"Ze Poem"

I was approached by Mr. Pete Lacaba at the office sometime last week and he told me about a poetry event that took place last June 23 at the Alliance Francaise de Manille. The Printemps des Poetes (Spring of Poets) is an annual poetry event which traditionally is held in March to coincide with springtime in France.

Sir Pete told me that Palanca- and Philippine Free Press-awardee Mookie Katigbak (someone I have never met) presented a poem inspired by the Zaturnnah book. It was a gesture that was highly flattering, considering that Printemps des Poetes is one of THE mondo big-time high-profile poetry events, with the participation of no less than the likes of (insert praise-y superlatives here) Krip Yuson, Gemino Abad, Virgilio Almario, et al.

Anyways, here's Mookie Katigbak's poem, reproduced here with her permission. Thank you, Mookie.

ZE POEM

I'll never know
              You battle giant frogs,
Why my soft limbs
              Graveyard ghosts. Fighting foes
My voice a formal
              (Kathoom!) fall one by one
Ache on the
              And life is a thought balloon
Trachea, yearning
              In uppercase, O mountain throw
To be song. Father
              Like a bullet in the back, O unforeseen attack,
Knew a beauty queen
              The BLOG-SHWING-BLOG-HUWAPAK.
From a carpenter, father
              When femmes from Xxx trade sex
Knew. My voice he let
              For guns, you can tell they mean
Break in an Orocan
              Business. They mean to stun
Bucket two feet deep
              With the Pagoda cold wave motion gun, but you
And two feet wide.
              Need no assists with the multiple fist
Immerse me, father
              Maneuver. When you're hot, no KAZZHH
By the roots of my hair
              Or lightning strike can strike you
As I breathe water
              Down. You've got the frame
And gag for air:
              On a string, each time you win
I'm just a boy
              The burnished world
Stealing glances
              Goes SHAGASHINGSHING.
Not at girls but other boys.