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Libreng humirit

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Tambay ka muna

generation terrorists

Lokal Kolor

Ano'ng hanap mo?

third world traveller

Basa lang nang basa

brevity

can we have our ball back

contemporary poetry review

Tropa ko

na, mula noong 24 Enero, 2006, ang nakitambay dito

Not Prayer

Friday, March 19, 2010

There is a body
and a crow waiting on a body.
The body is full of suffering.

Meaning, the body has life.
For the time being.

Define being. Life.
Define life for the time being.

The body filled
to the point of breaking.
The body with eyes
wide in prayer.

Define prayer. That
which only God is able to hear.

There is an ear
detached from a body.

Meaning, torn away.
Out of place.

An ear unable to hear
that which is taking place.

There is a crow.
There is the sound of a crow
nibbling on a leaf.
For the time being.

Define being.
There is a body
and here is a hand.

See how it moves
to cover this mouth.
Define that

which only God is able to hear.
Define this.
Not prayer.

Labels: poetry

posted by mdlc @ 11:15 PM 2 comments

What is Asked

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

To pry lead
from every wound.

To gather every severed limb.
To not flinch.

Or to flinch yet look back.
To look forward
to each flinching.

To hold a throat firm
against the sound it refuses to make.

To meet the gaze
even of the dead.

This is what poetry asks of us.
To name each body
and carry it to its grave.

To bear. To dig.
One word at a time.

Labels: poetry