Life is just mundane things
repeated multiple of times
they become a habit
like rhymes on a poetry
or reduplication of a language.
Our parents started first as
igat-igat, laag-laag,
sabay-sabay, simba-simba
then they started lambing-lambing
sa payag-payag, sabak-sabak
hikap-hikap, tilap-tilap
after that night
our mother began
hangak-hangak while walking
her womb now dako-dako
and our father ahat-ahat
og luto-luto
he started to work harder
hala daru-daro
kalot-kalot
hakot-hakot
to buy batu-bato
and paku-pako
the nine months were dugay-dugay
father stopped tambay-tambay
in every barkada labay-labay
wala sa’y sabay-sabay
then for that long days
you were born
hilak-hilak
our parents ngisi-ngisi
mother made you tulog-tulog
while putting you in a duyan-duyan
bira-buhi, bira-buhi
till she unknowingly
started hagok-hagok
bantay-bantay sa imo.
then two years and you learnt
to tabi-tabi
sumay-sumay pa una
then you started
to istorya-istorya
mama, papa,
banana, labanana
we played blade-blade
ligid-ligid sa ligid
with palwa-palwa
dagan-dagan
sa bakilid
Years passed fast,
paspas pa’s paspas
we grew up
skwela-skwela
uyab-uyab
I became a priest
ampo-ampo
tambag-tambag
while you
you started
igat-igat, laag-laag,
sabay-sabay, simba-simba
like our parents did
And like the pattern of before
like rhyme of a poem
you started iring-iring
then lambing-lambing
sa payag-payag, sabak-sabak
hikap-hikap, tilap-tilap.
You married her
in the local capelia
I married you two
and you became
like two words
that are attached with a gitling
like reduplication of words
you were different but now one
Buntag-gabii, buntag-gabii
adlaw-bulan, adlaw-bulan
our parents died
and like words
they vanished in the world
after sometime
right after they were said in the air
no audio recorder
no video player
that can make them balik-balik
your wife now began
hangak-hangak while walking
her womb now dako-dako
and our you now ahat-ahat
og luto-luto
you started to work harder
like father
hala daru-daro
kalot-kalot
hakot-hakot
to buy batu-bato
and paku-pako
the nine months were dugay-dugay
you stopped tambay-tambay
in every barkada labay-labay
wala sa’y sabay-sabay
then for that long days
your child was born
but there were no ngisi-ngisi
the room was ngitngit
wala ka’y bitbit
I tried to lili
tabi, tabi
The child was born
but her kasingkasing
wala’y lihok-lihok
the child was dead
akong hunahuna
and so were you two.
Life is just a repitition:
a pattern of lipay-lipay
and lamay-lamay.
