A Request and Other Love Poems

A Request and Other Love Poems

by

Melchor F. Cichon

This is a compilation of love poems which I wrote since 1986 to the present.
(This is just a draft)

Contents

1.  A Request

2.  Sunflower

3. Crowded By Fallen Leaves

4.  You Always Have A Reason or Two

5.  I Will Not Write My Loneliest Poem

6.  A Request

7. A Letter

8.  Kiss Me

9.  Paano Kita Mahaeon? 

10.  Indi Ko Masueat Rang Pinakamasubo Nga Binaeaybay

11.  Let The Leaves Shake Tonight

12.  Thank You, Anyway 

13.  To Pilma

14. Indi Eon Gid Ako

15.  Para Kay Bing

16.   Ikaw Man Gihapon Rang Ginahandum

17. Lorna

18.  I Maybe Silent Now

19. Soliloquy I

20. I Know You Can't Understand Me

21. Indecision

22.  Owa’t Kaso, Saeamat

23.  I Think I Know What Love Is

24.  Your Love Is My Hope

25.  Love
26. Soliloquy II 
27. To My Beloved
28. Forget Me 
29. Too...
30. I Am Leaving
31. I Know 
32. I Was Avoiding Something

33. Ikaw Pa Rin 

34. I Know I Must Reach You 

(35) Loving You 

(36) The whisper 

(37) Love 

(38) My New Dawn 

 

(1)  A Request
        1983

Come to me after sunset

But bring me no roses for a wreath;

Nor sing Ave Maria to awaken my soul,

Nor shed a tear, nor touch my tomb.

Our world was designed to be a paradise

For us to enjoy forever,

But you saw only dark clouds and tsunami.

Hence, we shared nothing but pain.

I did all the things I knew

To keep our love forever aglow

But you disdained them all.

You said our worlds were really two.

It pains my heart to forget you

For you have been a part of me.

But what could I really do,

When you wanted to go?

Lately, I heard you wished to see me again

To repair the bridge you had broken.

You can see me after sunset,

But please bring me no roses for a wreath.

(2) Sunflower

October 19, 2011

Ikaw, Sunflower, ro ugsad nga buean

Nga gatao it kasiga

Sa madueom ko nga daean.

Matuod nga kon amat nagakaduea-duea ka

Bangod sa naga-agi-agi nga gae-um

Pero ring kahayag nagapadayon nga nagatuytoy

Sa mga paminsaron ko

Eabi eon gid kon nagapang-euka it butong ro hangin,

Kon owa't untat ro pagbinunok it uean

Sa kabuhi ko.

Ikaw eon lang, Sunflower,

Ro nagatao kakon it kainit,

Kainit sa tagipusuon ko

Agod ako makapanumdom nga may kabuhi,

Nga may kapus-eanan pa rang pagkatawo.

Ag kon matunod gid man rang adlaw

Hueogan mo eang rang paeahuwayan

Ku imong owa't pag-eaya nga rosas,

Owa't pagkaduea nga kahumot,

Mabutlak it oman rang adlaw,

Maski sa katueondan.

Sunflower

Melchor F. Cichon

May 4, 2021

Ikaw, Sunflower, ang bilog na buwan

Na nagbibigay ng liwanag

Sa madilim kong daan.

Totoong kung minsan ay nawawala ka

Dahil sa dumaraang ulap,

Ngunit ang liwanag mo ay tuloy-tuloy na pumapatnubay

Sa mga iniisip ko

Lalo na kung nakakabunot ng kawayan ang hangin,

Kung walang pigil ang malalakas na ulan

Sa buhay ko.

Ikaw na lang, Sunflower,

Ang nagbibigay sa akin ng init,

Init sa puso ko

Para makakaisip ako na may buhay,

Na may halaga pa ang buhay ko.

At kung lulubog ang araw ko

Hulugan mo lang ang pahingahan ko

Ng iyong walang pagkatuyong rosas,

Walang pagkukupas na halimuyak,

Sisikat muli ang araw ko

Kahit sa kanluran.

 

(3) Crowded By Fallen Leaves

April 9, 2012

crowded by fallen narra leaves--

alone with a crescent moon--

in a bench where we first kissed

and where our last embrace was sealed.

I remember how the full moon

spread its beam,

uplifted our spirits,

our dream of eternal togetherness

even on days of summer

and of nights of howling storms.

oh, how short was the night

of our togetherness!

but like the moon that sets

and the leaves that fall,

we have to kiss our Earth

or be alone like now

in this lonely bench

where we first kissed,

where our last embrace

was sealed.

(4)  You Always Have A Reason or Two

May 20, 2012

You always have a reason or two

To say “No!” each time I ask you

To have lunch at Jollibee or at Macdo;

You always have a reason or two

To say “No!” each time I invite you

To see the Concert at the Park;

You always have a reason or two

To say “No!” each time I ask you

To see the rising sun with me at Boracay Beach;

You always have a reason or two

To say “No!” each time I ask you a kiss.

But you always say

“Wow, I love it!”

Each time I steal you a kiss.

(5)  I Will Not Write My Loneliest Poem

(With apologies to Pablo Neruda)

September 24. 2012

I will not write my loneliest poem

Even if I am between the heavens and the earth.

When you accepted my love at Boracay Beach

While the sun was setting is enough to make me smile.

I will not write my loneliest poem.

Like now when the moon is full and the December breeze is cold

Is enough for me to smile.

It was also December when we first kissed.

I will not write my loneliest poem

Even I can no longer pinch your face

Nor can I whisper your name.

It’s enough for me to sleep while I clinch the ring that you inserted on my finger.

And when time comes for the sun to set

And spreads its veil all over my world,

Still I will not write my loneliest poem.

When I remember you,

I immediately smile.

(6)  A Request

Come to me after sunset

But bring me no roses for a wreath;

Nor sing Ave Maria to awaken my soul,

Nor shed a tear, nor touch my tomb.

Our world was designed to be a paradise

For us to enjoy forever,

But you only saw typhoon and tsunami;

Hence we shared nothing but pain.

I did all the things I knew

To keep our love forever aglow,

But you disdained them all.

You said our worlds were really two.

It pains my heart to forget you

For you have been a part of me.

What could I really do,

When you wanted to go?

Lately, I heard you wished to see me again

To repair the bridge you had broken.

You can see me after sunset,

But please bring me no roses for a wreath.

(7) A Letter

John,

I will definitely go home

To our house

Where we can see the clouds

Through the roof.

I'm fed up

With the twinkling neon lights,

But I have not yet paid

For the earrings that I got

From Mama San.

I need them so my tinkling

Will be louder and my hips

Will be heavier.

Don't worry, John,

This Christmas

You and I will create a moon

And through the roof

We two alone

Will grasp it light.

Ana

(8) Kiss Me

May 1, 2012

Kiss me

In a way

That keeps

The summer breeze

Stand still;

In a way

That keeps

Me awake

From dawn

To dawn.

(9) Paano Kita Mahaeon?

By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Gin-Inakeanon ni Melchor F. Cichon

February 13, 2005

Paano baea kita mahaeon?

 Pahuyapa ako ku mga paagi.

Mahae kita sa kadaeom ag kaeapad ag kataas

Nga maabot kang kaeag, kon ro pamatyag hay maeayo sa panan-aw.

Para sa katapusan it kabuhi ag sa hamiling grasya.

Mahae kita sa kataas it adlaw-adlaw

Nga pinakamalinong nga kinahangeanon, sa kahayag it adlaw ag it kandila.

Mahae kita nga may kahilwayan, paris ku tawo nga naga-usoy it kamatuuran.

Ginamahae kita it dalisay, sa andang paghalin sa pagbayaw.

Mahae kita nga may kainit nga ginagamit

Sa magueang ko nga mga kasubo, ag sa kabataan ko nga pagsalig.

Mahae kita nga may pagmahae nga ingko maduea

Sa may naduea ko nga mga santos.

Mahae kita nga may pagginhawa,

Mga hiyum-hiyum, mga euha, sa tanan nga kabuhi ko, ag, kon pilion it Dios,

Eabaw pa gid rang pagmahae kimo sa pagtaliwan ko.

       

(10) Indi Ko Masueat Rang Pinakamasubo Nga Binaeaybay

September 11, 2003

Indi ko masarangean nga isueat rang pinakamasubo nga binaeaybay.

Maskin sa tunga-tunga eon ako’t eangit ag eogta.

Ro imong pagsabat it huo kakon sa may baybayon it Boracay

Samtang gatunod ro adlaw hay sapat eon nga akon nga ikalipay.

Indi ko masarangan nga isueat rang pinakamasubo nga binaeaybay.

Paris makaron nga ugsad ro buean ag maeamig ro huyop it hangin it Disyembre,

Sapat eon para kakon nga magpahiyomhiyom.

Disyembre man kato ro primero nimo nga haru kakon.

Indi ko masarangean nga isueat ko rang pinakamasubo nga binaeaybay.

Maskin indi ko eon haeos maabut ring uyahon agod akon nga pisilpisilon;

O mahutikan ka man lang paris tag bag-o pa eang kita nga nagaumpisa ku atong pangabuhi.

Sapat eon nga makatueog ako kon ginakumkum ko ro singsing nga ginsuksuk mo sang tudlo.

Ag kon mag-abot kid man ro oras nga magtunod rang adlaw

Ag ro gabii hay mag-eapnaag sa bilog ko nga kalibutan,

Indi ko man gihapon pagsueaton ro pinakamasubo ko nga binaeaybay.

Madumduman ko eang ikaw, gahiyomhiyom eon dayon ako.

(11) Let The Leaves Shake Tonight

Let the leaves shake tonight.

Let my heart beats upright.

But I must meet my Pilma tonight

In Boracay Beach while the moon is bright.

Typhoon Seniang has gone by

Without a tear, without a smile.

But I must meet my love tonight

In Boracay Beach while the moon is bright.

God...let the trees shake their leaves tonight.

Let the world turns upside down.

But I must see my love tonight

Or she will be gone forever.

(12) Thank You, Anyway

I did not ask you

To keep my bitter mementos.

I knew from the start

That your heart had enough space only

For your own grief.

I did not ask you

To keep my tears for remembrance.

I knew from the start

That you wanted only to sip—

While it lasted—the juice that I could squeeze

From our fire.

Thank you, anyway,

As the golden ricefield thanks the volcano

For the lava it spews.

(13) To Pilma

You must not shed a tear

For me beloved.

I am not really leaving.

Please preserve my poems, my name.

They are for our children.

You must believe

That I am not leaving.

I was just asked by my Lord

To look for a new home

Where mayas are not caged

And gold fish are not aquariumed.

Shed no tears for me, Beloved.

We will meet again

Someday

In Heaven

(14) Indi Eon Gid Ako

July 11, 2017

Ginsueat ko sa daeaura

Nga indi eon gid ako

Magkaila sa sangka babaye

Pagkatapos aywan mo ako

Sa kaeangitan.

Pero pagkakita ko kimo't uman

Gulpi nga nagbangon rang eumagpak nga paghigugma.

Hambae ko

Raya eon gid ro pangaywa ko nga kabuhi.

Ag owa ako magsaea.

Ag daywa kita

Ro nagpaea kang ginsueat sa daeaura.

Makaron daywa eon

Ro atong apo

Sa tuhod.

(15) Para Kay Bing

Kon ako eon lang nga isaea
Ag mahayag ro ugsad,
Ginapanumdom ko ikaw.
Ginapanumdom ko
Ro gabii nga daywa eang kita
Galingkod sa Tambak,
Gatan-aw ku humbak
Nga gapaeapit katon,
Gapamati ku kanta it baeod
Nga amat-amat nga nagapalinong
Ku atong paminsaron.

Huo, ginapanumdom ko

Ro gabut-eak nga adlaw

Ag ro silak

Nga nagaharu katon

Sa adlaw-adlaw

Ag bisan ro asaw-asaw sa buean it Mayo

Ag ro bagyo kon Agosto.

Ginapanumdom ko.

Ag ginapanumdom ko

Ro oras nga maski mauean

Ginabakean mo ako't akong bueong

Ag maski madueomdueom pa hay ikaw gabangon

Agod ako hay eahaan it baeon.

Ginapanumdom ko ron.

Ginapanumdom ko

Ro atong mga unga sa anda nga pagdaeagko

Hasta mag-abot si Sean Marie sa atong euyo.

Raya tanan kon hidumdoman ko

Nagakaeaduea rang kahidlaw.

Rang kamingaw.

Rang kalipayan nagalig-on.

Pero kon umabot ro oras

Nga indi eon ako makadumdom,

Panumdumon mo man ako.

(16) Ikaw Man Gihapon Rang Ginahandum

November 20, 2016

Hambae ko,
Panason ko eon
Sa piniino ko
Ratong sikaeum sa Pastrana Park
Kon siin mo ginbalik kakon
Ro atong engagement ring.
Ugaling kon makita ko ro pagtunod
It adlaw ag ro pagsipeat it buean
Madumduman ko man gihapon
Ratong pagsikaeum
Sa Luneta ag sa baybay it Boracay
Kon siin naton ginbaeay
Ro atong matimgas nga paghigugma
Hambae ko,
Makakita man ako gihapon
It ikabueos sa paghigugma mo
Ugaling hasta eang ra sa handum.
Bangod ikaw man gihapon
Rang ginahandum.
Ikaw man gihapon
Rang ginahandum
Nga palanggaon
Hasta matunod rang adlaw.

 

Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Minimithi Ko

Ni Melchor F. Cichon

Sabi ko

Buburahin ko na yaong mahapdi kong kahapon,

Subalit kapag nakikita ko ang paglubog ng araw

At ang pagsilang ng buwan,

Maalala ko pa rin

Yaong takipsilim

Sa baybayin ng Luneta at sa Boracay

Kung saan natin hinabi

Ang ating maparaisong pag-ibig.

Sabi ko

Makakatagpo pa rin ako

Ng kahalili ng pagmamahal mo,

Kaya lang hanggang pangarap lang naman ito,

Dahil ikaw pa rin

Ang minimithi ko,

Dahil ikaw pa rin

Ang pinapangarap ko

Hanggang lumubog

Ang araw ko.

 

(17)  Lorna

Makaduaw ka kakon pagsaeom it adlaw,

Indi mo eang ugaling ako pagdaehan it rosas

O kandila.

Bastante eon nga nadumduman mo

Ratong Dominggo’t hapon sa Pastrana Park

Kon siin mo hinaruan

Rang gakurog nga mga bibig.

Kon mag-abot gid man rang oras

Nga magharu sa kahalimunan

Ag mangin parte it eugta,

Indi mo ako pagkantahan it Ave Maria.

Ro chico

Kon siin naton gintanum ro atong sumpa

Hay maeaya.

Bastante eon nga madumduman mo pa

Ratong hapon it Dominggo

Sa Pastrana Park

Kon siin mo pinahiran rang mga maeamig nga bibig

King maitum nga bandana.

Adios!

LORNA

Dalawin mo ako paglipas ng takip-silim.

Ngunit huwag kang magdadala ng rosas

O kandila.

Sapat na naalala mo

‘Yong hapon ng Linggo sa Pastrana Park

Kung saan mo hinalikan

Ang nanginginig kong mga labi.

Kung saling dumating iyong panahon

Na ako’y hahalik sa damo

At maging bahagi ng lupa,

Huwag mo akong aawitan ng Ave Maria.

Ang punong chicko,

Kung saan natin tinanim ang ating sumpaan,

Ay lalanta.

Sapat na maalaala mo pa

Ang hapon ng Linggo

Sa Pastrana Park

Kung saan mo pinunasan ang malamig kong mga labi

Ng itim mong bandana.

Paalam!

(18) I Maybe Silent Now

April 12, 1990

I maybe silent now

Now that the sun is setting

And I am locked in this dark cell.

I maybe silent now

Now that the moss is kissing my cold lips

While the worms are enjoying their feast.

But don't misunderstand me.

There are words that are better left unspoken.

There are messages that are better heard in silence.

Beloved,

You can hear me

While you sleep.

(19)  Soliloquy I

1986

You came to me like an evening song

That I heard

When the silver moon

Was sailing the cloudless skies.

And I remembered those promises you made

To keep our love forever aglow

And the quick kisses you engraved

On my wanting lips.

But now, how can I pierce

This aimless night

When you're no longer

At my side?

But now, how can I pierce

This aimless night

When you're no longer

At my side?

(20)  I Know You Can’t Understand Me

I know you can't understand me,

When I say you mean so much to me;

But when I reach home and you are away

I feel so sad, I just can't take away my tears.

I know you understand me,

When I hug you when you reach home from school;

Or when I buy you your favorite milk,

Even if I don't have enough money to spare.

I know you don't understand me,

When at times I can't spare you the rod;

But I know you will understand me

When you are out of danger, my dearest Angel.

(21) Indecision

1986

The moon keeps on shining bright

After we've called the Beta Way our own.

But the music of the waterfalls

Seems to have been playing in its half-tune.

I stay an hour before my mirror

Awaiting for your visit.

But once I see you knock on my door,

I feel a negative throb in my soul.

Ecstasy has filled my dreams

Which I have no wish for its end.

But once I feel the rays of sun,

I begin to shrug and sigh.

Wait...Please give me a day or two

To give you my golden reply.

(22) Owa’t Kaso, Saeamat

Owa ako kimo magpangabay

Nga tipigan mo rang maeapad nga handumanan.

Hasayran ko man eagi

Nga ring tagipusuon hay may husto eang nga lugar

Para sa imong mga pagbakho.

Owa ako kimo magpangabay

Nga taguon rang euha agud madumduman.

Hasayran ko man eagi

Nga gusto mo eang magsupsop—

Samtang may ona pa—it duga nga mapuga ko

Sa atong kaeayo.

Owa’t kaso, saeamat,

Paris it pagpasaeamat it eanas sa bulkan

Sa lava nga anang ginabuga.

(23) I Think I Know What Love Is
1986

I think I know what love is.
It is a spring, a shower, a song,
A mirror and a candle
In moments of solitude. 

But it can also be a source

Of sorrows, of broken dreams,
Of broken homes

Or the nail in one's coffin.

(24 )  Your Love Is My Hope

1986

Before, my heart was dumb

To all but God...

But when I felt your rays

I knocked on renaissance.

Before, winter barred my way.

Even spring brought me misery.

But when I found you, Love,

I joined the race to the outer space.

Henceforth, nights became dawns

Of treasured islands' lawns.

"Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" I said.

Sacrifice is now paid. 

(25) Love
1986

I sprung alone unnoticed
Like an oasis in an unstrolled desert
Until I heard you singing.
Then I began to paint roseate dreams.

I lifted my soul
To seek for you in vain in the Hades.
Love, laugh me out on this
But your music has become my Beatrice. 

(26) Soliloquy II
1986

It's not the past
That blocks my pens
Each time I sit to immortalize your name.
It is because of your freesia flower-like love
That tightens my mind
Each time I hold a pen.

Beloved, words are hard to grasp
When the heart is filled with a burning love.

(27) To My Beloved

Melchor F. Cichon

1986

I can no longer stand

The loneliness that engulfs my heart.

I wish Christiaan Neethling Barnard were here

To change this heart of mine.

Since you have gone my love,

Darkness has filled my way;

The moon and the stars above

No longer shine on me.

Now, I know what love can bring--

Sorrows, loneliness, tears.

But I know that all of these

Will vanish once you are again at my side.

(28) Forget Me
Melchor F. Cichon
1986

Forget me of you think
    that I can't live with you
    till the end of time.
Forget me if you thin
    that I can't make you smile
    even just for a while.
Forget me if by loving me
   you will be kept
   in a world of sorrow.
Forget me if by forgetting me
   you can find happiness
   anywhere you think of.
But love,
   Forgetting is remembering.

(29) Too...
1986

I shall forget you, too,
When the birds in the trees
Shall no longer sing;
When the moon and the stars
Shall no longer appear
In the midnight skies.

I shall forget you, too,
When this world
Shall no longer move;
When poets and painters
Shall no longer use their brushes and pens.

But why should we talk of forgetting
When in the end we will be remembering
Those so-called memory lanes?

(30)  I Am Leaving

I am leaving for a distant shore
To find a place in our world,
Not to find someone new
Because I know I love you so.

While I am away
I will keep our love aglow.
I hope you do the same
Until our next meeting.

Cry not, beloved.
Your tears will only mean a lonely trip.
I won't say farewell
For I know we will not be far apart.

If you feel lonely and blue,
Just close your eyes
And in a moment
You'll feel my warm embrace.

(31) I Know

I know, my Love, you don't love me
For now your heart is owned by somebody,
But still I will love you Dear
Until I say my last farewell.

It is my joy to let you know
How much I care and long for you,
For in my heart there's a feeling
That someday my yearning will come to an end.

I know that you love someone else
As sweetly and tenderly as you can,
But once you know that he loves you not,
Come to me. Don't break your heart.

(32) I Was Avoiding Something

by Melchor F. Cichon

1986

I was avoiding something

Because I thought I had lost

The prisms of your rainbow,

Because I thought the night

Had lost its tomorrow.

So I looked

For a new source of light

And I found it

In the eyes of my wife.

But ours is an open system

And you are welcome

To our world.

Keep in touch!

We have so much to share.

Keep it touch!

We have so much to learn from each other.

 

(33.) Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pinapangarap Ko

Melchor F. Cichon

November 20, 2016

 

Sabi ko,

Buburahin ko na

’Yong mahapdi kong kahapon

Kaya lang kapag nakikita ko ang paglubog

Ng araw at ang paglitaw ng buwan

Maalala ko na naman muli

Yaong dapithapon

Sa Luneta at sa dalampasigan ng Boracay

Kung saan natin binuo

Ang mabungang pag-ibig.

Sabi ko

Makakakita pa rin ako

Ng makakapalit sa pag-ibig mo

Ngunit hanggang pangarap lang yon

Dahil ikaw pa rin

Ang pinapangarap ko.

Ikaw pa rin

Ang pinapangarap kong

Mamahalin

Hanggang lumubog ang araw ko.

 

(34) I Know I Must Reach You

**Melchor F. Cichon

May 1, 2020

Today, I know I must reach you

As we celebrate the seventh year of our love.

Today, I know I must share with you

These arroz caldo, bulalo, and adobo.

Yes, we are oceans apart

But I feel you are just beside me

Watching the rising full moon

At the foot of Jawili Falls.

Someday, I know we will have time together.

We shall have eternal happiness together.

Together, we will fill in those gaps

When we meet again.

 

(35) Loving You

**Melchor F. Cichon

 

Loving you

Is like

Putting the rainbow

Between the sun

And me.

You promised

We would stroll

On the moon's garden

Before Neil Armstrong could.

But why did you enter

Somebody's door?

Why, Beloved,

Why?

 

(36) The Whisper

The Whisper

by Melchor F. Cichon

 

Aboy-aboy, batya and patadyong

Listen to my heartbeats.

The chain I have with you

Is a cross to my calvary.

My parents told me

To just wipe away my biting tears

And put ice on my swollen lips,

A gift from my husband's quick fists.

I have become his tail, my parents say,

After I have pressed my thumbs

On our marriage contract.

Aboy-aboy, batya and patadyong,

It's not a sin, isn't it

To put off my chain from you

And march in the streets

With closed fists?

 

(37) Love

 

Love

 

I sprung alone unnoticed
Like an oasis in an unstrolled desert
Until I heard you singing

Then I began to paint roseate dreams.

I lifted my soul

To seek for you in vain in the Hades.
Love, laugh me out on this

But your music has become my Beatrice.

(38) My New Dawn

I think my new dawn is silvery now

And tonight, my new moon will be shiny.

Today, the breeze that will come my way

Will be fresh like the morning dew.

Yesterday, the leaves of the narra trees

Were all swaying in all directions.

But I just kept calm.

All storms like all sunshine

Have endings.

So now...

I think my new dawn is brighter now

And tonight, my new moon will be shiny

Because you are back in my arms.

***Maeara

Oct. 28, 2021