Literary

Pamusay

Pamusay

Sa pula o sa puti, Iisa lamang ang lahi, Ngunit tila parehas nagtatalo Nakailang kahig para sa iisang tuka Nauuna pang dumilat kaysa sikat ng araw, Ngunit sikmura’y nananatiling hungkag Tila ba’y tayo rin ang nagtatanim ng mga sugat Para sa pinamusay nilang mga butil...

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Where do wishes go when candles die

Where do wishes go when candles die

Year after year, when the candles burn bright, they carry the same question.“What would you wish for?”I smile, but my lips stay sealed. The words gather in my chest, pressing softly against my ribs, while the smoke curls upward as if it knows where to go better than I...

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Butas ng Skyflakes

Butas ng Skyflakes

Rinig sa buong bansa ang pag-iyak ng langit. Ang tubig ay umaakyat sa dingding, kumakapit sa aming mga tuhod. Sa bubong, kami’y nanginginig sa lamig. Si Tatay ay pilit na binubuhat si Lola, nanginginig ang mga braso, nangingintab sa putik at pawis. Ang bawat hakbang...

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Bakit lagi na lang kaming inuubos?

Bakit lagi na lang kaming inuubos?

Mga patay na tangkay ang nilalagpasan ni Tu-bo. Sa maputik na daan, katumbas nito ang maligalig niyang mga paa. Bantay niya ang huni ng mga ibon sa itaas. Habang hampas ng nagagalit na mga puno ang kumakatok sa kaniyang konsensya. Tumingala si Tu-bo sa kaniyang...

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What Wakes with Me

What Wakes with Me

Beep. Beep. Beep.  The alarm screams, disturbing the silence. I’ve been awake for longer than that. Yet, I do not move nor blink. The mattress sags under a heavy weight—  sprawled across my chest, pressing, burrowing in deeper the longer I lie still. ...

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People Power

People Power

Today, we rose—united, aflame,against corruption’s endless game. Our voices thunder, fierce and clear,shaking halls where power sneers.Within that four-cornered palace high,our cry of truth will split the sky,and stone by stone, those walls will fall,for justice waits...

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We, the Sovereign

We, the Sovereign

“We, the sovereign Filipino people” A preamble that seems to only exist in name, So that those with serpent skins of greed Have you be used for their own personal gain. Can’t you hear the cries of your people? The grief of mothers clutching bloodied coffins, The pleas...

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Thirty Floors Up

Thirty Floors Up

I'm thirty floors up and my shoes are set aside, My feet planted on the ledge to catch an early flight. I shut my eyes, I breathe and think, A caricature of memories flashes before me in a blink. I think of my mother and the child she'll have lost, The burden she's...

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The Day After I Graduated

The Day After I Graduated

Sunlight brushed softly against my cheek. I opened my eyes, smiled, and finally exhaled—for the first time in four years, I woke up without the weight of deadlines pressing on my chest. I lay there for a while—staring at the ceiling, noticing cobwebs in the...

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They Were Sweet

They Were Sweet

I think I saw it before anyone else did—the way he looked at her,with soft eyes and sweet smiles,like every moment with herwas a scene from a movie. It started small:a glance that lingered a second too long,an inside joke that made them both blush.Eventually, everyone...

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