Strips of Heaven

by

Melchor F. Cichon
October 16, 2006


Let’s Cut Down

Father, let us cut down
the grasses that entwine
in our fence


Hopefully

hopefully
you freely flies
in my garden



Rice Fields

rice fields—
soft shell
of a snail


Holed Pocket

holed pocket
I just smile
to the begging Ati


Sun In Our House

after the rain—
sliced sun
inside our house


Butterfly

butterfly
on the rotting narra
leaves


Really!

really!—
on daytime, a boarding house
in the evening, a brothel

Harvest Time

harvest time—
warning
on a coming super typhoon


Sharp Look

landslide in Brgy Guinsaugan
a sharp look from a crow
to another crow


Ormoc, Leyte

Ormoc, Leyte
floating logs in the street
along with human bodies


Landslide

after the rain—
the landslide engulfs
the dreams of Brgy Guinsaugan


Typhoon Caloy

Typhoon Caloy—
Pinoy remembers
the broken bridge in Nanga


Sudden Rain

sudden rain
a sudden flood
in the street


Barangay Guinsaugan

Barangay Guinsaugan
suddenly, landslide
engulfs the houses


Engulfs by Earth

February 2006—
the earth engulfs
the whole school in Guinsaugan


Guava

harvest time—
three children cling
to the guava branches


Whale

afternoon—
a wounded whale washes out
at the shore


Billboard

setting half moon—
Juan carries his child
atop a giant billboard


Tower

afternoon--
Kagawad fires a rifle
to a young man atop the tower


New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve
my Japanese Spitz
hides under my bed


Brown-out-I

brown out
even the banana leaves
stand still


Rice Grains in the Street

white moon—
Tatay picks up
the scattered rice grains in the street


Not Old

not old
he reminds me
just fresh always


Birthday

birthday—
they amplify
the sound of their karaoke



Bone and Skin

while the congressmen
throw mud at each other
my pocket is bone and skin


Call Center

Call Center—
Vanessa’s day
is upside down


Before, Only Drizzles

before, only drizzles
now, hard rain
the second meeting


Sunday Afternoon

Sunday afternoon--
a guard drives out Ambong Ati
out of the mall


Bridge

beyond the bridge
another bridge
I don’t know if I can pass through it


Once Again

again the red flag
waves
at Edsa


Flower Horn

flower horn—
from the pond
to the aquarium


Shadow

shadow—
your shadow
covers your body


Don’t Worry

mosquito, don’t worry
my slapping
is my earnest love to you


Black Spider

black spider
clings to its web
a man looks at it

Golf Course

golf course--
always green
rice fields, always brown


Stars

full moon—
salt grain sizes stars
in a rippling water


Kalibo

Kalibo—
smoke rules
the streets


Water Canon

water canon
in Mendiola Bridge
a sap of Pasig


Dusk

dusk—
Flor goes home from Singapore
in a box


Callous in my Palm

rainy season—
callous
in my palm from plowing


Libacao Fall

summer
Libacao Falls
keeps on waving her hand at me


Total Darkness

total darkness
suddenly the kerosene lamp puts off
at Lolo Itsong’s nipa hut


Earthquake

earthquake—
a butterfly
transfers to the other flower



Lovebirds

caged lovebirds
they turn their heads to the other side
when they hear my voice


Deep Night

deep night—
somebody shouts
“Fight! Come out those who are brave!


Better of You

better of you white moon
you can be seen
unlike the stars

Warm Afternoon

warm afternoon—
the wreaking sound of Lolo Itsong’s
rocking chair


Twilight

warm twilight—
banana leaves move only
when the tricycle passes by


Thin Forest

thin forest
faint voice
of an eagle


Mendiola

Mendiola—
again the firefighter
gives you a bath


Morning Glory

morning glory bloosom
entwines
in the barbed wire fence


Mt. Diwaldiwal

crosses multiply
at the foot
of Mt. Diwaldiwal



Inday Falls Down

dusk—
Inday falls down
at Boracay Beach


Fallen Apple

dusk—
a porter picks up
a fallen apple


No Catch

Sunday afternoon—
Tatay goes home
without any catch


No More Carabao

no more carabao
for the heron
to pick lice


No Tuba

no tuba,
no cigarette
Lolo still sings


Road To Libacao’s Forest

road to Libacao’s forest
fallen bamboo
blocks the way


June Rain

after the hard rain—
the skies are trapped
in our living room

After Launch

after launch—
my dog did not feel sleepy
in its cage


After the Hard Rain

after the hard rain
the red ant
climbs on top of a leaf


Crow Rests

crow rests
on the cutting edge of talibong—
Labor Day


Scaling Antique’s Mountain

summer—
Rafflesia’s scent
lingers in his mind


Christmas

Christmas—
plastics and cartoons fill up
Juna’s cart



Abandoned Bridge

abandoned Mendiola Bridge--
the returning wailing
of a fallen rallyist



White Moon

white moon at Maeara—
cool wind
and our first kiss



White Dove

at Edsa—
white dove falls
at Edsa Shrine


Queen of the Night

midnight—
slowly the Queen of the Night
blooms



The Coconut Plantation

Boracay
flattened coconut plantation
for the hotels and restaurants


Inside Our Room

inside our room--
a mosquito also rests
inside our mosquito net


At Ultra’s Gate

Saturday morning—
Maria’s dream crushes
at Ultra’s Gate


Atop Mt. Apo

atop Mt. Apo—
scattered plastic bags
and opened cans


Above The Bridge

above the bridge
a Korean student looks
at the black Iloilo River


At Sampaguita’s Twig

Sampaguita’s twig--
a black ant
crawls fast


Inside A Saeod

inside a saeod
for every drop of tuba
a revolution


At Sampaguita Garden

at Sampaguita Garden—
the butterflies do not fly
inside their cage


At The Middle of the Street

Sunday afternoon—
children play basketball
at the middle of the street


Dusk

dusk—
the brown air
below the heron’s wings


Philippine Lemon

Gloria squeezes lemon juice
at Juan’s old wound—
new full moon


Strips of Heaven

caged dove —
strips of heaven
through the chicken wire



Rice Bin

rice bin—
why are you always
deep?


Summer

summer—
the plastic at Aklan River bank
waves at me



Rainy Season

rainy season—
a spoonful of sunshine
from morning to dusk


Illegal Drug Store

Sunday afternoon—
brisk sale of illegal drugs
at the store near the municipal hall


Chopped Down Banana Tree

chopped down banana tree
another monkey watches
the watcher monkey


Tong-It

warm afternoon—
under the mango tree
mothers play tong-it


Work

work
the high and the low tide
of the sea


Midnight

midnight—
a boy begs
at Boracay beach




Landslide Sound

After the earthquake—
I cannot sleep
the sound of landslide



Full Moon

full moon—
I can no longer see you
under the Iloilo River


Sunday Afternoon

Sunday afternoon--
drops of blood on the cockpit
all that remain of his Texas
.

Late Afternoon

late afternoon
Anaiza refuses to relieve her colleague
even just for 15 minutes



Your Smile

because of your smile
I forget
my broken heart



Rainbow

viewing a rainbow
over another rainbow
this morning



Again

again
she promises to build a bridge
over an invisible river


Why

mother, after the rain,
why did the sun
fail to shine


Brown Out II

afternoon—
even the dust in the book shelves
keeps still



Night Mare

night mare---
its shadow
touches my shadow


In My House

in my house—
the mosquito
roles


Water Melon

water melon—
I grow
to the shape of a box


Trip

trip—
shadow
keeps on following me


Pasig River

Pasig River—
I eat the blue crab
that drunk grease


Dew

morning of corn season—
the wind shakes
the dews at the banana leaf


Rice Field

rice field—
in the middle of the rice field
are rats


Sunrise

the master crocodile
does not like to leave
the river



Tong-It

tong-it
goes on
so is the buying of beer


Fiesta

fiesta—
the dining table
is always full of visitors


After the Fiesta

after the fiesta—
back to roundscad
and shrimp paste


There’s Still Milk

dusk—
Lolo Itsong’s lips
still has milk


Tuba

tuba—
so the troubadours
would come around

August 15

the line
of the bank withdrawers
lengthens


Ilang-Ilang

not long after this
the Japanese will also get
your fragrance


Eagle

eagle—
there are still enough
monkeys


Open Now

Kathy…
open your briefcase
now


In His Last Farewell

in his Last Farewell
he left his death
in Bagumbayan


Mushroom

July—
after the lightning
mushrooms


Lightning

lightning—
my dog
hides in my room


At the Door

At the cathedral’s doorsteps
beggars
line up


No Escape

skywalk—
every level
a beggar


Empty Nest

dreams
rest
in empty nest


Honeymoon

June Bride—
after their honeymoon
they got married



Manduyog Cross

the cross
at Manduyog Hill shines--
Holy Friday


Even Inside the Cage

even inside the cage
lovebirds
continue to sing


Turtle

don’t cry—
hundreds of children
will see your shell at the museum



Deathbed

deathbed
he opens his palms
before he closes his eyes


Behind The Smile

behind the smile—
the shadow
of yesterday

Mother

Mother,
why is the seashore
sticky?


Harvest Time

harvest time—
Mother crushes the leech
under her feet


In the Dream

in the dream—
the rallyists
go home dry and without swell


Sweeps by the Wind

sunshine—
the wind sweeps
the cloud


Thank You

thank you—
at last the high tide
cleans the sand in the shore


Sand of Boracay

Sand of Boracay—
it sparkles
in every twinkle of the star


New Year

New Year
I rebooted
my computer


Firefly

brown-out
a firefly
enters our house


Sunday Morning

Sunday morning—
a boy digs in the lahar
that covers the cathedral


Edsa

Edsa—
Gabriela raises
the barbed wire crown


Fiesta

fiesta—
I delete some icons
in my desktop

Dark Surrounding

dark surrounding —
the lightning slices
the heavens


In Our Room

scent of Ilang-Ilang
still lingers
in our room

School Brigade

end of May--
the residents sweep
the school playground’s debris


Sun in Our House

after the rain—
slices of sun
inside our house


Every Step

at Mt. Everest—
every step upward
a Filipino victory


All Saints Day

All Saints Day—
pantheons
covered with weeds


After the Typhoon

after Typhoon Yoling
Nanay sweeps the leaves
on the street

Dried Red Rose

dried red rose
between the pages of a book—
setting full moon


Christmas

this Christmas
my table is empty
but my heart is full


Atop Mr. Everest

at last!
Leo Oracion plants
Philippine flag atop Mt. Everest


Go Home Now , Tata Goloy

go home now, Tata goloy—
SunflowR has already fixed
the cart


Rainbow

watching a rainbow
on top of another
rainbow


Mano-A-Mano

Pacquiao-Larios Mano-A-Mano—
nobody fires a gun
today

Full Grains

full grains
fruits of your sacrifices
and you are the stalk


Amorsolo’s Painting

Amorsolo’s painting
to those who live in mansions, an honor
to those who live in shanties, a covering


The Bamboo

the sun shines
when the bamboo
straightened


New Year

carefully, a wife holds
her drunk husband
towards home


Keeping Her Nipa Hut

grandma--sweeping away cobwebsin her nipa hut


After Christmas Day

the morning after Christmas--the streets restfrom footprints


Windy Afternoon

windy afternoon
butterfly rests
on the shirt of Lola Soriang


This Early Morning

this early morning--
oil spells
at Malampaya Sound


War


DH Ana experiences
war in bed
in Lebanon


Beside My Wife

beside Pilma--
tiny stars
in a rippling water of Maeara



Alone in Taytay Ridge

alone at Taytay Ridge--
why is the moon
not always in full?


Career

career--
the rising and the falling
of the tide


After the Flood

after the flood—
porridge and sardines
for lunch


The Hidden Moon and Me

the hidden moon and me
I hate this
rainy season


Mayon Volcano

Mayon Volcano—
its fury
perfects its cone


My Bed Mate

because she is in Lebanon
I just dream
that she’s still my bed mate


In Her Shadow

within her shadow
a black termite
crawls


Dark surrounding

dark surrounding
curling waves
of the sea


Increased Tax Collection

tax collection increases
exports increases
so does corruption


Sugar

Sugar--
ants bump each other
in the plate


Ati Carries the Heavens

Ati shoulders the heavens
and the earth—
dark surrounding


No Message

Tatay said nothing
when I left—
but full of messages


Tatay’s Look

just one look of Tatay
the whole house
becomes quiet


Airport

newly arrived OFW
from Lebanon
waves their hands


Thinning Ears

her ears become thinner
in wading
the waters of Lebanon


The Red Ants

the red ant
steps on my footsteps--
sinigwilas season

Listen

listen --‘
the whisper
of the night


No Problem

no problem
except there’s not enough
rice and fish


Rainy Season

rainy season—
irritating cold
because of your absence


Tanduay

Tanduary--
at times I forget
my child has no more milk


Coconut Leaves

coconut leaves
dance
In only one direction


Lola

Lola
crosses the street
in a waist-deep water


Night Strolling

night strolling
her silence
makes me walk alone


Full Moon

full moon encourages lovers to come out


July

rainy season
our jar
has no drinking water


Morning Glory

morning glory’s blossom
peeps
at the breaking sun


No streetlight

no streetlight
no light too
In Panoy’s house


Landslide in Leyte

landslide in Leyte—
children flash V-sign
to the passing soldiers


Holding Up

Aklanons
hold up
the skies


Oil Spill

oil spill—
the fragrance
of ripe mangoes


Waste Pickers

again—
the waste pickers wait
for another garbage truck


With Pilma Tonight

with Pilma tonight
we create
our full moon

Life in Charcoal

her framed charcoal
brings out
her life


Arrival Area

on the streamer—
Pres. Arroyo welcomes
our new heroes


Harvest Time

harvest time—
amidst the golden rice
healthy rats


Oil Spill

oil spill
the shorelines of Guimaras
darken
Silently

silently
bunker oil darkens
Guimaras shorelines

Abandoned Globe

sunshine looks at the
abandoned oil-coated globe—
the black shoreline

Grey August

grey August—
tears follow
after the oil spill

Before

before the rice
can sprout—
grasses

After Cleaning

after cleaning
the shorelines of Guimaras
tourists return

New Moon

the oil-spilled worker
never complains of wiping leaves—
a new moon

Passing Clouds
passing clouds—
father gets back
his hook and line

Morning

morning—
he mends
his fishing net