakakita ako't buaya.
Grabe nga buaya,
Ra dila hasta sa Buruanga. ---Melchor F. Cichon

5. If you are writing luwa in Aklanon, be careful with your spelling. Prefixes should be attached to the root words, like pagbakae, ginsueat, etc. Remember the rule on the use ko and ku. Ko is my, mine, while ku is of. Example: Ro baeay ku pulis hay sa eugta ko. The house of the policeman is in my land.

Nagtuon ako sa UPV,
Naubusan ako't money.
Naghueam ako kay Manny,
"Sorry, abo pang utang 'wa pa mabayri."

6. Read and write luwa. There is no other way to learn how to write luwa but to write it yourself.

    Sources:

    Cichon, Melchor F. and Ureta, Charlie I. 2019. Mga Luwa ni Tatay Itsong. Guimaras: Kasingkasing Press. 50 p.

     Rabuco, Amorita C. 2003. Folk Poetry. Iloilo City: University of San Agustin. 142p.

haiga, Sean Marie

Haiga, Allyza Mhay Rendon

Haiga, Mary Cris Villaruel

haiku, Sa Sueod it Eangbon

sa sueod it eangbon

pagka-ani

bagaas

***Maeara,

August 23, 2011

Moonrise

moonrise--
her smile
a rainbow moment
**Melchor F. Cichon
August 21, 2020

Red Tulips

red tulips--
her smile rolls away
the nimbus clouds

After an Earthquake

after an earthquake
a crying baby
under a debris
**Melchor F. Cichon
August 21, 2020

Sunshine

sunshine--
in Boracay Beach
I remember her smile
**Melchor F. Cichon
August 21, 2020

Lockdown

lockdown--
my haiga fill up
my Facebook account
***Melchor F. Cichon
August 21, 2020

Rosemarie Mogote-Canson

Gainuean, Gatinueo

Gainuean, Gatinueo
Anonymous
Gin-Inakeanon ni Melchor F. Cichon
August 20, 2020

Gainuean, gatinueo,
Si Lolo nagahinueagok.
Nag-agto sa kama ugaling nabunggo ra ueo,
Ag owa eon kabangon pagkaagahon.

Summer Breeze

summer breeze--
on the red rose petals
fresh dews

Ay, Sus!

Ay, Sus!
Owa pa ngani mag-ueat
Ro nina nga ginbilin ni Dengge,
Umabot eon man si Covid-19.
Nadugangan pa gid pag-abot it mga bagyo.
Ag ku Agosto 18, 2020
Ro 6.7 M nga linog nagtay-og sa Samar.
Ay, Sus!

flash fiction, Si Juan Posong Nakipagkita kay Gubernador

Si Juan Posong Nakipagkita kay Gubernador

ni Melchor F. Cichon.

August 17, 2020

Naka-amerika si Juan Posong
Nga naka-smagol

Pag-agto na sa Gubernador.

Ugaling ginbugaw eagi imaw it gwardya

Bag-o pa man imaw makasueod sa kapitulyo.

Nag-uli eon lang imaw nga gina-angkit ra siko.

Estrella Quidato Raz

Flash fiction, Si Toto Itsong

Si Toto Itsong
**Melchor F. Cichon
August 17, 2020

 Nasubeangan ni Toto Itsong
Ro gabaligya it bingka sa may Pabilyon.
"Manong, pwede ko masamitan ro inyong bingka?" hambae ni Toto Itsong.
"May limang piso ka?," sabat ni Manong.
"Owa!"

Pabilyon

pabilyon--
gindugangan ra kabug-at
kang handumanan
***Melchor F. Cichon
August 16, 2020

Tan-awa!

tan-awa!
tan-awa ra paghiyum-hiyum kakon
tan-awa!
pareho it gasubat nga adlaw!
ugaling rang nobya hay sa ang euyo!
**Melchor F. Cichon
August 15, 2020

Mary Jane Tarantan

Jane Villaluna

Her Smile

her smile
brings in sunshine
in a gloomy day
***Melcichon
August 11, 2013

Uean

Uean
Melchor F. Cichon
August 7, 2019

Owa't untat ro pag-inuean
Pagkatapos it tigsililak
Kon siin ginpahaba
Ro pagpuasa sa NAWASA.
Owa pa matapos ro sueaeob,
Nag-eusot eon man ro dengge.
Makaron may foot and mouth disease eon man.
Gindugangan pa gid sa pagkueob it tatlong pumpboat
Sa Guimaras Strait
Kon siin 31 ro nagpaeangit.

Si Bulilit nga si Fred

Si Bulilit nga si Fred
Anonymous
Gin-Inakeanon ni Melchor F. Cichon
August 6, 2020

Bag-o mag-agto si Fred sa anang eueogban,
Gapangadi gid anay imaw;
Ginaharuan gid anay nana ra Nanay ag ra Tatay,
Ag dumiritso sa anang higdaan.

Ro Eaki Sa Buean

Ro Eaki Sa Buean
*Anonymous
Gin-Inakeanon ni Melchor F. Cichon
August 6, 2020

Nagdungaw sa guwa't buean ro eaki sa buean,
Nagtueok sa guwa't buean ag naghambae,
Oras eo't mga unga sa kalibutan
Nga magtueog sa andang katre.