Perennial Measure: Nakita Ko Si Oswald de Andrade Sa Mindanao

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Nakita Ko Si Oswald de Andrade Sa Mindanao

May nakita akong itim na cannibal, this big.
It probably was a moth, not a butterfly, dark
Kasi sa room no’n, kahit noon na, noontime
Against our Mindanao’s quarter moonshine.

I was full of wildflowers in my hair, beeswax
In my ears, ‘kala ko nga may vinta sa tabi. ‘Di
Nangyari ang inexpect kong pagkabuhay muli
Ng iilang journalists. Yari sila ngayon—wala

Silang mairereport, pati si Oswald de Andrade
Ay wala ring mapapala sa rumored nickel-rich
Na islang itim, puro datu pa rin at dog-eat-dog.

—24 November 2009

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About "Perennial Measure," the first blogged poetry volume on this site:

On the seventh day in the writing of this collection, or perhaps already subconsciously during the making of that first poem, it became clear that this series, Perennial Measure (the volume), shall be about the practice of poetry and art. Having laid that assumption down, trying to follow that course, however, I saw that I was able to move later to the creation of pieces on various other themes, as if I was trying to present to my reader those various themes and issues that confront a poet in his life and everyday world, qua poet. But, so as not to veer too far away from my central theme, the series would interrupt that straying again to make me go back to pieces strictly on poetry or art. And that push and pull from the central theme went on to the end of the volume project (which targeted 56 pieces or 56 printed book pages worth). So, approach this collection thus, then, should it please you, and consider reading the last poem, "Perennial Failure," against the first one, "Perennial Measure." Otherwise, you can just approach the section or volume or book how you would rather, as maybe you should. Here is Perennial Measure, the blogged poetry book within this eponymously titled Perennial Measure blogged literary creations site.