Again

Again
The dark clouds
Loom over
And over
Our cold room

In Between

In between
A file of twigs
Lies a symmetry
Of once full
Of green leaves

***This is my first attempt at tanka writing.

Garlic Grows

garlic grows
in test tubes--
man next?

Bag-ong Hampang

Bag-ong hampang
sa Pilipinas--
Taguan it kamatuuran

Come

come nearer
let's see
the long line of rice buyers

The Mist

the morning mist
steals Guimaras
from my sight

Bougainvillea

bougainvillea in bloom--
fully fed cat
stares at a mouse

Primerong Uean It Abril

primerong uean it Abril--
nakatipig pa
ro kaputi sa aparador

Agahon

Agahon--
gulping pinusdak
ro ginabuytang kalibutan

Town Fiesta

town fiesta today
but the church
is half filled

Papaya

blue skies--
distorted papaya fruit
still hanging

Sa Buhing Sanga

sa buhing sanga--
may patay nga maya
tag-init

Gakaea-kaea

sa tinumpok nga papel--
sa idaeum
gakaea-kaea

Low tide

low tide--
women shellfish gleaners
look at the horizon

Gloria's Summer

Gloria's summer--
people line up
to buy NFA rice

Black River

black river--
cricket frogs
sing their swan song

Home

brown rice fields--
dilapidated windows
brown out

Seventh Day of April

Seventh Day of April--
I search for
my new path

Ay Abaw Petra

Ay abaw Petra
Anong desisyon eon man ra
Ham-at ginbutang mo
Ro kabayo sa likod it kalesa?

Ro Unga

tumikang ro unga
sok-sok ro bakya
nga haeog ka na--
ay natumba!

Brown Fields

brown fields--
the string of her kite
snapped off

Writing on the Wall

writing on the wall--
the kitten
just stares at it

Solar Storm

solar storm--
my cellphone
your voice, out

Sunspot

sunspot--
communication satellites
knock out!

Biernes Santos

Biernes Santo--
ginapaaguniyas ni Sean Marie
ra Lolo

After the War

after the war--
picking a table
with two missing legs

The Age

the age--
I grow old
to be young

Ati

start of summer--
a guard drives me out
of a restaurant

Earth Hour

Earth Hour--
father shuts our light out
for one hour

Sunset

sunset--
our water pump
disconnected

Holy Friday

Holy Friday--
a child tells her grandpa
to knell


Note: Here is a comment from a reader on this poem:

- In cherrypoetryclub@yahoogroups.com, "gumamilacruz"
wrote:
>
> This week, we Filipinos celebrate Holy Week.
> This week, we Filipinos trace the passion and death of our Lord, Jesus
> Christ.
> It will end on Sunday, the Easter Sunday.
>
> Holy Friday
>
> Holy Friday--
> a child tells her grandpa
> to knell
>
> Melcichon
> Aklan, Philippines
>
Dear Melcichon,

A delightful poem you have written. As you know, I tend to believe
that there are happy accidents in life. The last line of your poem
gave me pause to think that the child actually said the word "knell"
rather than "kneel". This reminded me of my childhood when I would get
similar sounding words mixed up as I was learning how to say them. For
several years, I said "three" for "tree"... to me they sounded the same.

Your poem is especially poignant to me because of the advanced age of
my mother excludes her from kneeling for fear of damage to her frail
bones. But, I know that if her great-granddaughter asked her to kneel,
my mother, would despite the frail health. Such is the bond between
grandparents and grandchildren or great-grandchildren.

Good Friday --
blossom petals left
on the supper table

ciao... chibi

Warm Evening

warm evening--
the sound of fallen leaves
of a narra tree

Brown Leaves

narra's brown leaves
settle
on a park car

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday--
the rocks stand still
when He passes by

Kapaya 2

katapusa't Mayo--
nagadueoeaw ro daho't
kapaya

Kaki nga Eanas

kaki nga eanas
eumagpak ro
bolador

Papaya 1

Papaya--
bacteria penetrates
her roots

Cool Breeze

cool breeze--
Rizal,Bonifacio
and Teodoro Patino in the library

Manny Pacquiao Fight

Source: Photo by Matthew Bantug / BoxingTalk.net


Manny Pacquiao fight--
no police record
filed

Ripe Bananas

summer--
ripe bananas
in our mortgaged land

Papaya

papaya grows in our yard
with arm-length leaves--
shadows all over

Cloudy Skies

cloudy skies--
our new university librarian
develops ulcer

Blue Skies

Picture of Helen Keller holding a doll, and Anne Sullevan, her teacher.
Picture released by New England Historic Genealogical Society,taken 120 years ago.



blue skies--
Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller
and her doll

Dark Clouds

dark clouds
loom
inside the university library

Retirement

retirement--
the weight of the stairs
lingers on my legs

Tirad Pass

Tirad Pass--
the grasses can't stand
still

Edge of Summer

edge of summer
our dining table
littered with fallen winged-ants

Umpisa't Tig-ueoean

umpisa't tig-ueoean
owa't gailinum nga tambay
sa idaeum it mangga

Bangaw

conference room
gulping naghapon
ro bangaw sa rosas sa lamesa

Tambis

sa shuttle bus
gapueongyot
nga bunga't tambis

Sa Shuttle Bus

sa shuttle bus
ro pink nga gumamila
nagguwa sa kurae

Raya Eang Rang Ilabas

raya eang rang ilabas--
sangka tasang humay
sambilog nga bakagan

Crossing a Bamboo Bridge

crossing a bamboo bridge
a father holds
his son's arm

I revised this, and I came up with this one:

crossing a bamboo bridge--
a son holds
his father's arm

End of Work

end of work
he steps down
slowly on the stairs

Wake

wake--
grandma tells me
not to sweep the floor

St. Paul

St. Paul--
the coolness
of the boiling oil

Umpisa't Tinguean

umpisa't tinguean--
ro baha sa karsada
pareho tag unga pa ako

Amihan

Amihan--
ro adlaw
gintunga it eawod

Hand Shaking

hand shaking
my rheumatism
strikes again

In An Old Library

in an old library--
a new friend
I thought I could smile with

Old Library

old library--
one librarian thinks
of mental adequacy

All the Rats

all the rats remain
in this old library
except the maya

New Librarian

new librarian--
I smiled
before he came

Dawn

dawn--
mosquitoes throw
out my haiku

Dawning

dawning--
the smell of bebingka
from our neighbor

Tomas Talledo's Like Haiku

Prof. Tomas Talledo teaches political science courses at the College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo.
But he is a poet too. He is from Iloilo.

Here are some of his poems:

I Cry For Forest

Of what will heal earth?
Left cold on for barren road
seeds of proud trees fall

Diliman, Summer

Early bright flowers
when wind swept dark dead leaves.
Hot days are now here.

Call To Save Our Seas

Pink turtles tremble
when Mother Sea is poisoned
by deathly oil ships.

October Rain

Rains in October
Gently washed wrinkles away.
Monks are waking up.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration
holding
the passing smile

Oldest Aklanon Poem. Stanzas one and two of the poem

Source: Nabor, F. "An Inquiry into the Ancient Inakeanon Writing System," Silliman Journal, Ist Quarter, 1968, pp. 54-86.

Tig-aeani

tig-aeani
iniwaga't ugsad
ro tinaipang madueom

After A Shattering Storm

after a shattering storm
the rock
stands still

Sikaeum

sikaeum
ro adlaw
gintunga it eawod

sunset
the ocean
slices the sun

Baeangaw

baeangaw
nahadlok magtan-aw
ro bayeng nabdos

De Bale Maguba Rang Baeay

De bale sa bagyo
Maguba rang baeay
Basta rang malunggay
Indi eang maghapay.

He Asks Me

He asks me
to lie down in His green pasture
almost end of summer

Raising Voice

morning talk--
Ana thinks
I can absorb all heat

My First Hair Cut

For a moment
I thought I feel
lighter

Abaw

Abaw
Sa Burj Al Arab Hotel
Si Maam maestar
Samtang si Nong Pandoy waay sud-an

###

Ay Abaw Si Maam

Ay abaw si Maam
Sa Burj Al Arab Hotel eang gaestar
Samtang si Nong Pandoy
Igto gid sa binit it karsada gahamyang.

Maeara
Jan 26, 2008
_____________

Sa SM City

Alas sayes it gabii--
naghipos ro cash register
pag-umpisa it angelus


@@@

Alas noybe it agahon--
sige ro inobra it trabahador
samtang ginakanta ro Pambansang Awit

Mendiola Bridge

Mendiola Bridge--
gapatunga ro barbed wire
sa naga-martsa nga mga mangungoma

Ati-Atihan

Ati-atihan
gulping owa't gapakalimos
nga Ati sa karsada

Gahugot Ro Hikug

gahugot nga gahugot
ro hikug sa liog ni Pinoy--
bag-ong residente it Palasyo

Tig-ueoean

tig-ueoean--
naghugot ra pagkaupkup ni Bing
pag-eupok ku daeugdog

Edge of Summer

edge of summer--
the dew tightly grips
on the twig

sa bibi it tigsililak--
ginbaskug it tun-og
ra pagkapyot sa kagang

Death

smiling--
Death warmly opens
his door

@@@

Death warmly opens
his door--
smiling

Christmas Day

Christmas Day--
no vacant chair to rest
inside the Mall of Asia

December

California

Batan

Batan--
ro humbak nahadlok
magtabing kakon!

Maeara
February 21, 2007

Woodpecker

Sunflower

Bridge

Tree

Upside Down

Rainbow

Ob-Ob Hill

Alone

Eclipse 1

Eclipse

The Smile That Brings in Amihan

Glitter Graphics

Crossing the Street

rush hour--
a duck and her chicks
cross a busy street