Moon in Fire

by Uel Ceballos, circa 2003

It was late in the evening I was walking,
the night was obscure and quite tingling.
Emotion was blend with the insects crooning
from the nearby bushes there were crickets sounding.

I was walking alone and no one was around.
In my hand was my guitar and I sat in the lawn.
I started to strum and the night began to hum
The wind gave a kiss and the trees
commenced to dance.

The shadows in the grasses were moving
left and right.
The mystic moon above showered the
night a beaming light.
I was amazed when I looked to the sky
because encircled by the stars above was a
a moon in ardent fire.

The night wind blew and I shivered
It made me sad, it was you I remembered.
In this night so bright we were walking together
with our hands entwined in that cold
night of September.

Though I knew that we were now afar
Somehow I thought that you were wishing
on the same star
As I prayed in the meadow while the
scarlet started to bloom
I stood upright and watched the blazing moon.

Sa May Durungawan

ni Uel Ceballos, circa 2008

Naghihintay ang lahat,
tahimik na pinagmamasdan
ang gurong pinagmumulan ng tinig
tangan ang pulang pluma at talaan.

Sa isang gilid ng apat na sulok,
naroon si Maria sa may durungawan. 
Naglalakbay ang diwa,
isang kaluluwang tulala 
nakatingala sa pugad ng kalangitan.

Humuhuni ang ibon na parang anghel
sinusundo na yata ng mga alagad ni Gabriel.
Umindak si Amihan at naging dagat ang ulap,
itong si Maria naakit lalo sa pangangarap.

"Ulap! Maari bang ako'y ilipad?"

tanong ngayon ng nagmumuni niyang isipan.

"...tinig ng kanyang liksiyon hindi ko maulinigan,"

Hanggang sa bumagsak ng marahan
talukap ng mga matang nangingislap.
Nagsusumigaw ang panaginip,

"Halika na Maria! Halika na!"

Ngunit sa isang bugso isang tinig
ang sa kalangitan ay kumulog.

"Tila nililipad sa malayong lugar ang iyong isip,
maari bang pakiulit ang aking sinambit,
Maria Lourdes Macaraig?"

Sa Pagitan ng mga Patlang

ni Uel Ceballos, circa 2008

Naghari ang katahimikan sa buong silid
kasabay ng mga luhang nangingilid
matang kinusot ng mahabang panahon ng paghikbi.
Walang kaluskos 
ni ang mga dahong nagsasalimbayan sa labas ng durungawan
ay waring nakikiayon sa isang mahabang patlang,
patlang na lalong pinatatagal ng mabagal na pagtakbo 
ng orasan.

Alas kuwatro y media
Alas kuwatro u media ng huling marinig
ang huling pantig na pilit pinakawala sa nagsasarang lalamunan...aah!
Isang mahinang tinig na humulagpos sa apat na sulok.
Sa apat ng sulok na binalutan ng lumbay, pagsisisi at sari-saring damdaming
inamag na sa tagal ng pagkakakubli.

Doon sa apat na sulok na nilisan ng apat na anak
kung saan namalagi ang matandang umaga't gabing inaalala
ang noo'y maliliit pa niyang mga supling na salit-salitang sumasalabay, humihila
sa halos mapunit niya nang puruntong.
Kasabay din noon ang pagtanghod sa kusinang may anim na pinggan,

anim na basong magkakaiba ang sukat at kulay, anim na pares ng kutsara't tinidor.
Sa tuwing sasapit ang alas kuwatro y media ng hapon
ay muling gumuguhit sa kanyang isipan ang anyo ng kabiyak
na yumao halos mahigit tatlong dekada na ang nakalilipas.
Wari bang nauulinigan pa rin ang kalansing ng mga kalderong nagsasagian
habang pumapailanlang sa hangin ang ginigisang karne at gulay, 
kung minsa'y ang nakaiilang na ugong ng de bombang kalan,
o di kaya'y sipol ng takureng niluma na ng sandaang nakaraan.

Sa pagitan ng mga patlang, pumapatak ang mga luhang tumatagos sa kailaliman
ng sahig na inalpombrahan ng alikabok.
Walang nangahas lumikha ng salitang pupunit sa patlang na gawa ng pusong
nagpasya nang tumigil sa pagtibok.
Isang mahabang patlang na iniwan ng matandang kailanma'y hindi naglagay
ng patlang sa pagiging ama.
Patlang na nagsusumigaw, nakabibingi, nakahihiwa ng malalim na sugat
sa didbdib na pinangingibabawan ng mahabang panahon ng pangungulila,
ng pagdiriwang mag-isa ng pasko't bagong taon,
na pinatatamis na lamang ng mga namamaskong paslit,
na mga paputok na pinakakawalan sa kalangitan
kasabay ng mga hinanakit na pilit iwinawaksi sa puso't isipan.

Marahan na ring umihip ang hangin.
Hudyat ng pagwawakas ng patlang 
at tanda ng pagsisimula ng panibagong ingay na katagala'y
magwawakas muli sa isang patlang.
Kumawala na ang mga luhang sinaliwan ng mga katagang 
tumatagos sa pader at umaalingawngaw sa pagitan ng mga punong
piping saksi sa isang pagluluksa.
Pagluluksang naganap pagkatapos ng mahabang taon ng mga patlang
sa pagitan ng ama at ng mga anak.

Duped by Fate: The End of Dissimulation

by: Uel Ceballos

Woman:

I Love You...

Emotionally moved by your constant presence

Clasped in the arms of compassionate solicitude

I rested there in fetal curve, in my new orb with you

Man:

This is goodbye now forevermore...

For I have lost myself again in the sea of deception

Forgive me for pulling you down in my doomed world

Just when I thought you could light up my world,

I have darkened yours.

Woman:

You tugged me out from the entangled web of doom

From what seemingly an inescapable derangement

Hand entwined, we hurried on our way out

From the intricate spun of paths that we were both caught into

Man:

We were both the darkness searching for the light

How blind was I to not see? What have I done?

You were strong as the stag but your heart was like the sand

Pristine and granting, but weak to the cruel ocean.

Woman:

A dose of sweet escape anesthetized us from the searing sorrow

Our analgesic to the scorching ache of our detrimental past

You were my asylum, as well as I was yours

We created an estranged world, a refuge for us alone

Man:

Have you not seen that I was the merciless salt on your wound?

I wasn't the cure but I was the catalyst on your slow death

Yes you were my sanctuary, but I was your hell

In your world I spread horrors

I wasn't worthy to be your man at all

Woman:

Until in one of those twilight you unburden the hidden truth

You plunged deeply into my heart the dagger of veracity

I was just an ephemeral deliverance from your concrete existence

But never would I be your lifetime reality

Man:

For I was eternally jailed to the terror of my past

To which you were never a part

How could I take you for granted when all you needed was to be loved?

But if you were on my shoes would you rather walk the path?

Woman:

I have fallen once again in the delicate mesh of deception

Man:

Fate was ever so cruel to me

I was forever the subject for its insanity

Woman:

For how could a fallacy finds a room where everything seemed so good and true?

Man:

Not until your departure that it was revealed to me;

The life indeed was full of ferocity

Woman:

For you I was just a sweet illusion, but for this I couldn't go on

Man:

What took so long the light in you?

When I finally saw it

Woman:

This is goodbye now, forevermore...

Man:

It was out of my grasp anymore

I love you...

Duped by Fate

(A reply to the poem 'Dissimulation')

by: Uel Ceballos

This is goodbye now forevermore...

For I have lost myself again in the sea of deception

Forgive me for pulling you down in my doomed world

Just when I thought you could light up my world,

I have darkened yours.

We were both the darkness searching for the light

How blind was I to not see? What have I done?

You were strong as the stag but your heart was like the sand

Pristine and granting, but weak to the cruel ocean.

Have you not seen that I was the merciless salt on your wound?

I wasn’t the cure but I was the catalyst on your slow death

Yes you were my sanctuary, but I was your hell

In your world I spread horrors

I wasn’t worthy to be your man at all

For I was eternally jailed to the terror of my past

To which you were never a part

How could I take you for granted when all you needed was to be loved?

But if you were on my shoes would you rather walk the path?

Fate was ever so cruel to me

I was forever the subject for its insanity

Not until your departure that it was revealed to me;

The life indeed was full of ferocity

What took so long the light in you?

When I finally saw it

It was out of my grasp anymore

I love you...