The Mr. Timawa Diary 5

FB friend 1: Amishu na : )
FB friend 2: U den nga pow eh...kitakits naman!

(nagkita kinabukasan sa kalye)

FB friend 1: Kamusta?
FB friend 2: anu uli name mo?

(tsk tsk...)

The Mr. Timawa Diary 4

After the morning mass...

-nanaginip po ako kagabi, si Jesus nakapula, si Mama Mary naka blue. bumaba daw sa akin, may ibinulong. ano po ibig sabihin nun?

-ano ba sinabi sa iyo?

-'di ko po naintindihan mabuti e, pero ano po ba ibig sabihin kaya nun?

-ba malay ko. 'di ko din ikaw maintindihan e.

-father naman. ano gagawin ko?

-tulog ka uli tanong mo muna kung ano sabi nila sa 'yo...hehe...

The Mr. Timawa Diary 3

-so ano ka bale ngayon?
-pari.
-pari lang? walang posisyon? ranggo? titulo? etc.?
-oo.
(ususera walks away frustrated...hahahahahaha!)

The Mr. Timawa Diary 2

July 19, 2010; 6:30PM

Mr.Timawa: Ms., walang mas malapad dito, kailangan ko ng mantel e

Ms.: Naku yan na lang po sir e, pero maganda naman yan

Mr.T: Oo nga pero makipot

Ms.: pwede rin po yan sir, ganda nga e, e di lagay nyo na lang po sa gitna ng mesa, gawin nyo na lang na RUNNING TABLE...

(Mr. Timawa quickly ran toward the store exit...)

The Mr. Timawa Diary

July 16, 2010; 11:00PM

Near-Midnight Snack:

...fill bowl to indicated line with boiling water. Close lid and steep for THREE MINUTES! pagka-buhos ng boiling water, higop agad. Pwede naman palamigin konti. Taste buds: dead for three days...basahin muna kasi ng mabuti ang instructions sa label ng Nissin tas mag intay saglit!...

Reluctant Jonah

Because I’m pregnant
With fire my guts ablaze;
Molten metals red and glowing
Billowing outburst
Exploding deep within;
Awakening,
Emerging,
The flight of dawn awaiting.

Of street signs
And girth and heights and lengths,
Of varying hues and portals
I was fed;
Until my mug of morning woes
Was filled to overflowing
Much more than what I ever need
As fuel for a day’s travail.

Some do know me, another few
Who love I guess;
And less than a handful, hardcore loonies
Would dare with me transgress,
The stiff and mortared walls of niceties,
To swim, and fly, rappel;
To laugh out loud and faint,
To cry before I’m dead.

And thus not with a small amount
Of excruciating pangs I wait;
My stupor state
A bait
For some monster fish to open up
and swallow me anew,
To germinate deep
Within its fishy bowels
As it transports me
Back to the Nineveh I once despised.

And when the whole enterprise
of regurgitation's done
I would,
I must,
On its sandy beach
Give birth.

Admonition: Schermer to Hoyt-Chichimanggas

maalab na lubha ang damdaming taglay
nitong tinula ng loob mong lantay
ramdam ang bangis at tingkad ng sigwa
na dagling namaalam makatapos lumatay

at 'di rin naman kinapos sa paglingap
lalong 'di rin manhid sa kinahinatnan
ng maraming ka-uri na iyong pinagmulan
narinig nang malinaw hangad mong paki-pisan

kaya't mayroon mang bagyo o wala
masidhi man ang araw o sagsag ang ulan
ang pagbalong ng wika ay 'wag mong pipigilan
na umapaw at sa bibig mo ay mamunga

ang paglapat ng pluma sa pirasong papel
upang ilahad kaganapan ng buhay
biyayang magaling at sa 'yo natatangi
na kapag pinatulog agad ding mababawi

pagtula't paglikha ng maraming larawan
ay ligayang walang mararaming katapat
kundi ang bangkito at samboteng malamig
ng mahal mong serbesa pagdating ng gabi!

Hoyt-Chichimanggas to Schermer On The Aftermath of Basyang

Bossing hope the storm aftermath has now cleared up. Just wanted to share with (you) a poem about the recent calamity. Hope all is well pads.


Kayod-kabayo,
Pukpok sa martilyo.
Pilit idinugtong ng mga pakong kalawangin,
Mga basang kahoy, natuyo ng hangin mahabagin

Tubig at pawis
Naghalo sa kalsadang marungis
Batang aba, lumangoy sa dapat na batis
Animo’y ilat sa alingasaw at putik

Dugo mong busilak
Sa uga’t lamang ang pagdanak
Ngayo’y itim na galos sa balat
Itim na islang nailubog ng luha

Mga alaalang itinatangi
Inilibing ng agos at sidhi
Hikbing nag-uumapaw, pilit sugpuin
Maisalba lamang, mga santo’t panalangin

Hagupit ng kalikasan
Parusang di ninais makamtan
Tila mga langgam sa munsik,
Ngunit sa diwa’t isipay’ lakas ng pananalig

Responsibility On-line

"While I can appreciate the democratic nature of allowing anyone online to share his or her thoughts, the surfeit of wrong grammar, erroneous assumptions and the downright MEANNESS of some of what is written and expressed in cyberspace is both appalling and revealing...ultimately, we should RAISE THE BENCHMARK (in our cyber blogging enterprise) out of courtesy, consideration, and respect to the public, who, after all, we invite to view what we say and what we write."

Adel Tamano, Mano-A-Mano, The Age of Rant
(F-2, Sunday Lifestyle, The Phil. Star, July 11, 2010)

IT IS ALREADY IN ME (15th Sunday, C)

"It is not up in the sky, that you should say,
'Who will go up in the sky to get it for us
and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?'
Nor is it across the sea, that you should say,
'Who will cross the sea to get it for us
and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?'
No, it is something very near to you,
already in your mouths and in your hearts;
you have only to carry it out."
(Deuteronomy 30, 10-14)


No need to device a long ladder, tall enough to reach for it into the heavens.
No need to probe the depths of the oceans, the bottom of the seas.
It is already in my mouth; already in my heart;
It is already IN ME.
My mouth blabbers: "Love;"
My heart declares: "Love;"
My hands and my feet are yet to prove the latter.


I, like the scholar of the law who conversed with the master,
Knew the commandments by heart.
I studied the precepts.
I memorized the festivals.
I have already celebrated countless holy days and sacraments and rituals and
ceremonies.
I could argue, and debate, and interpolate all I want
On the finer details of the faith I profess and claim to belong to,
My mouth blabbers: "Love;"
My heart declares: "Love;"
My hands and my feet are yet to prove the latter.

The master knew that I could answer Him correctly on the matters of the law.
He does not need any answer that comes from my mouth though.
He desires that I live.
And I will only if I start doing it.

The world is full of talkers and arguers.
The world has more than enough of them.
The master has no need of any of them.
He rather is on the watch for the doers.

Bagong Gising

Gumising na naman ang Lupang Hinirang

Sa kapeng malabnaw at maingay na girian

Ng mga sasakyan na nag-uunahan

Takot nang mahuli dahil bawal ang wang-wang.


Malagkit mang tila ang mainit na hangin

At mala-purgatoryo ang maghapong pirmi

Kung sa pagiging maagap at tapat mamumulat

Ay muling lilipad itong bayang nahirati.

WORDS

We encounter each other in words, words

spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed,

words to consider, reconsider.

- Elizabeth Alexander, Praise Song for the Day, (a poem for the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, January 20, 2009)

Words are powerful.
Words can bring good news. Words can devastate good moods.
Words can fire up passions. Words can dampen hearts.
Words give life.
Words kill.
Words build up bridges and loves.
Words effectively annihilate them.
Words elicit compassion.
Words excrete disgust.
Words hurt.
Words heal.
Words transform, they too can retard.
Words validate friendships.
Words end some.
Words transgress.
Words forgive.
Words can spark a new beginning.
Words restore peace.

Words are powerful.
We are guardians of words.
We are stewards of words.
We are responsible for the words that we mouth.
We are accountable for the words that we hit or caress the other with.
We are just as good as our words.
We can be loved and trusted and treasured when we become what our words say.
We we will be left in the cold and darkness when we are not what our words say.
Words can be meaningful.
Words can also be worthless.

Only when we and our words become one and the same thing,
can we transform and be transformed,
build and be built,
trust and be trusted,
respect and be respected,
love and be loved.