Ivan Emil A. Labayne is part of Pedantic Pedestrians and Ibong Adorno. He is a freelance writer and researcher, maintaining columns in local weeklies Baguio Chronicle and Northern Dispatch. He received an MA in Language and Literature from University of the Philippines Baguio and is pursuing a PhD in Philippine Studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman. His creative and critical works have been published in Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, The Cordillera Review, Jacket2, Katipunan, Kritika Kultura, and New Mandala. He blogs here.
Panatang You Know
Under the tutelage of da amerikans
Nabingi ako sa dami ng tutuli.
Na-lost ako sa eypol at hanesti,
Feeling ko ‘di na ko
Naging tapat sa sarili
But really, oks lang din naman
‘pag wala na akong time magluto ng dinner
At least may happy meal delivery.
Berigud nga raw ako sabi ni ti-cher,
dahil alam kong “went”
ang past ng “go” at hindi “goed.”
Game na game na ‘kong makakuha ng papel
certifying that I am excellent in English.
Excited na akong maging BPO worker—
kahit ‘di na grumaduate—
as a booming call center agent.
E kung marami lang trabaho
at nakakabuhay ang pay
Sana nag-art na lang ako,
or reflexology.
Kaso ang mahal ng rent
chaka ng mabagal na Internet.
Kaya heto, tiyaga-tiyaga muna
sa graveyard shift.
Humina man ang resistensya ko
At least may bagong smartphone model
to avail.
Labyu amerikans.
‘di nyo kami pinakawalan.
Sana magtayo pa kayo ng maraming
bridges, sementadong daan o hightowers.
Sanay naman kaming tumingala
At gaya nga ng turo sa amin simula bata
Ano na nga ba ‘yun?
Para sa inyo ang lahat ng panata
Sa isip, sa salita, at sa ngawa.
Morning dinner, fresh
Everything I cook, I burn
It’s 10:47 and we are preparing breakfast
Leftover tofu from last night
Maybe as dismal as dinner from ages ago
Maski yung tofu, looking unexcited to be eaten
I put on the stove, fire hurrying too
Like me, staring at a known deadline
—work, work, work,
woke up like an alarm clock,
blaring but lifeless.
Work, work, I woke with weakness
The fire, the fire! I forgot to hire
Someone to remind me—
Pang-gising lang ba ang alarm clock?
‘di ba pwedeng pang-remind na rin?
Huy, may sinalang ka sa kalan!—
remind me, the fire is burning,
my stomach where I’ll soon put
last night’s tofu leftover, grumbling.
Everything I cook, I burn
This tofu, tonight’s lunch,
Yesterday’s dinner
Kelan pa ba ako matututo
What I have learnt…
Unti pa lang, so far
Ang oras, umaandar.
Later I’ll toast sandwiches
Mayonnaise, mozzarella, and butter
Siguro kamatis din, unting lettuce
para healthier.
Babantayan ko ang oven
Ayokong everything I cook, I will burn
I will count the stars, the orions,
The bulalakaws and saturns.
Hihintayin ko ang sandwich
na hindi amoy-sunog.
Magiging malinamnam ‘to.
Tulad ng feeling after sumingha
ng makapal na uhog.