Habulan

Sinundan ng sindak
ang mga yapak sa
papaalis na kabiyak
ng puso noong mga
oras na iyon.
Marahil ay lipas na
ang mga mala-pelikulang
eksena, melodrama
ng relasyong minsan
nang nasaksihan.
Sa sangandaan
ng kapalaran at paglisan,
at kagustuhan,
naging saksi ang karamihan.
Nagpaalam ng mabilisan,
sinundan ng kasintahan,
ang tema ng sinehan.
Bumabalik pa rin,
paminsan-minsan,
may ngiti,
sa dating tagpuan
kung saan dating
nagiiwanan,
at naghihiwalayan,
at nagbabalikan.

Silence

Silence is a tragedy, exploding
inside my heart. It kills
the very life out of me.
Every non-word uttered
is a stab, slowly penetrating
the skin of my soul,
where there was life,
and the used-to-be's.
It is a reassurance
of an unthinkable
existence, where emptiness
is my bread and loneliness,
my reality.

Sleep

Sometimes, the forbidden
howls in the night, aching,
longing, as though in pain
of terrible, terrible
pain. And the moon-
lights the sadness with
unforgiving vividness,
a reminder, of the void
it tries to conceal. When you
don't see, you don't
feel, you don't
hurt.