BOOKCASE IN THE HOUSE OF MY ANCESTORS by Fhen M.

BOOKCASE IN THE HOUSE OF MY ANCESTORS by Fhen M.

beside the sea, wind kept on blowing

the scent of the mangrove tree and salt water

I smelt inside the room of Grandma Neming;

in the cool afternoon, the old woman's sleeping

I was the only one awake in the house of my ancestors.

those were my childhood days

when internet was not yet public;

in the bookcase made of plywood and nails

located in the old woman's bedroom,

imprints of periodicals and books

my only companion.

my old auntie, a teacher who had no husband

in the afternoon, she went to school

the published materials like Journal and Panorama

she gathered in her wooden bookcase

and every vacation, I read and study them.

for instance, I'll read poems

with four lines in a stanza and rhythm and rhyme;

Rizal, Bonifacio, these poets were my only friends

and other writers with their published works.

I keep on writing ambahan poetry

arguing with my imaginary friends;

near the shelf of books, I smell

the scent of mangrove trees and salt water.

Fhen M. studied the academic subjects Writing in the Discipline, The Literature of the Phillipines, and The Literature of the World at Eastern Visayas State University. The Waray poem “Uyasan” (“Toy” in English”) written by Fhen M. was published in a collection of literary works entitled Pinili: 15 Years of Lamiraw. His English verses "Lighthouse," “Seaport,” “Barbeque Stalls along Boulevard,” and “Tetrapod” appeared in Poetica anthology series published by Clarendon House. In 2024, Red Penguin Books’About Time: A Coming of Age Poetry Anthology will publish his piece “Outside the Block Universe". One of his poems will also be 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 panelists of this writing workshop held from the 5th to the 7th of November 2008.