Three Poems by Fhen M

 

For All Seasons

shivery rain poured down from dark sky

mom slurped a burning bowl of udon

that father stewed, drenched in sardines

warmed her heart from freezing weather

udon was introduced by the Japanese.

a stone’s throw from his shanty

at large Luis Capito Cultural Stage

my missus and her fellow female teachers

staged a play about the town’s past:

enfolded in embroidered Filipiniana

peddled pancake from glutinous rice flour

men in Japanese outfit with fires and riffles

burned houses of wood and nipa,

tore women’s clothes, ate their pancakes.

now, to taste rice cakes and noodles

not through guns and ammunitions

but thru exchange of coins and currency;

build her decent house,

feed her decent foods

and she may learn to live with you

in spring, autumn,

and for all seasons.

The Sea of Storm and Sun

in stormy days, I discern

from newsmonger neighbours

fishers who catch fish in the ocean

the ship sinks in the high seas

holding the holy book and keys of heaven

St. Peter's statue stands at cathedral's door

wives pray to the saint for safety

I've eavesdropped from my ancestors

that while waiting at heaven's gate

where stars are steadfast in the cosmos

traces the fallen's name in the book

and test belief if foundation of faith

is rock solid

Sea of Galilee shook the disciples' ship

God walks on water while he sinks

like a heavy stone plummeting to the deep

his faith as shallow as a doubter dips

his fingers to the holy water

St. Peter's statue stands at cathedral's door

holding the holy book and keys of heaven

If I won’t make it

I'd be satisfied if my soul goes

down to the first circle of hell

there, I’d talk to Homer or Virgil

on man’s voyage to

the sea of storm and sun.

Made from Stone

before the Americans came to the village

the town consisted innumerable nipa huts

the one stone structure, the Baroque church

in AD 1900s the mayor of Fogtown

was a soldier who fought in two wars

unvanquished Anglo-Saxons awarded him

the coconut town facing the ocean

he built his empire based from Roman

art and style: huge Doric columns,

wide jalousie windows, lengthy balustrade

composed his neoclassical stone house

he owned land buses and river boats

bought the rice in the field

and crafted laws that increased his capital

the fall of Spain came the rise of Roman

architecture in the land burned by the sun

showered by rain and thunder

nipa houses are centuries long gone

withered by wear and tear and storm

what remains is McGuire’s building

made from stone, limestone, and concrete

hardened by sun and by rain.

Fhen M - studied the academic subjects Writing in the Discipline, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, and The Literature of the World at Eastern Visayas State University. His Waray poem “Uyasan” (“Toy” in English”) was published in a collection of literary works entitled 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘪: 15 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘸. His English verses appeared in 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢 anthology series published by Clarendon House, including "Lighthouse," “Seaport,” “January Constellations,” among others. Red Penguin Books’ 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦: 𝘈 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘰𝘧-𝘈𝘨𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 published his piece “Outside the Block Universe". His poem “Sea Snail” is included in 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢/𝘍𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 by Open Shutter Press. Fhen M. submitted verses in Waray for the 5th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop, including the 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 “Duha nga mga pagtug-an” (translated in English as “Two confessions”). David Genotiva, Merlie Alunan, and Victor Sugbo were some of the distinguished panellists of this writing workshop held from the 5th to the 7th of November 2008. His Binisaya poems “To View the World,” “Those who were Left in Cancabatoc,” and other verses won the 1st Chito Roño Literary Awards.