Isip Laging Nakaakbay sa Daloy ng Hangin~

One of the many things I do (when I find time) is research old Filipino poems and love songs. There's a happy string in me that gets plucked when I read lines from poets and writers that sing of love and or misery.

Mamaalam,
Tala kong may ngiti
Saglit lamang
May huling habilin~
-Alay, Imago

Di alangan sa tukso ng ulan
Ang ihip ng hangin tila nambibitin
Atin ng simulan
-Monobloc, Pupil


Kung ang libingan ko'y limot na ng lahat
at wala ng kurus at batong mabakas,
bayaang linangin ng taong masipag,
lupa'y asarolin at kahuya’y ikalat.
-Huling Paalam, Rizal

Isn't the Filipino language one of the most beautiful in the world?

Sadly, I am not a good Filipino writer. I suck at it. My suckage (?) at writing in Filipino couldn't save my life if it had to. Thank goodness I have friends who have that magic in them to compose lines of lovely-written poems in our vernacular.

I can just always live through them, right?

Or in this case, I live through their words by illustrations.

The illustration below was made for World Weed Day 2009 and is inspired by words of  a very good friend, Simone. The illustration could use some more lines here and there but I don't want it to look over-worked~

Lunod sa kaangasan ng buhay
Isip ay laging nakaakbay
Sa daloy ng hangin
Tungo sa kalawakan ng papawirin.

Halos kalbo, kung tumubo ay tuwid
Ngunit sigurado akong magiging kulot sa gilid
Pati takbo ng iyong kokote
Parang bagong panganak na kiti-kiti.

Sa agos walang kasiguraduhan
Na hindi dadaplis sa kung anuman
Ngunit mangyari man, makakaahon din
Sasara rin ang sugat na malalim.

Maging sa simoy ng hangin
Maaaring mabaho o marumi ang pasukin
Bawat hinga  masakit sa lalamunan
Ngunit may ngiti namang maabangan.

Pasalita ka na ng pang-makata
Kantang sabay sa ritmo ng kuliglig at palaka
Wala namang saysay ang mga sinasabi
Ngunit musika ang labas mula sa mga labi.

Palakpak at hawak ng kamay
Parang napakalayo ng paglalakbay
Dala mo’y kalokohan at kasiyahan
At nakarating na tayo bago pa natin malaman.


Here's to Filipino Literature!
Kampay! Kampay!
SFM



♬ Listening to: Alay by Imago & Sumasabay by Pupil
✈ On my office chair, in rainy Makati~