Saturday, November 29, 2003

A Bolo and A Turkey


Rizal:
without
a head
how long would


Bonifacio:
a
turkey run
after being boloed?


why
must you
insist on boloing


my
bolo demands
fulfillment of desires


like
humans demanding
for ritual blood.


Franklin's
turkeys are
the gastronomic ablutions


frankincense
for wrathful
echoes of divinity.


to
pacify fear
the eclipse within


to
strike against
the inscrutable Fate


to
protect from
constant self delusions.


consumption
of excess
allays and hides


what
rages like
smoke in forests

all
glut is
derived from the

bones
and flesh
of other cultures.




Tuesday, November 25, 2003

On Being a Crook


Marcos:
I
heard you
are a crook



Nixon:
what?
I am
not a crook!!!


easy,
easy. you
are among friends.




hah!
I left
like an animal


grasping
searching for
the least worthwhile



worried
about trifles
when thinking about



leaving.
living is
such sweet sorrow


and
you? what
about your exile?



I
finally came
home to America.



to
America? I
do not understand.



America
birthplace of
seven deadly sins


don't
blame America
for your greed!



I
do not.
I learned well.


Monday, November 24, 2003

Contemplations on Bullets

Kennedy:
so
you are
also a martyr?


Aquino:
more
than twenty
pierced my skin.


three
high calibered
passed me by


one
is really
all you need.



yours
must have
been a sight


once
fired only
bullets stopped bullets


bullets
ended what
bullets started, poetic…


reality
intruded into
my quiet dance



cha-cha?
I always
wanted to learn!


I
only dance
with my wife.



Sunday, November 23, 2003

The Center of Gravities of Tatooes


Marcos:
shhhh
she's reading
gravities of center


Aquino:
is
she performing
anthropological once more?


not
yet. it's
about some guy



who
wants to
take and take


but
does not
give in return.



tatooes
attract them
far and wide


like
moths to
Stygian dancing flame



seekers
of truth
in many forms


but
truth is
trans-uranic in nature


glowing
brightly but
for a millisecond



trailing
paths obscured
by liquid nitrogen.


wait,
she reads
from the poem



she
scares me
when she reads.



she
scares me,
when she reads.



Saturday, November 22, 2003

On Filipinos


Nixon:
why
do we
speak like this


Kennedy:
we
exist in
a Filipino's dream.


filipinos
voted for
me in California


filipinos
make such
nice domestic help.


filipino
stewards serve
excellent coffee in


the
White House,
but there was


one
steward who
threw chairs across


the
parquet floors!
He scratched it


during
the 1950's,
in Ike's years!



did
you know
the filipino steward?



very
respectful, always
with a SIR



why
throw chairs
instead of cha-cha?



he
wanted to
be back home



home
or the
white house? Insanity!


he
dances cha-cha
with his wife.

Friday, November 21, 2003

The World (of) Order by Americans


Aquino:
tell
me something,
will you manong?


Marcos:
what
is it
now? your daughter?


why
do americans
love flags more...


than
women homosexuals
blacks yellows browns.


yes!
I must
be too blind


all
they care
about is money.


but
constitutional amendments
are being changed


it
all comes
down to money


and
you would
know about money


of
course! I
am an American!


I
still do
not see what



the
attraction is:
power and glory


that
fleets so
quickly like life



if
you have
enough of one


what?
what can
you create, accomplish?


I
am American:
Dead yet inspiring!


you
inspire fear
resentment anger hate


beneath
it all:
being the best!


enough
of you.
the Americans are



mystical,
powerful yet
awefully flawed in


morals?
not that
easy. They are



believers
in their
agency, their destiny.


so
contradictory in
actions and policy



don't
you see?
strength beauty omniscience


Questions
dilemma paradox,
The cruelest joke.


like
my end,
the cruelest joke.

Thursday, November 20, 2003

Jose & Andres Go to the Karinderia


Rizal:
hurry
up will
you? we're late.

Bonifacio:
who
had to
clean a fedora?


I
want to
make an impression.


impress
who? them?
we are heroes!


so
are they.
at least some.


I
was martyred
by that bastard.

wait,
is aguinaldo
in the group?

I
hope not!
he deserves oblivion.

you
are so
harsh to him.

he
sent his
henchmen to do it!

he
was busy
running the government.

he
had no
respect for anyone.

the
invitation does
not name him.

good!
did you
bring the tuba?
may duwendeng naglalaro

may
duwendeng nagtatago
naglalaro sa kompyuter

lagi
na lang
tumutuldok ang makinilya

handaan
ko kaya
siya ng pagkain

titigil
kaya ang
kanyang pagbisita rito

The Fallen Angel

Marcos:.................................Aquino:

See
what did
I tell you
........................................................that
........................................................she's the
........................................................fallen angel savant

not
angel savant
a great avant

........................................................hmmm,
........................................................feels like
........................................................a post avant

just
go with
me on this

........................................................then
........................................................you are
........................................................the people's hero


Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Marcos:……………………..Aquino:



see
there, right
there, I tried…

………………………………………to
………………………………………make the
………………………………………world a better

place.
yes! of
course that's it

………………………………………then
………………………………………how come
………………………………………it's not better

well
i didn't
have enough time

………………………………………what?
………………………………………you had
………………………………………twenty years, twenty!

my
son would
have continued it

………………………………………no!
………………………………………not for
………………………………………another twenty years


Marcos:.......................Aquino:

look,
it's not
that I'm complaining

...................................................yes
...................................................it is
...................................................you always complain

you
undid everything
I had created

....................................................(snorts)
....................................................yeah, thanks
....................................................for grooming Erap

blame
me for
enrile, not erap

.....................................................don't
.....................................................get me
.....................................................started on kudetas

i
never endorsed
kudetas by anyone

......................................................you
......................................................just made
......................................................the military learn

when
will you
forgive my faults

......................................................when
......................................................our politicians
......................................................learn about truth

Juan Tamad

why
does mother
shout at me

when
i sit
under the tree

newton
did it
and discovered gravity
Unang Subok

Neneng,
Pasubok ngang
magsulat ng tula

Ah,
ganire
pala itong hay(naku)

Para
bagang isang
malamig na batis