Hannah Jhanylle C. Po

Ako si Blu

ni Venjellie Muyco Garcia

Ga duyan-duyan sa hangin in the middle of Calajunan, Never mind ang baho mag abut ang ulan.

Wow! May bag-o nga hakot si ‘tay Bato! PPE diri, face masks didto.

Ka colorpul, curious ako, Galing hadluk ko magkadto.

One fine day, May lubung sa neighbor, hu! S’ling ni ‘tay Bato: “beerus na ‘to!”

Ano kuno? Kayuha bla ‘tay, veerus or beerus? Adviser in life ta ka bla, you know.

One sad day… “Tay Bats, veerus okon beerus nag igo simo?” “Blu, time por me to go. Hibalu-a purpose mo”

“Akon du-ag, obra maestra sang Diyos nga Manunuga Matahum, ga hatag kalipay, bisan sa tunga sang basura.

‘tay Bats, ini ang imo blue tapulanga, Ga duyan-duyan sa hangin in the middle of Calajunan, Never mind ang baho mag abut ang ulan”. You don’t ask for a better future And complain when you’re given a blank canvas White was not meant to stand alone It is a beginning meant to be colored A page waiting for words A canvas waiting for paint A future waiting for you

White is absolute It is the emptiness of nothing But color is not A color can mean one thing And stand for another

Red can be the passion of love Or the heat of fury Yellow can be victory Or it can be jealousy Blue can be deep but peaceful The mood is yours to choose

Think of the colors in your head And command your hand to follow it If you make a mistake Cover it in white The color of hope And new beginnings Cover the smudge and paint over it The error will be unnoticeable Unless you peel back the dried paint That you hid it with and healed with time But the dark of the past is not meant To be peeled back or dug up It is meant to be remembered And then buried and covered

Life is not a finished painting To be complained when not to your liking Life is a blank canvas to be painted with colors The choice is always yours From the angle of the brush To take time or to work in a rush Angry strokes or gauged slash What colors to use What path to choose What future to pursue It’s all up to you.

The Canvas of Life

by Athena Christy L. Soledad

Of Cruel Proportions and Bleak Perceptions

Hannah Jhanylle C. Po

What a crime it is to cough, to sneeze, To wheeze or feel a freeze, Contract something unerringly normal, Something entirely seasonal.

It is justified, you think with a sardonic grin, To feel the gazes lit with fire, Twisting masked faces into something almost antagonistic, As if you had done something worthy of their ire.

What a crime it is to smell of antiseptic, To wear the armor of a mask, face shield, and blue gown, As if healing those stalked by the silent killer, Is to live on the battlefield with no sign of whittling down.

It is alright to be wounded beyond repair, To live akin to constant code reds and blues, Heal without being healed, And put one’s physical and mental well-being up lose.

What irony it is for some to feel distressed about possibly getting hooked to IVs, To pine for protection and some semblance of normalcy, While others unflinchingly dispute the existence of a threat, And look at manners of protection scornfully.

How many lies do we tell, Trepidations we feed, Discriminatory remarks we yell, And promises and values we refuse to heed?

Still, what a hope it is to see fractals of color past the dark throes of humanity, Unfurling through vivid pieces of art and melody. Treading the digi-scape and the neighborhood, resilient and lionhearted, Are moments ingrained in the musings of history.

The Gentle in Chaos

Diane Almuenda

The Gentle in Chaos

Diane Almuenda

SHADES OF THE OPPRESSED

Syrell Doanne V. Nietes

Alone to nowhere On a corner of a known alley Sits a house, full-forgotten

House full of memories Memories dark and bright Haunted with this and that Rats may even remember

Different shades Of black and blue Hues of the taboo A taste of metal To those who speak And those who seek

In silence of graves And the past Paper traded For fame and power

Stories are told In different shades Red, green Yellow, pink

But winter still lasted To those who tasted metal And to those who speak And those who seek