āNothing new can come into your life unless you are grateful for what you already have.ā ā Michael Bernhard
happy and blessed Sunday dear friends and poets.
i am truly grateful for all the love and support that you have for me and my poetry over the years.
but, nothing beats the feeling of reading another poet’s work that has me as his muse.
i am humbled and honored to share a poem written by Sergio Calayag, a Capampangan Poet Laureate.
to all my international readers, Capampangan is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. it is the primary and predominant language of the entire province of Pampanga and southern Tarlac.
ING POESIA PARA KANG MICH nnag: PL Sergio Gramonte Calayag
Kasampunggul a sampaga, ila reni nang inampang Kening malagung dalaga, yang kanakung apalsintan Keng timan nang misnang yumu kasing yumu ning panilan Ing pluma ku yang sinulat kabud iyang atiglapan
Bibitbitan ing sikanan, yumung lugud at pakamal Mayayakit keng sarili, pamibiebieng kipmuang banal Makasadiang mamatawad, ining pusu nang marangal At nung iya ing misakab, talakad ya ketang lugal
Ketang jardin a malualas kabuklat na niting abak Damdaman mong mariposa, ing pakpak da maglipakpak Pablasang ing sampaga ka, kekang banglung salimuyak Inia Ika ing pa’intunan, kabuklat na niting pisak
Keng leguan mung tatangalan, neng lalakad ka king dalan Balang taung asalubung ika’ng tutung pakalawan Keng karelang panlalawe, manganabu ketang kanal Ating namang mangasakab, at keng poste misasabal
Ing leguan mung bibitbitan tutung ala yang kapara Anti ka mong metung anghel a menabu ibat banua O metung ka ping diwata, king kakewan ika’ng diosa Inia bala nang manakit, ila keka na milsinta.
Keng lualas ning kekang lupa, iyang tutung makayama Kekang mata a masala, ila rening mamalita Inia alang kasangkanan, nung akalbit ining lira Anting metung a papuri, keng dalagang Pilipina
it is with grateful and humble heart that i thank Dagmara K, (editor) and the entire Spillwords Team for this awardššš.
“We are proud and excited to recognize The Spillwords Press Socialites of The Year 2022. They support our community, engage with other writers on spillwords.com, celebrate the achievements of others, encourage readers and writers alike to join our global movement via social media and thatās in addition to their literary contributions. You are true ambassadors and for that we are grateful.” – Spillwords Press
“i’m sorry, i couldn’t hear any heartbeat,” my doctor revealed after just a few minutes of examining my supposed baby bump. my mind went crazy, and my heart beat the fastest and loudest beat ever. i wanted to cry, but there were no tears. i wanted to shout and curse the universe. still, no sounds were coming out. my doctor knew i was on the brink of losing my composure, so she asked me to sit down and gave me a glass of water. “stay calm,” she said.
waiting for you as i held my tears was the most traumatic part of hearing the news. i could see myself heading in directions only God knows where. i wanted to run away, away from the reality that i would never get to hold in my arms the baby i so wanted to have. “you quietly came into our world, silently, and you stayed shortly. but know that you take up the most room in our hearts.” i whispered.
“i’m here for you, and i don’t care if you need to cry all day long i will stay with you,” you said while i was sobbing.
the dark underground parking area was our sole witness to how we grieve at the loss of another angel. we were both inconsolable, as God knows how much we wanted the child. but at least we have each other.
i looked at you, holding on to your composure, and you began to cry. the kind of cry i’ve never witnessed from you my whole life. the type of cry only a father could upon losing a child he never gets to hold.
The fans of Bestselling Author Michelle Ayon-Navajas will see a different kind of writer as she embarks to a new writing technique for her ninth book ā flash fiction.
Flash fiction embraces the techniques of prose narratives and storytelling as opposed to having a poetic sensibility. It is solid prose, and there may be moments of metaphor, abstraction, or elevated language, but ultimately, thereās a sense of a short story.
Locker, is Ayon-Navajasās first flash fiction book which consists of fifty (50) stories that will surely get the readers hooked until the last page. Each poetic tale is a stand-alone story but as soon as you flip to next page until the last, you will realize there is more to these poetic flash fiction stories than just a simple collection of tales.
i come in many forms i could be a he, a she, an it unexpected time when i propose of brilliant masterpiece you just go for it.
i come in many forms i could be your greatest inspiration yet a source of desperation when i decide to go off grid off the hook.
a bestfriend for some an illusion for others one important thing though your imagination would be empty without me.
š¹For David’s Weave Written Weekly
Brandonās prompt guidelines
Riddle me thisā¦ I would like to you to compose a riddle or āpuzzleā poem. J.R.R. Tolkien included several in his novels, as did Lewis Carroll. Emily Dickinson wrote several riddles in poetic form as well. Here is a link defining āriddleā: https://poets.org/glossary/riddle
There are no restrictions on length or rhyme. You can give the answer at the end of your poem, or to make it a little more fun, allow readers to try to guess the answer. You can also provide the answer within your poem. Have fun!
š¹voting for SPILLWORDS PRESS 2022 AWARDS is still open. i would be glad if you could head over the link and vote for my poem “LOVE HAPPENS” as Publication of the Year (Poetic).
hi there, let’s talk over a cup of hot salted caramel macchiato.
it has been a while since i get a little personal here with you guys. so here i am, checking in. how are you? i hope that January has been kind to all of you. i pray that February will be more forgiving. but whatever happens, life goes on. i read somewhere someone says “when life gives you a shit, cultivate it with dreams and hopes.” may we never lose track of our dreams and hopes despite life’s complexities and intricacies.
me? January is almost over, and so many things happened in just one month.
the much-awaited anthology by Gabriela Marie Milton, is now #1new release on Amazon. my poems were included as part of this anthology. “Hidden in Childhood” is a publication of Literary Revolutions. this is just wonderful. another best-seller book for me. now, i’m off to update my bio with another best-selling poetry anthology.
i’ve had two poems published on MasticadoresUsa by Barbara Harris Leonhard; “Breathe” (January 12) and “Peace” (January 27).
“My Body Aches More Than My Heart” was published by Terveen Gil on MasticadoresIndia last January 10.
my New Year poem “2023, Our Year” was published on Spillwords Press last January 3 as part of its New Year opening salvo. the poem became the #1 popular post on Spillwords for over a week.Ā
and of course, as you all know it, “Love Happens” was Spillwords December Publication of the Month and is now up for the title “Publication of the Year (poetic). this piece is up against other stunning pieces written by brilliant poets from different parts of the world. i am truly honored and humbled to see my poem alongside these wonderful pieces; that alone feels like winning already.
i have other submissions which were already set to be published by February.
voting for SPILLWORDS PRESS 2022 AWARDS is still open. i would be glad if you could head over the link and vote for my poem “LOVE HAPPENS” as Publication of the Year (Poetic).
My poem, “Peace” is up now on MasticadoresUsa. I would like to thank Barbara, the editor for publishing my poem and for believing in my works.
Please head over MasticadoresUsa to read the full poem. I would love to hear your insights about the poem so don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section.
Subscribe to MasticadroesUsa to get full access of its daily dose of literary pieces from brilliant poets all over the world.
voting for SPILLWORDS PRESS 2022 AWARDS is still open. i would be glad if you could head over the link and vote for my poemĀ āLOVE HAPPENSāĀ as Publication of the Year (Poetic). here is the link to vote: kindly find the link below to vote.
i live in one of the most affluent subdivisions in the city, where you would rub elbows with the richest of the rich and see eye-to-eye with influential people in politics and even in the entertainment industry. the area is 16 hectares of mixed-use shopping, residential, and leisure development. they say it is where the “ultra-rich and famous” lived.
country-inspired living meets the pleasures of city life is what our place is very much known. it provides refreshing amenities that include a freeform tropical-style leisure pool, landscaped pool deck with lounge area, children’s playground, fitness gym, shower rooms with lockers, and a multipurpose clubhouse.
some luxurious residential condominiums and towers offer generous floor layouts and incomparable views of the city. stories have it that one unit alone is bigger than the typical townhouses sold in the neighboring areas.
it is where pets such as dogs and cats flaunt their most expensive Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton necklaces or pet accessories. you would be in awe at how lovely they look. some even say their pet carriage is even more expensive than that of a price a four-seater Hyundai Accent car.
one morning i was tasked to pick up a document from a local government agency i needed for my Visa application. someone told me that i should take the shortcut route to that agency instead of taking the usual private car ride. why? they say the traffic is terrible around this time, so it’s best to walk.
i took the narrow alley, which was made available for non-residents who work within the area; they need to present their company identification cards to enter; otherwise, they won’t be able to use the access alley.
there’s no other way to say it, but i was about to enter a slum area, to my surprise. there are informal settlers with inadequate housing and squalid, miserable living conditions. it’s overcrowded, with many people crammed into tiny living spaces. i bet the garage and dog house of some houses from where i am is bigger than the tiny homes here. i bet, too, one Louis Vuitton pet necklace is more expensive than a small house in this slum area. and i bet again, one dinner from bill of a fine restaurant from my place is undoubtedly more enormous than the monthly income of the head of the family here. and not to mention that these two areas are walls apart, a ten-minute walk via the shortcut alley.
i saunter towards my destination with a heavy heart and a mind full of life’s lessons and realizations.
“the disparity of life,” i sighed in silence with a drop of tear, looking at a happy little kid in dirty muddy clothing running towards me asking for money for food.Ā
“where is your mother?” i asked the kid.
“i don’t know, maybe out somewhere selling sampaguita garlands to rich people like you,” she replied.Ā
i wanted to say i am just like her and that there is no difference between rich and poor in the eyes of God or even move further with me, giving my unsolicited advice that she should study hard to be able to live a decent life someday, but i was taken aback when she said, “maybe, we live in a world where no Gods exist.” she said further, “but if there’s God Madam, please tell him to give me some good food for dinner later.”
Written for Reena’s exploration challenge using the phrase “You live in a world where no Gods exist.”
voting for SPILLWORDS PRESS 2022 AWARDS is still open. i would be glad if you could head over the link and vote for my poem “LOVE HAPPENS” as Publication of the Year (Poetic). here is the link to vote: kindly find the link below to vote.
michnavs 