Poets in Quarantine




Last month, I joined a workshop on writing Tagalog poetry conducted by Juan Ekis, a multi-awarded poet and dramatist. The group enjoyed so much that we decided to continue with the workshops afterwards.

A few days ago, we did an activity in our FB messenger chat group. The activity was called "renggahan". This is how it works: someone composes a line of poetry, then the others, by turns, add lines of their own. The end-product is a collaboratively-written poem.

We had so much fun!

We came up with this:

"Nakahahawa ba ang pag-ibig kundi kita mahawakan?
Nakamamatay ba na dapat iwasan?
Sasama ba lalo ang pakiramdam kung tayo ay magkita?
O mas lalong manghihina kung hindi na pupusta?
Sa paghihiwalay lang ba makahahanap ng lunas?
Isang lunas na nais tanggihan ngunit kinakailangan.
O baka dapat lalo nating yakapin ang sakit,
At ang pag-iwas di na dapat ipilit
Tama lang siguro na tayo'y napalayo
Dahil malala pa sa distansya kapag puso na ang nakalimot
Huwag na nating simulan kung magwawakas lamang tayo
Nawa’y patawarin ni tadhana ang pusong di matahimik."

-- by Juan Ekis and his Tagalog poetry workshop

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