Vol. 1, No. 5 April 2006

April is a very important month for me because this is my birthmonth.

But this month, I will honor one of the most productive contemporary Aklanon haiku poets: Sr A Cris T. Ocampo popularly known in cyberspace as Toryo.

Cris was born in Kalibo, Aklan. At present, he is assigned in South Korea.

Cris is not new in poetry.

According to him, his interest in poetry started when he was still in high school.

Let me quote him:

“It all started when I was in high school because one of my English subjects talked about poetry and haiku and we had to do one. So I had to read some books about poetry. And since I was a member of a band and a composer I was able to relate poetry writing with song writing. I wrote a lot of poems which I turned them into songs. Unfortunately hindi ko na makita yung libro ko un tsaka ala na rin masyadong time kc patapos na rin ako ng high school nun kaya tumigil na ako.”

Cris graduated at Kalibo Pilot Elementary School in Kalibo in 1993.

Since his elementary grades, he was not only active in boy scout activities but also in athletics especially in sepak takraw. He went as far as West Visayan Meet .

After his stint in Kalibo Pilot Elementary School, he was admitted at Science Development National High School , (now Regional Science High School) in Kalibo, although he wanted to study at RMCAT “dahil mahilig rin ako magbutingting ng mga kung anu-ano eh tsaka gus2 ko ung hands-on nila ng electrical stuff eh pero hindi ako pinayagan kc dun ung mga pinsan ko nag-aaral eh baka daw magbulakbol ako dun.”

After high school, Cris took entrance exams in the schools he wanted to enroll at and finish a bachelor’s degree.

Let me quote him again:

“ kumuha ako ng entrance exam sa mga skul na gus2 ko pasukan pasado nman lahat kaso sa me quota ung engineering sa UP at UST pero balak ko maging seaman at abogado nun..dahil sa pinilit akong kumuha ng engineering sa UE ako napunta. I took ECE sa UE ok nman ung grades ko nung 1st 3 yrs then nasama na sa mga rally rally nagkaproblema na sa skul kaya kelangan ko pang kumuha ng summer classes para maging regular..nung graduating na ako dumating ung paperworks para magmigrate ng states kaya 5th yr na akong umalis ng pinas nung 2002..pagdating ko dun nagwork muna ako bilang waiter for 2 months habang nag=aaral ako sa Community College para sa eng’g degree ko pero natanggap ako sa inaplayan kong trabahao kaya tumigil ako sa pag=aaral nang hindi pa nakakakuha ng bachelors degree sa eng’g. nung tumagal na ako sa work naisipan kong mag-aral ulit at dun ko nakuha ung associates degree ko kc medyo busy din kc tsaka palipat lipat..pero gus2 ko makuha ung bachelors ko kaya ngaun kahit sa Korea na ako tinatry ko pa ring makuha un kc halos karamihan ng kbatch ko meron ng bachelors eh..sa totoo lang hindi ko na rin kelangan un eh kc kuntento na rin ako sa work ko kc eng’g field din ung nakuha kong work sa gobyerno kaya ok lang din. Me balak pa rin akong ituloy ung magkuha ko ng bachelors pero one at a time lang muna kc medyo busy eh lalo na ngaun asa korea ako nakaassign kaya medyo mahirap ng kunti..”

When I asked Cris on his concept about poetry, he wrote: “my concept about poetry is it makes your emotions come out lalo na pag mag-isa ka lang..dito mo nabubuhos ung mga nararamdaman mo its either na masaya, malungkot, anger, magmamahal, halos lahat na cguro ng emosyon pwede mong ilipat sa poetry..at nakakapag-isip ka ng mga matatalinhagang salita na ikaw lang or kunti lang ung makakagets at tapos pagnabasa ng iba, iba-ibang opinion ung maririnig mo na hindi lang pala ikaw ang nakakaalam nun at meron pa plang nakatagong meaning sa sinulat mo.. “

Some of his haiku were published in Haiku, Luwa and Other Poems by Aklanon (2005).

Let me comment on one of his latest works:

Matig-ang Bagoe

matig-ang bagoe
gapanago sa amamakoe
hin-aga mano-eo

This poem can be read in different angles.

Let me read it in its political dimension.

There are political leaders who are hard headed, people who believe in there conviction despite the fact that most of her/his constituents do not believe in her/him as their effective leader. The truth however is that this leader is just hiding or depending on his/her trusted followers who are like him/her are also weak, if not just taking advantage of their leader's weakness. So when time will come when their help are already needed, they withdraw their support.

This situation is also true in offices where subordinates just withdraw their support when they believe that their leader is no longer that effective.

There is a saying that says that when the house is about to fall, the rats start to run away from that house.


Here are some of his other latest works:

Gaoy

pirot eon ang mata
12 oras nga trinabaho
owa man it nag bag-o

Sanga

nagdapo ro maya
nabali ro sanga
pugad nahueog sa eugta

Masunod nga adlaw

nagpamaeo ro manok
naghipos ro ayam
manog-guwa eon ro adlaw

Paka

ro nag-eumpat nga paka
nagsaeom
sa kilid it sapa

Gaoy nga Maya

ginahapo ro maya
mintras nagatan-aw
sa maeayo nga lugar

Gabok nga Tulay

pagkatapos it bagyo
nagkaeabali
ro gabok nga tulay

****

Losally Navarro-Enduri

Ako, Ikaw

ako, ikaw---
masadya sa pag-abot ko,
masubo kat pagpanaw.

ikaw

ikaw, iwag---
gatao it hayag
sa akong kabuhi.

****
Edna Romulo Laurente Faral

The Rose

the rose
whispers I love you
I smile

Dahon

dahon –
madahang nahueog
pagtugpa sa sanga it pispis


****

Cirilo Castillon

Sangka Barangay Nga Tawo

Sangka baranggay nga tawo
gin-ubong
it mapagpabayang gobyerno

Mingko Relo

ro atong gobyerno
mingko relo
nagatiniyog-tiyog.

Kunta

kunta ro atong gobyerno
makakita man it daean nga diritso
paagto sa ibabaw.

Siging Binaylo

owa gid kita’t mahimo
kon siging binaylo
it gadumaea sa gobyerno.

Ano Ma-People Power Eon Man?

ano ma People Power eon man kita?
mingko owa eot-ana kita
ginagaoya.


****

Jose Jay Feliciano

Madaeom

madaeom
ra pangisip
sa kagaoy


****

Melchor F. Cichon

Marina Restaurant

Marina Restaurant—
nagbalik ro Iloilo
sa panumduman ni Johnrex


Pag-eubog Kang Adlaw

Sampaguita,
pag-eubog kang adlaw
iuli mo ako ha sa ugat ko

Hasta Matunod Ro Buean

dali,
mag-inuman kita't tuba
hasta matunod ro buean

Inay

Inay,
sindihan ko't uman
ro kingke

Ginkindatan Nana Ako

ginkindatan nana ako,
ginkindatan ko man imaw—
gabut-eak ro ugsad nga buean

Landslide sa St. Bernard, Southern Leyte

landslide—
bilog nga barangay
gintueon it eugta

Hilong nga Antiyamis

gapilit nga silak—
nahueog sa karsada
ro sangka hilong nga antiyamis

Viernes Santo

Viernes Santo--
nagtueok ro antiyamis
sa handong it bukaw

Kunta

kon iya kunta si Bing
mahakup kunta namon
ro kahayag ku ugsad nga buean

Sangka Kutsarang Silak

ginaeagas
it maitum nga gaeum
ro sangka kutsarang silak

Owa't Bituon

owa't bituon—
gutom nga eake
sa ibabaw it higanteng billboard

Landslide Sa Leyte

landslide sa Leyte—
sa gihapon
sige ro pagbuteak it adlaw

Brown-out

brown-out—
nagsueod ro aninipot
sa among baeay

Bueabod it Akeanon Literary Circle, Vol 1, No. 4 March 2006

This issue is dedicated to the late Prof. Dominador Ilio, poet and engineer.

I am reprinting here an excerpt of Dr. Ken Ilio's short biography of his father.

Prof. Dominador I. Ilio was born in 1913*, to a farmer couple, in Malinao, Capiz (now Aklan). He was until his retirement in 1978, a professor of hydraulics at the University of the Philippines College of Engineering and head of its Engineering Science Department and College Secretary for many years. He was the Secretary of the UP Alumni Engineers since 1954 and was selected the Most Distinguished Engineering Alumnus in 1977.

With writing as an avocation, Prof. Ilio has been published as early as 1934 while still a student at the University of the Philippines where he was the literary editor of the Philippine Collegian (1938-39). He finished with civil and geodetic engineering degrees from UP. While working for his MS in Hydraulics at the Univeristy of Iowa, he attended the renowned poetry workshop of Paul Engle.

He was in the first wave of Martial Law detainees back in 1972/73. (This period of our lives is so foggy I don't even remember what year it was he was imprisoned by the Marcos regime.)
His recent works include The Collected Poems of Dominador Ilio, Guerilla Memoirs (a novel), Madia-as (tales and legends in verse), The Katipunan of Aklan, and Vagaries of a Wild River. He is also included in Gemino Abad and Edna Manlapaz's Man of Earth (Ateneo, 1989) and its sequel, A Native Clearing (UP Press, 1993) and in Nick Carbo's anthology Returning a Borrowed Tongue, a collection of Filipino poetry in English, published by Coffee House Press, 1995.

He died on February 7, 2006 at age 93.

***
NEWS

Prof. John Barrios launched his first book, Engkant(aw)o ag Iba pa nga Matag-od nga Istory, at UPV Art Gallery, Iloilo City on March 2, 2006.

Let me quote what was written by Dr. Leoncio P. Deriada in his Introduction: “ This is a first collection and the first ever collection of Aklanon short stories published in book form. Having been there when the young Aklanon writers started writing in their language—the way I had been there when young Kinaray-a writers started their own literature—I am proud and happy to introduce this little book to the Philippine literary world. May more books in Datu Bangkaya’s exotic language be published soon.”

Meanwhile, Melchor F. Cichon’s haiku was published in the March 2006 issue of Heron’s Nest.

This is his second haiku to have been published in this competitive haiku journal.

Here is that haiku:

cool morning—
the smell of garlic bread
reaches the street boy

***
This issue features the luwa, and senyru written by our resident poets in http://www.my.akeanon.com/.

LUWA

Cris Ocampo

Pahangin
nagapahangin sa Tambak
nagsuga it inamak
nagatan-aw it mabaskog nga humbak
mintras sa seawall nagahampak.

***
Jay Jose Feliciano

Abaw si lola nakabitbit
It cellpong maisot ro numiro
Kon dumayal abutan it dominggohan
Kon sumabat "hello me i help you"

***
Melchor F. Cichon

Si Lola ag si Lolo May Cellphone

Si Lola ag si Lolo
Kada isaea kanda may camera nga cellphone.
Ro anda nga load, daywang adlaw eang ubos eon
Ay ginapasaload gali ka apong mahugod.

***

Ro Mga Daeaga ag Mga Meron Sa Caliraya Lake

Sa Caliraya Lake, Laguna
Ro mga daeaga ag mga meron
Owa't gusto nga mag-uli eon
Ay owa kanda't nagatika-tika maski ano ro andang obrahon.

***
Ay, Saeamat

Ay, saeamat,
abung hilong ro nagasadsad
sa Ati-Atihan.

***
Rang Sueog nga Manok

Kon agahon
Rang sueog nga manok gatukturook
Ugaling kon makakita it dumaeaga
Ra baeahibo nagatindog.

***
Agahon Pa

Kada agahon
Alas tres si Nanay kon magbangon
Agod temprano pa kuno si Tatay
Magtug-on.

***
Pagtaas Ku Presyo

Pagtaas ku presyo't mga eambong
Nagtaeaas man ro mga hemlines
Pero nagpaeanaog ro mga necklines.

***
Sa Daan nga Testamiento

Sa daan nga testamiento
Gingabot si Eva sa gusok ni Adan
Pagkatapos, si Adan nahimong handong ni Eva.

***
Palimos!

palimos, bangketa ro among kama
kang ap-at nga unga
ag kang daywang asawa.

***

Saeabtan

Itsong

Hin-uno mo ako pasakaun
Sa baeay ninyo nga ginapalibutan it saesaeon?

Bing

Mabuhay eon kita nga ginapasaylo
May pangabay eang galing ako.
Kun mabuoe mo ro barangaw
Ikaw gid dayon rang hakson.

Itsong

Sige akon nga bueon ro barangaw ngaron
Indi eang ibutang sa tunga naton
Kundi aton pa nga eubid-eubiron
Agod ibugkos sa buhok naton.

Bing

Indi eon lang gali pagbueon ro barangaw.
Kuhiton mo eon lang gali ro buean sa ibabaw
Kon imo eon ngani nga mabuoe
Aton ron nga paligid-ligiron sa paead naton.

Itsong

Mayad man ngani ron kon buean eon lang rang bueon
Ay mabuhay kon aton ron nga tueokon
Buko't paris sa baeangaw
Nga kon may asaw-asaw eang kon magbanhaw.

Bing

Peru kon indi mo ngani ro buean mabuoe
Indi ka eon magpakita kakon
Sigurado gid nga sa impiyerno ka pueoton
Agod igto pati ring kaeag paitumon

Itsong

Maski siin mo pa ako ihaboy
Kon maruyon ring handum
Peru indi ako magpati nga sa impiyerno ako daehon
Ay ro Dios naton mapasinsiyahon.[/size]

Bing

Mapasinsiyahon ngani ro Dios naton
Peru indi sa mga tawo nga pusong.

Itsong

Sin-o ro pusong?
Ako nga nagahigugma kimo
O ro tawo nga maski may gusto
Ginapaantos anay bag-o imaw but-on?

Bing

Paano abi kita but-on
Ay maski ro bituon
Ag ro puti nga buean
Ginaprenda mo kakon?


Cirilo Castillon, Jr.

Ati-atihan sa Kalibo
Abo gid nga tawo
masaot kunta ako
ugaling sumakit rang ueo.

***
Sa eambon namon sa Danapa
sa euyo, may kahoy nga suwa
abo nga paea nga nagaparada
ginahakot ro among kaeamay nga puea.

***
si Neneng tiwaran
nanongya sa dagasanan
sambatong diligiti
ro anang hadakpan.

***
Si Pertong bungkoe,
naghueog it bintoe;
alimangong buta
ro anang habuoe.

***
Si Joseng kaliwete,
namunit sa may piyapi;
ro ana nga dawi,
sambatong diligiti.

***
Igto sa tabok ,
may daeagang guapa;
pero ra tiyan
habok.

***
Bukon ako't purilon.
bisan bag-ong kaon,
kon ako pasayluhon
maka-on man gihapun.

***
Bukon ako't tamad.
pero kon indi
sugu-on
owa't obrahon.

***
Bukon ako't guapo
pero rang
nobya,
pitu.

***
Ako gwapo
pero rang
nobya
sambato.

***
Ro among mangit
sa dapog
naga
kuyambit.

***
May parada't bungoe
igto sa among barrio
kon imo sandang kutan-on
sabat puro hu-o.

***
nagsakay kami sa baroto
bugsay dikara, bugsay dikato
owa pa gali kami kasayod
kon siin kami maagto.

***
Si Marci ag si Betty
nag-agto sa Antique
nagbakae't tiki-tiki
para sa andang baby. –Anonymous, contributed by Tata goloy

***

Edna Romulo Laurente Faral

Trabaho Ni Tatay

Pagbugtaw si nanay
owa sa a euyo si tatay
idto gali sa may takas
ginahimas si Texas.

***
Si Nanay Ag Si Tatay

hambae ni nanay
mayad pa ro manok
kada agahon
ginahimas ni tatay.


Luchelyn A. Beltran

Si CHELY gwapa...
bisan siin mag-adto
abong gabalikid kana.

***
Si lolo madasig pa
da bakolo ginabalewala na
kung gapinaugtas ka
hinugay ay basi hitapdusan ka nana.

***
SENRYU

Melchor F. Cichon

Pagsueat ko't haiku
nabali rang dila;
nag-untay pagsueat ko't senryu

***
honeymoon—
ginhukas ni Agnes ra false teeth
ginhukas man ni Albert ra toupee,

***
Samtang gatan-aw sa ugsad nga buean
Nagtueo ra euha
Sa engagement ring nga anang ginabuytan

***
Cirilo Castillon, Jr.

Si Mariang kiwit
nagbuead it tamban
pagtalikod kinaon it ayam.

***
Si Nenang tiwaran
hadanlog sa eonang
kita ra pasang-pasang.

***
Pulis sa amon
sambato manlang
manakaw pa.

***
Ga-agi ka manlang sa pilapil
masuksok ka pa it
high-heel.

***
naghabok ro sip-on sang ilong
ku akong
pagbaha-on.

***
Mauno gid baea kita kasadya
kon atong makita
ro atong unga nga naduea?

***
mga kaingero
indi makita
it bulag nga gobyerno