Susulat ako ng isang libong tula
Kung ito ang magpapahilom sa pusong pagal
Sa pag-ibig

Isusulat ko ang tula sa dalampasigan
ng alaala
Na kasing haba ng aplaya
Hanggang sa maghilom ang pusong sugatan
Dulot ng iyong paglisan

Huhugot ako ng maraming tayutay at saknong
Na may lantay at tugma

Sakaling anurin ito at mabasa mo
Sa dalampasigan ng aking puso.

Ikaw ang hugot
Ikaw ang sagot

Susulat ako ng isang libong tula
Dito kung saan taya unang nagsimula.

Ito ng kulay ng iyong puso

Ang kulay ng lipstik

Na binili ng iyong ina nung ikaw ay tinedyer

Ang kulya ng bulaklak na binigay sa iyo sa araw ng mga puso
ng iyong manunuyo

Hindi babanggitin ang rosas na niregalo sa yo
ng kaibigan **** babae sa kampus nang ikaw ay nasa
kaibuturan ng iyung kabataan,

Ang kulay ng mga di mabilang na mandirigma sa kabukiran

Na sumisigaw ng kapayapaan.




Ang kulay ng butil sa unang dapyo ng sikat ng araw

Sa panahon ng anihan.

Ang kulay ng asukal na muscovado mula sa pawis ng mga manggagawa sa azucarera

Ito ang paborito **** kulay noon.


Sa gitna ng lakbayin na masukal

Ginusto **** maging mapusyaw

Ngunit ang iyong pag-aalab ay puno ng kulay na ito

Sa iyong mga kapatiran sa masa


Pagsigaw ng hustiyang pang-ekonomiya



Ipagbunyi ang kulay ng iyong puso!



Ang sing-init na kulay na nararamdaman mo hanggang ngayon
Kahit na pumupusyaw ang iyong kabataan,

Nanatili itong kulay ng iyong pag-aalab.

Una, akong natutong magbilang ng saya sa dagat,
Habang ginagawa kong kwintas ang mga puka shells
Sa dalampasigan.


Natutu akong lumaban sa sigalot ng buhay,
Sa pagtalon habang ang mga rumaragasang alon
Ay ginuguho ako.

Ang   hangin
Ay bumubulong sa akin ng uyayi
Dinuduyan ako upang mahimbing.

Natuto akong magbawas ng kalungkutan
Sa mga tuyom
Sa baybayin.

Natuto ako ng kolektibong paggawa
Sa pagmasid sa mga mangingisda sa paghugot
ng lambat mula sa dagat
Na taglay ang isang araw na huli
at hatiin sa kanila
Nang pantay-pantay.

Umuwi sila sa kanilang pamilya na may
Kasiyahan sa kanilang dalang
Paghahatian sa paminggalan.

O kay sarap sa pakiramdam
Tuwing huhubarin ko ang aking tsinelas
At namnamin ang mapipinong buhangin sa aking mga paa.

At sa tuwing ako ay nakakaranas ng kasalatan
Akin lang alalahanin-
Ang mga araw ng aking pagbibilang  sa dagat.

No matter how religiously
you bleached your skin
You remain
Daughetrs of the Sun

Your sun kissed skin
The beauty exotic to others
Perfectly baked by the Gods
Shining like gold.


They have taught us to use skin whiteners
To wear sun glasses even inside a scaffolds
When our skin are made to be protected
From the rays of the sun

Our eyes, black and brown
Beautiful as the fruit of the duhat tree
Our hair, our skin
Choco like from the cacao tree.

Fit for our climate's concoction.
We were born in the land
where the sun is abundant,
hospitable and magnanimous.

Flaunt thy color
Savor its malt flavored goodness
Embrace the complexion you were endowed with
Embrace your own spirit

Hail thy Motherland
The sacred space you were gifted.

Hindi ako Balagtas
Hindi ako Kabesang Sisiw
Ngunit igagawa kita ng binalaybay  na epiko

Hindi ako Amorsolo
Hindi ako Botong Francisco
Ngunit ipipinta kita sa dalampasigan ng aking puso


Hindi ako Rizal
Hindi ako Bonifacio
Ngunit buhay ko'y iaalay sa'yo


Hindi ako si Alden Richards
Hindi ako James Reid
Ngunit sa tingin ko, God gave me you.

Was it serendipity when we met
And left
Were friendship carved in stones



Those epistles speaks of fondness
While you were in a different shore
Two continents facing each other
like two crescent moon.
The unforgetable exchanges
of  memoirs in foreign land
Where you go deep

in the physical jungle
And me in the corporate jungle


Is it also a matter of choice
And of voice to
speak our truths and
speak what our hearts content


In the stillness of silence
Our hearts are yearning
Our eyes speaks deep love's longing

But how did you allow free fall also
to rule what should have been
between us?


Was it also a matter of choice

There is a fire tree burning
Inside my heart for you

This flame is burning deeply
I still feel the sensation of your kiss
And longing for your gentle caress

But my mind still struggling in complete surrender

Close your eyes, you will see eternal flame
Do you feel the beatings of it
For you
The stars twinkling in my eyes
Because of you.

If you only knew
The enigma of your presence bridges
Now and Forever.

The serene sea possessed the moon's gleam
The galaxies of stars make shine the images of the buildings
The whole night we were stargazing
And the morning dew in the grass as cold as the air enveloping our bodies
At this moment, your lips are the skies
And we found the most beautiful constellation of the night.

The musk scent I smell in your body,
In your hanky and the clothes you wear
Lingers in my memories

I bathed it upon me to see and feel the nearness of you.

Sans distance
And we are lovers
Across oceans and where our mind and hearts could flow
Connecting that olfactory sensation, the warmth of your body
In the wideness of your shoulders and the thoughts of it
Just the thoughts of it,
Makes me linger to your sweet caress.
The kiss of a thousand songs of forever.

Imagine a woman who looks at the mirror
naked, and looks straight to her eyes and says
to herself, She is beautiful.  Imagine that woman
so in love with herself that nobody could dump
nor put her down.  She loves her curves, her full *******
like the mountains of Madyaas, her rounded belly
her chocnut brown skin. Her stretch marks, Ah! those are
carvings of her giving birth.  Her curly hair following only
the whims of the wind.  Imagine that woman.  The reflection
at the mirror looking at you

Is your Emancipated Self.

You tuck your tummy
You wish it is flat
You neglect its wishes
All she wants is listen
And give her dire attention


Your belly
The seat of creation
Find the chakra of passion
Expanding to the universe so designed
Feed her with nurturance

It gives you butterflies
It constipates with unease

Ditch the girdle
The belly jeans
That which constricts its breath
Celebrate its roundedness

Walk and be proud as tall as a tree
Honor thy Womb.

The sun at midday
People walking city streets
Beholding the fire tree

Spider spinning webs
Up, down and sideways stretches
Dreamweavers  we are.

River runs dry
Atmosphere dense
In a flash, it drops from heaven
Noisy beats to wet the thirsty ground.

All poets are epic
Pages are left unfinished
A Work-In-Progress

I want to imagine you
crossing a river
that is smooth and calm

That alone could make me
at peace
At this bitter reality

And someday, my time of crossing
that river will come

It was a bumpy ride at acceptance
of loss, and of parting
at the most unexpected time

When we are about just starting our
new life together

The memories is all that I gather
touched,
smell
and see vividly with my imagination.
Hold these memories in the palm of my hand
And throw it at the river
where you will flow smoothly

And you were there
Slowly, slowly
crossing in peace

For my sanity to keep.