A poem on extrajudicial killings

IN JUNE 2018, I conducted a month-long online poetry workshop marathon participated by 47 poets and writers all over the world.

Seventy-five originally registered but when they realized that the demand was to write one poem a day for 30 days based on prompts, I only saw 45 willing victims on Day 1.

Two begged to be let in before the end of the day, which of course, generous me accommodated. Thus, the 47.

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By Day 18, the number was down to 20 participants, who eventually became the poem-a-thon finishers.

Let’s just say that the month-long challenge was grueling.

Of the 20, eleven chose to write in Hiligaynon, and became eligible for this year’s Peter’s Prize for Excellence in Hiligaynon Poetry (Poem-a-thon: Poems in Response to a Challenge).

The finalists where then voted upon by their peers.

(I believe in truly democratizing literature.)

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The peer evaluation and voting ended with this result:

First place – Serafin Plotria, Jr.

Second place – Ismael  Java

Third place – Chona Gosiaoco.

Plotria was eventually named 2018 Peter’s Prize winner for Literature (Poetry), and got the official commission as Ambassador of The Peter Solis Nery Foundation.

Inspired by the idea that the finalists were all Negrosanon, he started to organized Hubon Negrense, which later became Hubon Buglasanon in honor of Buglas, the older name of Negros.

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Hubon Buglasanon created a Facebook group message that included me, and Tanya Lopez of the Negros Museum.

On August 12, Tanya invited the group to join the World Poetry Movement celebration at the Negros Museum, and to read our Hiligaynon poetry related to EJKs and Martial Law.

Tanya is a little scheming, and I like how she appealed to my vanity.

In her personal message to me, she highlighted: “As you are a pillar in the promotion of Hiligaynon Literature and an award-winning writer, we hope for your Yes.”

I’ve always liked Tanya, so I readily agreed.

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But I didn’t have a poem until the morning of August 21.

Although I have been thinking about it for days.

If I give my word, I will not disappoint.

Now, now, I don’t have a direct experience of the Martial Law, or Extra Judicial Killings.

I’ve only read, and heard, about them.

So I wanted my poem to be a poem of questions.

I settled on EJKs.

I wanted it to be “more a poem” than a mere protest slogan.

So I went for lyricism and “dainty” images of nature.

On revision, it grew more violent as I imagined the torture before the execution.

Words lent their magic, and after a couple of my own readings, I felt the poem was finished.

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The poem was written over a period of not more than two hours.

I started around 9 am after having coffee in the public market, and ended before 10:30 when my road manager (that also means driver!) reported something about the car tune-up.

We were somewhere (I cannot disclose) by 10:45.

So yeah, it’s probably a poem done in one and a half hours.

I don’t believe in rush poems.

But I’m happy with this one.

I called it “Panas” — meaning erased, eradicated, gone.

Not the best title because I really wanted something to mean like “victim”; but a different word from biktima, or victima.

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I think it’s a beautiful poem on the subject of EJK, if a little dainty.

If ever I will change the title, I think it will be “Ang Nakita sang Adlaw” (What the Sun Saw).

But for now, it stays as “Panas”—

 

PANAS

By Peter Solis Nery

 

Diin naglupad ang mga dapay

Sang naghalayaun ang imo iloy?

Diin nagdalagan ang mga usa

Sang nagtiyabaw ang imo manghud?

Diin nagpalanagu ang mga kulunatnit

Sang kaagahon nga nasapwan ka

Hublas sa tangkungan, napun-an

Sang nagpalangitum nga mga lagub

Mga pilas kag bakiras sang bakul

Han-us, sumbag, tindak kag sipa;

Ginalangawan sang mga mata

Nga nagalibak kag nagapamatbat

Ginduhaduhaan ka, ginpanagupnupan

Ginhuringhuring kag ginkatakata

Apang wala napamatud-an nga nakasala—

Drug pusher ka bala? NPA?

O kasumpong lang sang pagdumalahan?

Kaaway ka bala sang aton katilingban?

Diin naghapun ang katarungan

Nga ginpanangis sang imo asawa?

Diin nalagyu ang kamatuoran

Nga ginawangal sang imo lapsag?

Sa kasisidmun, diin managu ang nawong

Sang adlaw nga nakasaksi sang tanan

Sang mga hitabu nga matarung

Kag di-matarung sa sining aton

Masubu nga pungsod kag

Makasulumpa nga kalibutan? (500tinaga@gmail.com/PN)