Ati-Atihan

Ati-Atihan--

all roads end

in Kalibo

Photo: From http://my.akeanon.com

Text: Melchor F. Cichon

A Setting Sun

a grandfather at dusk

watches a setting sun

at Boracay Beach

Forced Retirement

retirement day--
bundles of memo receipts
still waiting for inventory

After A Day's Toll

After the day's toll

a smile from her

a bark from Bantay--Melchor F. Cichon

Title: After The Day's Toll
Painting by Vicente Alvarez Dizon
Thanks to Inquirer.net
Retrieved: October 7, 2007

Crane

thinning fog--
a crane calls
for her mate

Rainbow

Photo: Edna L. Faral
Text: Melchor F. Cichon

Afternoon Shower

afternoon shower--
a rainbow appears
in full color

Evening Traffic Jam

evening traffic jam--
the jeepney driver
keeps on scratching his head

Lunar Eclipse II

Text by: Melchor F. Cichon

Photo by: Edna L. Faral

Lunar Eclipse

Lunar eclipse--
a pregnant mother
refuses to see the moon

Text by Melchor F. Cichon
Picture by: Edna L. Faral

Deal Or No Deal

Roadband scam--
P200 M
deal or no deal?

Between Her Ears

between her ears
an empty
shell

Eve of Erap's Decision

Eve of Erap's decision
still the rain
pours into our room

Ro Gera Sa Basilan

Ro gera sa Basilan
Owa it katapusan,
Parero it bueang
Sa mga bueangan.--Melchor F. Cichon

After The Ambush

after the ambush in Basilan--
each one blaming
each other

Libagon Bridge

Clearing Skies 2

clearing skies--
Sunflower walks along
the Boracay Beach

A New Bamboo Sprout

a new bamboo sprout--
a sparrow sings
a new song

Body Bags

Basilan--
when will body bags stop
coming?

Still Leaves

Tangos Ilong

Kon ako mag-asawa
Pilion ko ro tangos-ilong
Ay kon maubusan ako't hamon
Imaw ro akong pritu-prituhon.

Sunflower Field

Sunflower Field--
Conrad lifts her
to Cloud 10

Only in Australia

I take this as an exception.
I wrote a poem upon seeing a picture of a kangaroo inside a supermarket.


Only in Australia
by
Melchor F. Cichon

May forwarded message akong natanggap
Mula sa dati kong guro.
Isa sa mga larawang pinakita
Ay larawang ng kangaroo
Sa loob ng supermarket.
May tali ang leeg na hawak-hawak ng isang misis
Katulad ng kabayo.
At ang dalawa niyang paa ay may kadena
Katulad ng isang bilanggo.
Kawawang kanggaro ginawang pushcart.
Ang biniling tsukolate, hamon at kape ni misis
Ay linagay sa kanyang pouch sa tiyan.
Peru de bale, nakapasok naman siya sa supermarket
At nakakita ng iba’t-ibang tinda.
Baka kumain pa siya ng halo-halo
Sa lamesa pagkatapos ng grocery.
Nakita pa siya ng libo-libong tao.
Di katulad ng Ati.
Malayo pa sa main gate ng megamall
Ay tinataboy na siya ng blue guard.

Heat Wave

visiting again
my old town--
heat wave

After the Fishing Season

after the fishing season
the cry
of the coral reefs

First Full Moon

first full moon--
the brightness
of Sirius

(for the people of Trinidad and Tobago)

Loving Her Again

loving her again--
re-reading
her Valentine's card

Sunday Mass

Sunday mass
the cry
of the baby

windy afternoon--
she kisses
a painting on the wall

Clearing Skies

New Cycle

new cycle--
her hand
reaching His shoulder

Johnson's Blue

please turn to me too
bee--
Johnson's blue

Offbeat

even the sound of the tide
in Libagon Bridge,
offbeat

gabunok ro uean--
gapinanilong man ro mga namok
sang batiis

Maeara
July 8, 2007

rainy Sunday morning--
mosquitoes take shelter
on my legs

Cash

cash--
the wind comes
the wind goes without notice

Nanny

early morning shower--
Nanny looks at me
wherever I go

*Nanny is the name of a dog of a Japanese haiku poet, Etsuko.

Sa Ana Nga Pagtaliwan

Sa ana nga pagtaliwan,
Nag-inuean ro kalibutan;
Mayad eang ay may tindahan
Nga puno't uga nga bantaeaan.

Diwata Ng Dagat

Diwata ng Dagat
knows that a fig leaf
is not enough for her

Sawa

Nag-agto ako sa banwa,
Nakadakup ako it sawa;
Ginbaligya ko kay Lola,
Si Lolo ro nagsumsuman kana.

Wild Fire

wild fire--
a woodpecker
still pecks on an old trunk

Beyond The Bridge

beyond
the broken bridge
another broken bridge

I Sing

I sing
the lullaby
my mother used to sing
for me. But my daughter is still
awake.

Maeara
March 27, 2007

After Her Kiss

early Sunday morning--
after her kiss
another kiss

Nanga Bridge

one year after--
Nanga Bridge still looks at the sign
"Sorry for the Inconvenience"

Nanga Bridge

Nanga Bridge after one year--
the notice: "Sorry for the Inconvenience"
still hangs on the post

Nanga Bridge

Nanga Bridge--
one year after,
still unbridged

Edge of Summer

edge of summer--
the smile
that brings in sea breeze

*The model is Ms. Elsa Surmieda, Iloilo

Brown Out

brown out--
outside the window
the leaves stand still

Ob-Ob Hill

Ob-Ob Hill--
wishing the fishermen
to be in the seas

Blue Skies

blue skies--
the calm seas
still wait for the fishers

Listen

listen...
the white lilies long
for your whisper

For Jenny Laurente

Early Summer

early summer
Bing's smiles
bring in a sea breeze

Kalamansi Juice

kalamansi juice--
a black ant
still moving around

Lilies

spring dawn--
on top of a broken aquarium
white stargazer lilies

After Sundown

after sundown--
she picks up
the broken pieces of sun rays

Mossy Fountain

mossy fountain--
slices of a moon
in ripples

Shamrock

Sunday morning--
I kneel to kiss
the shamrock

After Katrina

after Katrina--
sunset creates
sky ripples

Beneath a Forest

beneath
a thick forest--
a pathway

Sunset

sunset--
he looks out beyond
the rolling waves

My Eyesight

misty morning-
no one passes this pathway
but my eyesight

Misty Morning

misty morning--
still no shadows
on the pathway

Cool Breeze

cool breeze--
faint Sirius
beneath Pasig River

Falling Star

falling star--
she finally grips
my hand

After Sunset

will you smile
with me
even after sunset?

Bulol

sickbed--
a man pours pig's blood
on the bulol

Linger On

after sunset--
will you linger on with me
till moonshine

Humid Noon

humid noon--
nobody stops by him
but the house fly

Morning Funeral

morning funeral--
the mourners
prefer to walk

Early Dawn

early dawn--
I woke up smiling
again, I saw my parents

Passing Clouds

passing clouds--
the puppy in the barrel
peeps at me

Elections Over

elections over--
candidates' pictures on trees
still smiling

After Elections

after elections--
no quarrels
on money for votes

Crescent Moon

crescent moon--
passing by
my arm-length skies

Mother's Day

Mother's Day--
father does
the laundry today

Election 2007

election 2007--
all trees at the highway
wear propaganda materials

I Kiss the Sun

I kiss the sun
in my room--
summer noon

Sunday Afternoon

Sunday afternoon--
the church bells
keep on ringing

Preserved Turtle

a preserved turtle
looks at me
wherever I go

18 Cakes

18 different cakes
wait
for her 70th birthday

Free Jackfruit

a slice of free jackfruit--
a homeless man eats it
including the seeds

This Christmas

this Christmas Eve
nobody sings
but the lizards

Can't Carry His Spoon

he can't carry
his table spoon anymore--
setting sun

White Mountains

125, ooo feet above the skies--
white clouds like mountains
and valleys

Swimming Over

This picture was taken in Guimaras in April 2007.

Casher's Office

blue skies--
they only have eyes
for cash and figures

Calm Day

calm day--
the rock waits
for the waves

Heron

summer--
the heron thinks
she is bigger than the carabao

Sun Bids Goodbye

Manny Pacquiao-Solis Fight

Manny Pacquiao-Solis fight--
again
no recorded traffic violations today

Two Long Nights

two long nights--
your answer freezes
like the moon in Maeara*


*Maeara is a man-made lake in Lezo, Aklan, Philippines

After Summer

after summer--
brown flood water
rushes to the sea

Cherry Blossom

a cherry blossom falls
in front of a young couple--
a worm wriggles

Philippine Summer

Philippine summer--
raging fury
dry fire hydrant

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday--
Words from the Empty Tomb
for the empty hearts

Penitensya ni Magdalena

Holy Friday—

sangka gabii ro penitensya
ni Magdalena sa tong-itan

Holy Friday

Holy Friday--
Mary meets her only Son
on the Cross

Lone Tombstone

blue skies--
blue mountain smiles at
the blue tombstone

Blue Skies

blue skies--
sparrows tweet while picking worms
from acacia blooms