LOVE SONG

This is a poem I wrote circa 1988, which was published in Caracoa 19, the poetry journal of the Philippine Literary Arts Council. I lost my only copy of the journal, because I lent it to Prof. Franz Arcellana, and was unable to get it back because he died shortly after. I also misplaced the record book where I kept handwritten copies of my old poems, so here is the reconstructed poem. I managed to reconstruct it from memory, after not having read it for about 20 years.  I have the uneasy feeling that there are words missing, but this is all I can remember.

LOVE SONG

These arms, like branches
Have been broken
From time into time
In hesitant memory.
Consider that, possibly,
There is resilience
In a heart familiar even with
Unintended calumnies.

The maw of hopefulness
Expands into a gaping, rimless danger,
Closing in split instants
To assiduously screen the sunlight.

Another of you might possess perhaps
The willing strength to
Uncoil my wires of distance.
Invisibly, among the glass chimes
There comes from time into time
A love that brooks no
Resistance.

01 October 2018

Copyright 2018 Mona Caccam

 

MONSOON

There is a slight wind,
Sussurating through the curtains.
The sky is the color of stone.
In moments the scent of petrichor,
Green and earthy, rises into the
Warm, wet air. Soon apparent is
The scent of the river.

I am on my third folding umbrella,
Having lost the first two.
The rain and sweat have mingled
On my back. It will be this way
For almost half the year,
A time of consecutive typhoons.

Time to enjoy the last of the
Summer fruits. They add their
Perfume to the smells of the
Monsoon.

06 June 2018

Copyright 2018 Mona Caccam

ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS

As seconds tick by, our paths are
Split, into those that
Require thought and courage,
And those that warrant
Heedlessness. There will be
Consequences.

So we sometimes stray
After spending time as sheep.
Life is not always so
Orderly; getting answers to
Questions can be like pulling
Teeth. Eventually we find
Our way.

Apres-moi, le deluge:
A cascade of memories shaping
The day.

04 June 2018

Copyright 2018 Mona Caccam

STAREDOWN

The sun’s yolk blooms above
Your eye, coaxing mirages from the
Middle distance.

The long stare brings no relief.
Neither of you are ready
To lower his gaze first.
All around, images are sharp in
The heat

But doubt can cast shadows. Leaning
Under its eaves cools any ardor,
Saving words for other times
Of challenge.

01 June 2018

Copyright 2018 Mona Caccam

DO IT ON THE GRASS

It is only in the soulless cities
Where the roads are an even grid. Where
The houses look the same, where it is easy
To get lost.

If you must run after the sunshine
Do it on the grass. The warm yellowness
Brings the thaw, cuts your sleep and
Coaxes growth.

The dust-devils go round like dervishes,
Scattering color as you blink your eyes.
Following the water brings you to yourself,
Throat dry after play, after wandering.

22 May 2018

Copyright 2018 Mona Caccam

A DARK YEAR PASSES

This year has pillaged the world
Of its musicians, actors, writers.
We are tired of so much loss,
So much death.
We are anxious
For the year to end.

There are two days left.
Hide all of your beloved heroes,
Your teachers, your dream-weavers,
Lest the wars of 2016 find them
And smite them without mercy.
We do not want to be bereft.

But there is no guarantee
The next year will not betray us.

Daily Prompt: Pillage

BAMBOO RETREAT

Found this on Twitter:

Daily Prompt: Retreat

YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE UNIVERSE

The Desiderata says, “Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.” These very familiar first words were written by writer Max Ehrmann in 1927.

Towards the end of the prose poem it says:

It’s a good reminder this Christmas, when we become overwhelmed by the many people and situations demanding our attention. We should all have a quiet place, a quiet space, a safe space, with which to order our thoughts and establish calm.

Daily Prompt: Calm