Ang “Walang Daglat ang Dagat”

Sa retratong ibinaul – ang musmos at ina

The sea holds no brevity, and you Sa pader ng Look Maynila, sa tabi

Are fortunate to know this, for I

Ng tabang, bago ito umalat

Am late to the news. As always. Sa kaniyang paglipatbayan. Bugtong na anak

I was last to savor the mildewed

Dagat na bugtong. At nahuli ako sa balitang kanser

na siya …)
Gossip on why mother left

Our home, I was last to discover

The photo in the chest – mother and child

On the seawall of Manila Bay, beside

The freshwater before it was salted

By her emigration.

And I was late to the news

Of her cancer …

(Walang daglat ang dagat, at mapalad

Ka kung batid mo na ito, sapagkat

Nahuli ako sa balita. Lagi naman.

Huli akong nakatikim sa inaamag

Na tsismis kung bakit nilisan ni ina

Seaman ni Rio Alma
Ang aming tahanan. Huli akong nakatuklas
Quietly it rises, splendid, faded,

But you’ll glimpse in its face rice paddies

Ang a boy with stem of amorseko at his lips,

Or you might take a nipa hut

Weighed by the vines of dampalit,

On its knees in fetid, indolent slit.

(Sumusungaw itong maaliwalas at pagas

Ngunit maaaninawan mo ng pilapil

At isang batang may amorseko sa bibig

O kaya’y maguguhitan mo ng kubo,

Dinudukwang ng dampalit,

Nakalugmok sa lansa ng tamad na burak.)

“From Saudi With Love” ni Ariel Dim. Borlongan

Good day my love, my dear, my other half

I hope our children get good grades and laugh.

My Junior’s still the king of basketball?

And Anna? She must be the queen of all,

The one admired at Flower Festival.

And how is Sir Serapio, poor old pal?

(Kumusta na minamahal kong kabiyak,

Okey ba ang grades ng ating mga anak?

Ang aking Junior, nagba-basketball pa ba?

Si Anna, tiyak na siya ang Reyna Elena.