Tagalog Poetry
Indigenous Expressions
TEXTULA 1
by Vim Nadera
Short Message Service (SMS), more popularly known as text, became the most favorite pastime of our thoughtful but not confrontational culture. Approximately 50 million text messages are sent and received every day in this country making it the center of texting in the world. This fact helped me in proposing a project that would make pre-hispanic literature a postmodern phenomenon.
Via TEXTANAGA! TEXTANAGA is a literary contest focusing on writing a tanaga – a quatrain with seven syllables per line – that is the oldest form of poetry in the Philippines. The Committee on Literary Arts (CLA), at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), adopted it as its flagship undertaking during the National Arts Month 2003. Since this contest was implemented in February 2003 the contestants were asked to write and text a tanaga that is romantic. With a little help from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL), Filipinas Institute of Translation (FIT), and LIKHAAN: The U.P. Institute of Creative Writing (ICW), we at the CLA, received 10,000 tanagas that year). Because of the unexpected influx of entries via Cellular Essentials.Ink.1, instead of one, we chose two, first placers a week. Here are the eight “Textmakata ng Linggo” winners:
. Nang ako’y nag-aabang
Ng tala’t bulalakaw
Bigla kang napadaan
At ako’y tinamaan.
Mark John Abeleda
Ay! Masaganang payaw
Ang katawan mo, mahal
At bul-ol akong bantay
Sa mapintog mong palay.
Danny dela Cruz
Ako’y si Juan, irog;
Bayabas kang matayog
Hihintaying mahinog
Hanggang sa ‘ki’y mahulog.
Jonathan Francisco
Sa tapayang malalim
Tayo ay isda’t asin
Matagal buburuhin,
Patis ang kakatasin.
Mario Lamar
Puto lang ako, sinta--
May init ng bibingka,
Tamis ng maja blanca,
Sapin-saping ligaya.
Don Clarence Cruz
Nag-almusal mag-isa,
Kaning-lamig, tinapa;
Nahulog ang kutsara
Ikaw na sana, sinta.
Edgar J.C. Galang
‘Wag mong ipaumanhin,
Kung sunog ang sinaing,
Mas karima-rimarim
Ang malata mong tingin.
Jonathan Bruzo
Binalot kong pagkain
Sa berdeng dahong saging.
Itlog, kanin at daeng
Sa iyo’y ihahain.
Jarvis Buluran
The initial success of this project gave birth to DALITEXT in August 2003; this time “love of country” was the theme. That month of national language, we collected 30,000 “dalits” or quatrains that are both octosyllabic and patriotic. If through TEXTANAGA, we were able to discover new Jose Corazon de Jesuses, via DALITEXT, we found new Huseng Batutes:
Napakasarap pakinggan,
“Mahal ko ang aking bayan.”
Mas sarap maulinigang
Ginagawa ang naturan
Catalino Buenviaje
Langgam, langgam, kagatin mo,
Ang singit ng politico,
Asam, asam, aming boto
Pag nanalo, lustay-pondo!
Joel Costa Malabanan
Ang punong mangga’y tinagpas
at sinilaban ang ugat;
bunga’y nalaglag, naagnas,
namulat naging mansanas.
Vladimeir Gonzales
Kinakalambre sa lamig,
laging may ulang tikatik,
bayang parating may sakit,
iaangat ng pag-ibig.
Frank Rivera
Malayo man ako ngayon,
kaulayaw bawat alon.
Ako'y nalagas na dahon,
sa ibang bayan umahon.
Roger Endaya
Di pa hinog sa panahon,
tinutuka na ng ibon.
Bungang natakpan ng dahon,
sinusungkit na ng gutom.
Ferdinand Bajado
Buhok man ay nagkulay tsok,
Lalamunan ma'y napaos,
Walang lubay sa paghubog
Ng magiging manunubos.
Gregorio Rodillo
Na-Gambala na ang tore<
Mga kawal naturete
Kabayong walang hinete
Ang bansa ko’y mamamate.
Myra Praxidio
Tagalog Poetry and other Filipino poems
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