Santiago B. Villafania

Issue #
7
September 27, 2015

Bonsaic a Berso/ Bonsaic Verses

1.

tagitak na linaew
onteterter ed bolong
na dika

anlong na mirasol
ombabalanga
ed kaagewan

sa’ray kanonotan ko
para ed sika
kaambagelan

bula’y setiembri—
dia ed dagem-dupikal
apunglet ya uban

ura’d kabuasan—
angob ira’d bibil ko—
sakey ya aubade

dia ed laman ko
ed sayan labi
agayla’y kaarawim
O bulan na managpatlog!

orchidaceae—
wadia ya
pitamitam ko’y
kuyab na pusom

bosis
elek
tambayo

sika’y aubade ko
say sonitok tan sijo

Li Bai—
ompatey ak a maanlong
patey a sankalakap so bulan

sayan inkalaelaem—
andi-anggaan
ed leetan ta

2.

paliwawa
ag asumpal
a bilay kon aya

wala’y bibil mo?
sa’ray masutlan susok?
wala’y limam?

ipintam ak pinabli
ed lakseb a salita
Santiago

andin-anlong moak

sakey a silwita sika
akakaput ed
lakap to

sika tan siak
kiew a sakura
nampaknaan

simpitan so dirosan bolaklak ed leetan
na maralus ya
baog ta

pailalok so anlong ed talulot
no nabangon ak a kaiba ka

antis na inkalabus
na isip mo
anto ak

3.

O pegley-labin tawen—
begbegtew
ed konkriton liwang

say bosis to mareen
say taon asumpal

—a wala’y sanlasus a mata—

say baog ko nanonotan to’y tiagew
anggano panaon na mamauran

1.

the ping of dew
dropping from a blade
of grass

poetry of sunflowers
blushing
into noon

so are my thoughts
for you
a madness

September moon—
by the wind chime
gray locks of hair

morning rain—
kisses on my lips—
an aubade

on my body
tonight
you are wordlessly distant
O hunter’s moon!

orchidaceae—
here is
my mind
your heartbeat

voice
laughter
lullaby

you are my aubade
my sonnet and sijo

Li Bai—
i die a poetic
death embracing the moon

this innerness—
infinite
between us

2.

footnotes
fragments
my called life

have you lips?
my silken breasts?
have you hands?

paint me dear
in words naked
Santiago

unpoem me

a silhouette you
locked in
his embrace

you and i
a sakura tree
delight

keep the blossom pink between
our translucent
skin

i promise a poem on petals
when i awaken with you

before the nudity
of your mind
what am i

3.

O midnight sky—
a nomad
in concrete spaces

her voice silent
the year ends

—with a hundred eyes—

my skin remembers dry
even in the season of rain



Translated by the author from the Pangasinan language and transcreated by Veronica Golos and Catherine Strisik

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