TRAVEL LIGHT

Pinapaliguan
ng liwanag mula
sa mga poste ng ilaw
ang Kalye Unida
sa gabing mapanglaw.

—
Ika- 21 ng Agusto 2011

Dito walking distance
lang lahat.Malapit ang
palengke,eskwelahan,
sakayan ng bus,jeep at
padyak. Nasa paligid
mga turo-turo, banko
at McDo. Pati 711 nasa
kanto. Tahimik ang lugar
sa umaga. Hindi ka maabala
dahil walang baha.
At sa gabi hindi ka maliligaw
sa mga ilaw na patay-sindi.

—-
July 13, 2011
Baclaran

Hirap maghanap ng bahay.
Nakapaskil sa poste
puro Lipat-Bahay lang.
Hirap maghanap ng bahay.
Walang nakapaskil na
Bahay-Malilipatan.

—–
July 10, 2011
Going round Baclaran

Inner North London, top floor flat
All white walls, white carpet, white cat,
Rice Paper partitions
Modern art and ambition
The host’s a physician,
Lovely bloke, has his own practice
His girlfriend’s an actress
An old mate from home
And they’re always great fun.
So to dinner we’ve come.

Read more…

No dogs barking.
No neighbors yelling.
No motorcycles roaring.
A puzzlingly hushed Sunday.
muted. subdued. quiet.
Can’t hear a thing
not even the sun shining.

Nariyan na ang banaag. Pero ayaw pa ring sumilip
ng araw sa likod ng tabing ng mga kulay-abong ulap.
Nahihiya dahil hindi siya nagpakita sa nagdaang mga araw.

The ambiance outside
my window
in the morning
after a storm
reminds me
of a place where
I’ve been to
not so long ago.
The grey background,
the drizzle,
the cold, damp and
empty streets.
Passing scenes I see
as I gaze
out the window of a
train in Amsterdam
eight o’ clock in
the morning
without the sun.

—–
June 24, 2011
Paranaque City