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We're moving on!

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It is with both a big sigh and a big smile that we will soon be leaving this blog--the only one among so many that I've had all these years and the only one that really got me going.

It is this blog that kept everything that I just wanted out of my brain, all the dirt and the unnecessary thoughts, and those overflowing from my cup that needed something to catch, lest they fall back into the earth unused. It is also the same blog that showered in the cries of my heart and perhaps it has gone deaf of my whinings.

But my heart could not contain as much this gladness that is raining down on me. Finally, after years and years of wanting and planning, we launch our own website. Perhaps in a way this is symbolic as it could be about how I am moving on with my life.

Close friends and I love to refer to me as a "Goldy Bear", but where have I been all these past years? "Hibernating!" But then I have awakened. And I come to rise with that slow and full stretching, a little nudging, a little wanting to go back to bed and curl up again...

But with the magnificent thoughts of the sun shining outside, of the fresh air, of the flowers and the trees, and all the fruits and nuts and honey that await, I am in the waking up of a lost consciousness, the momentous redemption of a lost pride, and the continuation of a journey that was commenced and halted for sometime, in order to claim the glory of a life that earlier in my youth I have deferred through the prostitution of desires. (Don't bother asking, my musings are carrying my words away from my thoughts today!)

Yes, I have already compromised a lot of "what could have beens", so today, we move on, to a whole new adventure of the Midnight Writer.

Set sail with me. Life goes on. Cheers!

Passer-by

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The wind caressed his tall, lean, and frail body as cold droplets of rain drizzled. Starkly dressed in his overalls, the man dutifully swept the fallen leaves along the gray alley of the Fourth Street. He gathered the dirt with his near-bald broomstick and thrashed them onto his wheelbarrow. As he did so, a brood of youngsters haggling and cajoling in the prime and zest of their libertarian shower in the rain sprang from one side.


"Dada!" The shrill voice of a  a six-year old echoed in his mind. "I'll be home soon," he spoke as he turned to one of the boys in the street. Thoughtfully, he was filled with visions of home. A little while later, the boys have gibe and he was on his own once again. His feelings were rounding up for his family that his seemingly overdue enterprise waylaid till sunset.

As the prismatic rays evaded the facade and the silhouettes began to shape, he readied himself for home and walked along the alley towards their station to get his week's pay. "I'll buy them pansit." A fair grin was on his brown skin as he turned by the corner. He held close to him a bag of grocery and pansit, then patted his pocket. Just then, a flashy red car passed and the road was smeared rich with the color. The awaited eve came close.


In a tin shack, a young woman grinned and curtsied as she welcomed to their humble home an androgynous figure. The man handed the woman a bag of grocery and pansit. "Dada!" A young boy called out as he emerged from the inside. The man shook his head in a hesitant swing, "No".

They all went inside and the boy was made to sit on top of a covered pail by the dirty kitchen. The young woman and the man stayed by the table and conversed in cautious whispers. A curtain made from katsa was the only thing that divided the tiny shack into parts and the boy could half-hear what they were uttering. At first, the boy was hesitant that he pretended not to hear them but soon, he heard her weeping.


"What is happening?" "Why does she weep?" "Did he hurt her?" Questions filled his mind. And curious enough, he slipped out f the kitchen and he saw her mother pushing the man away. There were tears in her dark deep eyes. The boy, without fully understanding why she was crying, threw his slippers against the man and cried that he should go already.

The man raised his hands in a pass. He drew a thin fold of five-hundred peso bills from the pocket of his crisp polo shirt and handed it to the young woman. She wanted to refuse, but then, she took it anyway. The man bid them a farewell and left, promising to return within a few hours.

Later that eve, Dada arrived--pale, cold, and gray. The man, they never saw again.

--
"Passer-by" by GF, D'Mentedz Literary Folio.
(c)Musings of the Midnight Writer, 2004. 
Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines 4500

an tula

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pa'no naging tula? kadalasan sa lagatik, maski mayo ki kuwit, buda sa tanog na gari nagpaparagubdob sa laog. Bilanga an silaba, sundi man an rima. pa'no pinutol, susoga an sukol...

kadakol ki mga tataramon na naghihidaw sa himate buda ideya, kundi an poeta na kugos kan tema, nalalapag an mga iyan na naghihidaw, ngani mabilog an mawot sabihon sa pagkadakop sainda sa sinusurat na rawitdawit man o osipon.

pa'no pag dae masukol an mga linya? bako sa dae tatao an masukol, ni bako ta kulang o sobra sa pangaipo, kundi ta nagdudulag an linya sa pagsukol ta ngani ini magin kun ano siya.

bako sa kakulangan ki tataramon kun nata iyo an ginagamit, kundi sa pangyari kan sintesis na hale sa mga bagay na bako sanang kaagid, kundi nagpapaguiromdom, kan himate kan boot, kan ideya, asin tinutubod kan tataramon,

sagkod na magibo na itong dae, maging iyo, sosog sa kun ano an iyo, ta ngani an nagbabasa, an naghihinanyog, biyo man magtubod, mamatean itong paghimate kan boot, asin makua an ideyang boot saiya maipaabot.

dae natatapos sa pag-aagid. dae natatapos sa metapora. maski sa metonomy o synechdoche, o kun anu pa man na taktika na kaito pa nangaranan na.

labi pa sa porma, labi pa sa rima, labi pa sa sukol na nagpupugol, orog labi sa tataramon na nagkukulong digdi.

an tula, iyo.

Night of the Fireflies: A Housewarming Party

RSVP TO THE EVENT!

Time	24 November at 00:00 - 15 December at 06:00
Location	Musings of the Midnight Writer Fan Page http://facebook.com/funstained Legazpi City, Philippines
Created by:	Musings of the Midnight Writer
More info	Calling all Firefly Lovers: You are cordially invited to join us for a house warming party at the new Musings of the Midnight Writer Website!^_^ Submit your original writings and artworks to minagayon [at] gmail [dot] com and have your work featured on the site's new page devoted solely for the love of fireflies! ... FREE TO JOIN! Two Divisions: (1) Competing - 18 years old and above as of entry to contest - resides within Albay, Sorsogon, Naga (2) non-competing - open to all E-mail Format: Subject: I'm attending *Division *Title *Poem *Category - bikol or eng tags *real name - *50-word author's bio *business address *email address contact # pen name All fields required for competing party-goers. Submit as many as you like. * required for non-competing participants. "JUST FOR FUN" prizes await winners in the competing division. More details on criteria, selection and judgment process, to be posted soon. (Will announce the new website URL soon too ^_^)   Check out the Facebook Fan Page here to view the guest list. ^_^ BASIC GUIDELINES NO PURCHASE, FEE, OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN, AND PURCHASES, FEES, AND PAYMENTS WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING DEPEND ON THE RATINGS THAT THE ONLINE COMMUNITY OF MOTMW USERS (the"firefly musers”) GIVES TO YOUR ELIGIBLE POEMS AND ON THE JUDGING OF THE QUALITY OF YOUR POEMS BY A PANEL OF JUDGES FROM MOTMW’S SELECTION COMMITTEE (THE "Midnight JUDGES”) ACCORDING TO THE CRITERIA SET FORTH BELOW. CONTEST OPEN TO PUBLISHED AND UNPUBLISHED POETS WHO MEET THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH BELOW. CONTEST ENDS DECEMBER 14, 2011 AT 11:59 PM PACIFIC TIME (THE "CONTEST PERIOD”). TO ENTER: To be eligible to win prizes, your poem(s) must meet all of the following criteria: Your poem(s) must be in Bikol or English, your poems must be your original work, and you must not assign or license to any other party any copyrights or other rights in your poems. Poems should not contain material that is unlawful, obscene, defamatory, pornographic, harassing, threatening, harmful, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, abusive, inflammatory, or otherwise objectionable. Proper spelling and grammar also help. ELIGIBILITY: Contest open to individual persons who are 18 or older as of the time of their initial entry. OWNERSHIP AND USE OF WINNING POEMS: All entrants retain the copyright rights that they have in the poems they submit, but all entrants, by participating in this Contest and submitting poems, grant MOTMW and any of MOTMW’s successors and assigns the perpetual and irrevocable right, license, and ability to use and publish all submitted poems (in the format submitted or in an altered format and in complete form or in excerpted form) on MOTMW’s websites, on other websites, and in other media, for any purpose. Entrants’ opportunity to submit their poems and participate in this Contest constitutes full consideration for the foregoing grant. The foregoing grant requires no further consideration and is not dependent on entrants’ winning any prizes. MOTMW can publish or decline to publish, or use or decline to use, any submitted poems in MOTMW’s sole discretion. -- [su muya mag donate ki prize, mag pm sana po sa admins kan page! hehe] CHEERS!!

WRITING YOUR OWN CENTER AWAY FROM THE CENTER by Abdon M. Balde Jr.

Short paper delivered during the Manila International Literary Arts Festival: LOL—Lit out Loud
Intercontinental Hotel, November 19-21, 2010
by Abdon M. Balde Jr.


When I was offered the chance to lecture here and was given only a title, I immediately accepted it. It is both a challenge and an opportunity.

A young writer once aspired for a position in the editorial staff of a technical magazine. The magazine was published by manufacturers of mechanical fittings. He was asked to write anything about, bolts, nuts and screws. He wrote a story about a patient in an  insane asylum who raped an attendant and escaped. The title of his article was “Nut Screws and Bolts”. The editors thought he had no mechanical aptitude.

I thought I could say anything from a title like “Writing Your Own Center Away From the Center.” Unfortunately, I have no aptitude nor flair for insanity, rape and flight.

Because this is a literary event I immediately remember Resil Mojares’ article about “Writing from the Margins.” Mojares defined the literary center as the place where one could locate 1) the central power, 2) the primacy of print, 3) the dominant languages and 4) the concentration of resources. Thus writers are either writing from the center or writing from the margins.

I was born in the Bikol Region—located over 500 kilometers from Manila, supposedly the center. I grew up in Bikol; I was educated there. I graduated a Civil Engineer long ago and far away from Manila. I spent more than 33 years of my life as a technical man in the construction industry, building roads and bridges, airports and dams and irrigation canals here and abroad. I supervised the construction of the King Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. I retired from construction in year 2000. In my “retarded” years. at the age of 55—without any training— I turned to writing, a preoccupation in this country with little economic returns.

Starting in 2001, I have published 8 books, and another is coming up in a couple of months. Of these, four are novels, four books containing over 160 stories and one book of essays on aging—and yet I am still not sure if I am writing from the center or from the margins.

My mother tongue is Bikol. During my corporate life I used to write in English. Now I write my novels and stories in the national language, Filipino, which for me is a borrowed language. However, my stories, poems and anecdotes are written in the three dialects of Bikol.

According to Mojares, there are three factors to consider in order to know if a writer is writing from the center or from the margins:

The first is LOCATION: Not simply one’s residence but “the place that has shaped the kind of person one is or has become, and the site one has consciously chosen to imaginatively locate oneself  in.” I live in Las Piñas, a part of Metro Manila. But when I write I always locate myself in Bikol. More than 80% of the settings of my stories and novels are in Bikol. So in this aspect I guess I am writing from the margins.

The second is the STANCE the writer takes. If one is confident and assured that what one writes is the living truth, then it could not be marginal, because “the truth realized in literature cannot be marginal.” I am definitely writing from the center.

The third factor has to do with ORIENTATION, not only where one stands but where or in what direction one is turned. According to Mojares, “So dominant is the center that a writer may start out from Davao but Manila is where he hopes to ‘arrive’.”

Now I am confused. I started from the center, writing and publishing in Manila, borrowing the dominant language and creating my network among writers of national stature.

However, during the writing of my third book, which was about legends surrounding Mayon Volcano, I went home, and it was as if I discovered my birthplace for the first time. I found confort in using my mother tongue, writing about my own people; about events that I knew when young. When in Bikol I find that my memories come easy and and are clearer. From then on I turned southwards—to Bikol, to the margins.

I have encouraged my province mates to write in their mother tongue and to publish their works in local magazines and in folios. We formed writers groups.  We organized literary events involving literary forms that are unique to the region, such as tigsik, rawitdawit and osipon.

For example my town of Oas, Albay has a population of barely 12,000 households spread in 53 barangays. Six years ago no one wrote in the Oasnon dialect. Every one thought it could not be written because of the many umlaut vowels, like abu, buku, ba’bu, bubuyuku. In 2004, I accidentally discovered a website called “For All Oasnon” at oasnon.com, set up by Cesar Redito, an Oasnon living in America. There were 6 contributors writing news about Oasnons living in the Los Angeles area. I joined them and started uploading my poems written in Oasnon dialect, using the German umlaut. From then on many Oasnon from other parts of the world started uploading stories of their experiences abroad, writing the vowels in the same form. Soon, the Oasnon living in Oas responded with stories of growing up in their barrios.

I grew up in a small barrio of rice farmers called Busac. In the early morning, men would walk out of their huts, and meet in a small bridge called kantarilya. Kantarilya is a bridge with railings on both sides; it spans a small stream. Men who have not washed their faces or brushed their teeth would meet there carrying cups of coffe or brewed ginger (salabat) and their fighting cocks. They would sit on the railings of the Kantarilya and tell stories while sipping their drinks, smoking and caressing their fighting cocks. When I was young I thought the men in our place caressed their cocks more often than their wives. Their fighting cocks, I mean. The stories that they tell were about their surroundings and their simple lives: Ang palayang sinalanta ng mga uod, na-tunggro na niyugan, naputol na saplad, saragateng natuklaw ng ahas, kung sino ang naka-score nang nakaraang gabi, ang numerong tumama sa jueteng, ang sinto-sintong nakahuli ng kalapating mababa ang lipad, ang palikerong natiklo sa akto ng asawa, ang pari na sumimple sa loob ng isang kabaret, ang kiri na nabuntis, ang batang mapurol ang ulo na natanggap mag-US Navy, ang magta-traysikel na nakajackpot ng maestra. The story-telling just go on and on and on, until the wives would fetch them for breakfast or for work. We call this “iristoryahan sa kantarilya”

We revived this “Iristoryahan sa Kantarilya” in the Oasnon website. We now have over 200 storytellers from many parts of the world sending their writings in digital form. They are writing stories, poems, memoir, history, news, and even songs about the town of Oas. Unwittingly we have given birth to what is slowly developing as an Oasnon literature.

If you ask me now where I am writing from, I would say that I am writing from my own comfort zone, writing the things that I know best, using the tools that I know best. It is not a fixed location. It is like a movable home. A place where, according to Robert Frost, if you have to go there they have to take you in. It is a place where I could pick my brain with unusual ease. It is like a pitstop in the gruelling race for fame and fortune.

Speaking of comfort zone, a young Jew was heard praying loudly in front of the Wailing Wall saying, “Lord, please bring me to where my people are! Please bring me to where my people are!” An elderly Jew heard him and said, “What do you mean bring you to where your people are? You are in Jerusalem, this is Israel the land of the Jews, where are your people?” The young Jew said, “They went to Miami Beach!” Comfort zones are like pleasure zones, they are not permanent places.

I suppose I am just like any writer who creates his own center, and it doesn’t matter whether it is in the center or in the margins. What matters is that I am comfortable in my own center.  

Comment via FaceBook

Re-posted with permission from original note posted on Tuesday, 23 November 2010 at 18:06

Reader Responses to "Tigsik, Tigsik, ano ang naiisip?"

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Following is the collection of reader responses for Tigsik, Tigsik, ano ang naiisip?

Ben Bobis:

I really am new in this milieu and what I have just read is quite an eye-opener and really new. I find this very intriguing and it draws me into its vortex like Poe's fabled maelstrom.

First, the roots of the 'Tigisk' is being traced to the ...jolly drinking bouts of yore! So the genre of 'Tigsik' can be that of an ode, a tribute to a derring-do, an idyll- even a saga or a folk lore, a cry of victory, a parody, a joke or a comedy, a merry repartee intended to liven up the drinking spree.

Second, since it is within the atmosphere of drinking camaraderie, only the exceptionally talented guys can maintain the meter and rhyme spontaneously. To relate it to our times, 'Tigisk' is the proto-type of what is fast-rising but fast-waning fad, the POP art of the RAP! But of course, without the accompaniment of a full-blown band.

Third, when deliberately planned and performed 'live', the ambiance required would be that place where drinks flows freely, acoustics provided efficiently and the crowd in the right mood to show the aura of mutual acceptability among all those in attendance, not just those who, in the exercise, participate actively.

Fourth, The Net is an excellent place to grow this art to its full glory. The atmosphere is: The cyberspace ensures privacy, and yet does not totally exclude a unique form of unity - a bond, so to say! And when times come that frictions occur, an inevitability when artistic egos clash (and we do have that a-plenty) there is no chance for violence to raise its ugly head, as frequently happens in the bars or watering holes in the city!

Fifth, there is gnawing suspicion in the back of my mind, that being an instrument of glee in a circle of drinking spree, the word could have have its origin from 'TIPSIK' of drinks from glasses of the inebriated celebrants who has reached the point where hands and feet get precariously unsteady and has lost coordination of their body! This I can attest to because, I've been there and will again be there, fortunately or unfortunately, but, yeah man, definitely - frequently!

However and whatever this 'Tigsik' is and will be, this is a legacy that we hope to relay to the next generation, an salidang dugo kan satuyang ngonian yaon pa man, sagkod nuarin, dai ta aram!

12 November at 16:04 •

Musings of the Midnight Writer: I totally appreciate your thoughtful insight on this, especially the third and the fourth ones, which are indeed necessary considerations for any Tigsikan, regardless of whether it is an impromptu event or an organized one!

12 November at 16:17 •

Praning: like the way you delivered it

12 November at 20:05

Joseph Escober: Nice one.. you're really passionate about the Bikol language huh!!.. keep it up..

12 November at 20:07 •

M. Luisa: tama dai ta paglingawan an satuyang sadiring lingwahe....be proud of it!...

12 November at 20:59 •

Praning: Tigsik ko inin si musing of the midnight writer

naghilingan na kami sa embarcadero near the break water

ako saiya saludong marhay

maurag mag komento sa buhay buhay

12 November at 21:01 •

M. Luisa: Tigsik ko ika. maski da mo ako bistado ako simong pinadagos sa saimong marhay na programa saimo ining ipag-urgolyo sa satuyang mga pagiriba na sinda makisumaro sa saimong marhay na programa an tirigsikan, ta maski ako nainganyo dawa dai ako tatao.....ako naogmahon ki marhay dakulang salamat saimo...

12 November at 22:57 •

Musings of the Midnight Writer:

Tigsik ko man ining mga nagtitirigsikan

si praning nag-aagyat ki kahampangan pag aldaw

si manoy jim pag banggui an hanap kun sisay mapatahaw

Minsan dae makabale, sa pakibasa an sakong boot naoogma

...Logod an mga siring na marhay na gibo padanayon ta

Sagkod an ibang Bikolnon na tradisyon satuya magkapurukaw

asin sa pagkaguimata kan mga naguturog na yaman kan kaisipan

malapag kan Bicolano an sadiri na haloy naling'wan asin hinihidawSee more

13 November at 03:30 •

Musings of the Midnight Writer: ‎@mommy luisa, kagayun kan saimong patara-tara ki pading praning buda sa iba pa. padagos an tirigsikan sa mga dahon-dahon pasalamat kita, libre makitugdon!

13 November at 04:37 •

Praning: @manay luisa : sana maheling ko man kamo sa pag uli ko sa december

13 November at 04:44 •

M. Luisa: eu baga nene magayon ini, makaingganyo asin nagtatao ki kaogmahan salamat nin dakul ta ako saindong namuyahan, kaya nonoy pwede kita magirilingan kun mamawoton, maray na bangui saindo gabos asin mabalos...

13 November at 05:28 •

Musings of the Midnight Writer: naagihan ko sa sarong dahon an urunan ni praning buda ni manoy jim na lugod man ma elevate an paghiling sa tigsik na bako sanang gibo kan mga burat kundi sarong estilo sa panurat, sarong art. sarong magayon na kamawotan, satuyang suportaran!

13 November at 18:07 •

M. Luisa: aw dakul an mamumuya kaini kun mae-elevate talaga ini ta magayun kaya lalo na itong sa mahlig mgsurat, maski ngani ako naingganyo, kaya satuya na pakusugon asin suportahan ining tirigsikan ni praning...

13 November at 21:34 •

Yatoy: salamat sa tag :-) baka pwede ko sya i report sa subject mi :-)

14 November at 05:04 •

Musings of the Midnight Writer: Pwede po, sabi ngani ni manoy jim sa inot na tigsik

"pagbuhay sa kabudyahan na nangaturog

ngonyan...satong ibalangibog!" ^_^

14 November at 05:57 •

Sangre:

Mabalos sa pagsurat mo musings manungod sa Tigsik...maugma ako na padiit-diit minadakul an nakakabasa ngunyan kan tigsik na dati sa wikipedia sana nakalubong. Mabubuhay ini dawa mawara kita sa kinaban. Ang kaipuhan ta gabos na Bicolano na g...ibohon, padanay tang isurat ini. Kun umabot sa panahon na pwde na ining icompile sa sarong libro, gibuhon ta asin ikaag sa mga library tanganing mabasa kan mga maabot pang henerasyon.

Mawot ko na dae ini malubong digdi sa Facebook. Mawot ko rumambong pa ini, ta satuya ining kultura.

14 November at 07:36 •

M. Luisa: tama ka dyan nonoy ta maski ako namumuya makaukog kung pano magtigsik...dai ta paglingawan an mga sinauna pggigibo kaito kan satong mga ninuno tara buhayon ta giraray satuyang tabangan ang nagmukna kaini na si Praning ako sobrang naoogmahon sa marhay niyang ginigibo dangan si Musings ta marhay an saindang obheto sa bagay na ini...mabuhay kamo!! marhay na aldaw....sa giraray kita mag FB na hahahahaha.....

14 November at 17:11 •

Musings of the Midnight Writer:

‎@manoy franco, kaogmahan ko man na makiparte sa marhay na kaisipan na ini nindo nina manoy jim buda praning, sagkod an gabos na nakikiparte asin nakikidagos.

kasabay ako duman sa mga haloy na nangiturog kaya sa pagkaguimata liwat, ako gari ...napalimpat, sa sakong pagbungkaras, sabay sa pagpamanggui ki bagong kaaraman an pagtais kan kakayahan sa panurat!

mawot ko man na makihimanwa asin magsuporta sa mga nainot nang espwerso. kun anu man an sadit na maiaambag ko lugod man makatabang ako.

enot an rawit-dawit, sunod an tigsik..aram ko man na may igwa ki nagtitipon ki mga pang-aking osipon...

bukas sana sa gabos ining dahon ni minagayon... kun ugwa muya makitogdon, libre tabi lalo na kun an kamawotan manongod sa pagbalik-yaman kan kultura, arte, buda literatura kan satuyang ginikanan na banwaan.

14 November at 18:14 •

M. Luisa:

marhayon an saimong rawit-dawit, ta mala ngani ako haloy na nangiturog sa sakuyang pagkaguimata igwa pa palan akong maguiguibo asin kakayahan na magdagdag nin kaaraman patin makaukod kan saindong marhayoun na kaisipan an saindong rawit-dawit.....

dangan an tigsik ako sobrang naiinganyo na makisabayan saindo ta mala ngani maski nadidipisilan sakuyang pig-aadalan kung pano ko mailuwas an sakuyang marhay na kaisipan, maiwaras an mga marhay na gawi=gawi na sakuyang naukudan sa sakuyang magurang,...

sayang ngani ta an sakuyang duwang wara ki panahon digdi......

dai bale na lang maski ako pwede na man....

14 November at 19:13 •

Sangre:

Kun kita magpadagos,

maski satung pagtirios,

maaraman kan gabos,

na'an tigsik ta bakong panos.

...Orgulyo ta ini ta ba'go pa man buminutwa an "rap" o "fliptop" igwa na ki tigsik na bakong subli sa ibang kultura. Sa emanipoetry, igwa ki rengahan...satuya igwang tirigsikan.

An bulawang kultura, haloy na gayud na nakaludop sa kantiladong requerdo. Ngonian na an panahon na ini bumutwa gilayon na urgolyo kan mga plos na uragon.

14 November at 20:10 •

Reader Responses to "Ano Baya Talaga"

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Following is the collection of reader responses for Manoy Ben's Ano Baya Talaga?

Praning: ayos!!!!

14 November at 18:47

Musings of the Midnight Writer: salamatun po sa pagheras kaini samu ^_^ Dios an magbalos!

14 November at 18:51 •

M. Luisa:

sobrang salamat kaining rawit-dawit mo mga tawong habo maghiras kan saindang kaigwahon dai ta sinda mababasol....siring man dakulang pasalamat kita sa mga tawong may marhay na kaisipan na magtabang sa mga kasaradayan sa abot kan saindang ma...itatabang....

satuya sindang ipinagadyi lalo na itong ibang sekto sa gobyerno na handang tumabang sa mga kasaradayan...

....kun para sa saku arog kan sakuyang pigtataram sa sakuyang mga aki na magsikap sinda sa buhay....magtapos sa pag-adal ngani may maabot sa buhay dai mkalingaw na magtabang sadit man o dakula....

dai makalingaw sa dios na maghagad nin gabay na itukdo an tamang dalan na aaguihan.......satuyang ikaugma an grasya nakukua kan iba ta baad pa lamang sinda makatabang sa ibang kahimanwa...

14 November at 19:31 •

Sangre: An kamaturan yaon sa lambang linya

hapot ko nu-arin magkaparareho

nuarin maka kakan ning daeng salto?

simbag ko, kun kita gabos mga gadan na!

14 November at 20:29 • 

Sangre: mawrag manoy ben...mabalos musings sa pagheras.

14 November at 20:33 •

M. Luisa:

tama ka dyan amang sa saimong sinabi igwa ki kamaturan, opinyon ko lang tangani dai magsalto sa pagkakan maghigos, maging responsable sa mga obligasyon sa buhay ta ang iba kaya nag-aasa sa tabang na maitatao sainda pag dai naunrahan dagit p...a sinda... dapat mghigos maabilidad sa buhay para mabuhay para magkakan sa tamang oras...dai paghalaton an kagadanan labanan an kadukhaan...

GOBYERNO TA NGUNYAN DAI PAG-ASAHAN midbid lang kita kun kaipuhan na botohan ta...magsikap na lang kita sa buhay....

15 November at 05:11 •

Elmor: salamat sa pag heras mo... at mang ben saludo ako saemo

15 November at 09:40 •

Elmor: egwa akong sampulong muro ang saro teriko

eka onse ang _____________________

kong dae ka mag hero mayo.

15 November at 09:50 •

Musings of the Midnight Writer: dae ini masabutan kan amigo kong italian na nasa US ngunyan, tigbalo niya na ipalis sa english, pero an nadedetect ni google translator, ispanish...kaya logod ako nagbalo, pwede makibasa man po...? http://goldimyrr.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-it-then-really.html marhay na aga saindo gabos ^_^

15 November at 15:47 •

Ben Bobis: Wanakosey! Bow na lang ng bow!

16 November at 08:28 •

:: Notes on Translation ::

.

I approached a respected and well-liked poet,

the known editor and translator of many works.

I asked him if he could be my travel guide

as I explore my craft and test the waters.

The swift archer pulled and shot me off this quote

which struck and stirred  my conscious thought

(this can't be a couplet 'cause it sounds like a hymnal,

these are the lines I read from the frolicsome Chilean cardinal):

"No matter what you believe translation should be,

it can only be as good (or as bad) as the original."

.

=========================================
Kurit sa Dahon ni Minagayon (22 November 2010 - 5:00 am - Legazpi City) 
=========================================

curiosity killed the cat

.
curiosity killed the cat
August 13, 2009 at 12:21 PM

Curiosity just killed the cat.
And it died another death today.
For it cannot bear to lose its pride,
It cut off its finger's piercing claws.
Grandmother’s yarn was full of promise and color
that the cat thought it could be weaved
into a warm and comfortable shawl.
foolish cat didn’t know,
it played with the yarn
and found itself tied and tangled,
only for grandmother to scold…
the yarn was for a cage decor
she has been wanting to make for the bird. 

Tagged: curiosity, cat, death, pride, promise, color, 

                comfortable, foolish, played, tangled, decor

Filed under: Of Which None Is To Be Said

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What is it then, really?

Our regional language, Bikol, is yet to be picked up by Google and efforts for that to be possible are only on their initial stages of conception...

Allow me to post for you a rough translation of this poem. Manoy Ben's or another friend's could be closer to the original, this nonetheless is how I understand the poem and is as far as the constraints of my vocabulary of our own language reaches, so here goes:

What is it then, really?

beggars that line the stretch of the road
right in front of the house across the neighborhood
from the time i still crept on all four, hands and feet on the floor
till all the Fridays that followed, i've never faltered to witness
by the slits of our windows and door

a prodding mystery that in my naivete clouded my mind, o why
these pitiful sights, too heavy of a burden for a child's mind
till on the daily business of life with the passing of time
all else have become ordinary, and they were seen as a gang reveling

whence, by merits of the academe, 'midst the witnessed struggles
what broke out into the stream and walked the streets is the activist
and yet the queue of beggars were never removed before our eyes
and the little stream became a river that to the next bend extended
of these paupers and homeless people who appear incessantly by the door
yet whose roots could not be traced, that we must find out and know

turning heads around from this sad movie that plays back everyday
all is blamed to the bespoken corruption that reels in the government
limestone in the crowd, or sand and sediment like them: behind the bars, go!
in the cold of the metal jail fences enclosing,
feeling so sorry for what has become of the self
is the hearkening of the light of understanding,
oh how severe were the ways followed, full of pits and falls!

Is this indeed the road that leads us to our sufferings' roots?
beggars, from dusted Bible times, well there have already been many
and so perhaps ne'er the government nor it's said democracy did breed?
perhaps the keys that would shift the gear are right
within the pockets of the mariners of our ship


those aristocrats, they sought the seat of power, and won by many votes
save a little fraction, they all used their political position to further their possessions
but whether inherited riches or stolen from the nation's people is not the issue
what sums all these talks is their ignorance of what obligation
has he who is entrusted with much things of value

it is in the book that we read 'responsibilities of wealth' but 'tis now
forgotten. even though investments are good, nothing can be traded
against providing service that is true to its word.
Profit with honor, SMC by Soriano
would anyone know if it's still being run
the same way by Cojuangco?

If then the roots of this pauperhood and destitution, could not be found
for the ones seated in power, are not all greedy over wealth,
but in any one who has much, whether stolen or inherited,
all holders of the stake are on the same plane standing:
in their hands fall the burden to alleviate all the suffering

But where could they all be, these who have more
than what they need, truly wealthy indeed and capable
To, with all of heart's sincerity, give voluntarily,
from all their gains. Dumped with so much graces
that the one ABOVE to them has only willfuly lent,
for just how many Manny Pacquiao's does our nation,
the Philippines, really need?

This is The Midnight Writer's rough translation of Manoy Ben Bobis' "Ano Baya Talaga?"

A little reflection from a parishioner after Manny Pacquiao won his 8th world boxing title.

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YOU CAN POST YOUR FACEBOOK COMMENT HERE. 

We were born gorgeous; others were just born.

.

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Repapipz '06

.

Ano Baya Talaga?

pila kaining makilimos poon kan ako magka-isip

sa luwas kan samong harong pirmi na nasisi'rip

nagkamang pa sana kaito, dai pa nakakalakaw

...daing patod kada byernes sakong pigtatanaw

lumbod na isip nagbungkaras ining hapot: t'daw

makahirakon hilingon, baang gabat para isipon

pero sa kahaluyan sa iba pang kasibutan nalingaw

ordinaryo na ni, nagin garo maogmang pagtiripon

naghaloy, nag-adal, bigla nag-aru'al, actibista daa

pero yaon giraray, dai nagli'pot, logod naglaba pa

ining makilimos byernes sa pwerta, yaon pa an pila

kun sain nagpoon su gamot magharanap daw kita

napamurongtan, nabirikan ining gobyernong korupto

taas kamo-o sabay kaining grupo, tundag: sa presinto!

pagpara-hara-hapihap laom kan rehas, sa sadiri nahirak

igwang nagliwanag, ining dalan palan grabe, lubak-lubak!

iyo baga ini totoong dalan sa gamot kaining kasakitan?

mga nagpalimos, panahon pa kan biblia, yaon, dakul man

tibaad bako man ining gobyerno demokrasya an hinalian?

tibaad an lyabe yaon sa mga tawong kani nagpadalagan

dating mayaman, nagkandidato, sa eleksyon nanggana

kadakul nakatuhkaw ginamit an pwesto yuminaman sana

maski arin man herederong yaman o hina'basan pareho

sumada: dai ninda aram obligasyon kan igwang sentimo

yaon sa libro nabasa 'responsibilities of wealth' kun sain

lingaw na. paminsan-minsan maginvest man daing kabain

magtao ki serbisyong puro. Profit with honor, SMC ni Soriano

ano daw kun ngonian kun eu pa man palakad ni Cojuangco.

kun siring gamot kaning pagpalimos, pag-tios, dai makukua

an nasa pwesto, bakong man gabos gahaman sa kwarta

kudi sa may kaya, hina'bun o pigamana, pareho man sinda

igwang responsibilidad na an pagtios tabangan mapara na

Hain daw sinda, ining iri-igwahon, mayamanon, may kaya

udok sa boot, boluntaryong ma-heras, saindang ganansya

tinambakan ki grasya na kan sa ITAAS sinda pinasubli sana

pirang pang Manny Pacquiao kaipuhan an Pinas magkaigwa?

--

Hali ki Ben Bobis (15 Nov 2010)

The Definition of a Poem

.

.

.

What is a poem?

A poem is.

.

.

. 

Tigsik, Tigsik, ano ang naiisip?

.

TIGSIK is one of a kind.

     It is a form of literature unique only to the Bicolano folks. An old form of poetry, it literally means "toast". It has no rigid format but is usually a four-line sharp-edged piece (on almost any subject) and is recited during gatherings until everyone is too inebriated for poetry.

     I first came across this literary form via The Mayon, the official school paper of Bicol University's High School  Department, which had a column dedicated for it. I just know if it is a tigsik if it begins with "Tigsik ko ining...." and is followed by a crisp, witty, and poetic commentary on almost anything.

     Nevertheless, appreciation for it has always been set aside, for despite it's poetic value, yours truly was void of any relevant cultural experience that could have unlocked the mystery values of the tirigsikan.

     Until just recently, in the literary circle of Bikolanos on Facebook, an online Tigsikan was successfully launched. I realized then that the probable cause for my inattention to the tigsik is because most of what I have read are mere fragments, independent 4-liners that were just compiled together to sample what a tigsik is. 

 

What seems to fill the gap in my understanding of the tigsik is the sense of community and the presence by which the tigsik is delivered before an audience. 

 

CONTENT ADVISORY:

LANGUAGE: The following may contain words that may be offensive or unacceptable for others due to parts with suggestions and statements on human sensuality fit only in an adult-themed discussion. It is recommended for the young readers to proceed with the guidance of a teacher or parent.

ATTRIBUTION: Without disregard for attributions or credits, the names of the participants have been removed from their individual contributions to the Tigsikan with respect to the privacy settings of their Facebook profiles where the contributors' walls are mostly hidden from public view. If you wish however to be identified/or for your post to be removed, please feel free to send us a private message or email. Thank you.

 

Warm-up sa Dahon ni Manoy Jim

Jimple Uy Borlagdan Tuesday at 5:40
Hineras ni Noel Dorente:

tinigsik ko ining tirigsikan daa sa facebook
pakaraskasan daa kang mapanurugdas na hutok
pagbuhay sa kabudyahan na nangaturog
ngonyan sa internet satong ibalangibog!

            Tigsik ko ining tirigsikan sa Facebook
            punan ta na bago marugok
            dai matakot kun mabilot
            basta an baso palubot
            Tuesday at 05:45 • 1 person likes this.
          o
            tigsik sa paglologin
            kun mayong siring (money sign)
            dai makaka-farming
            Tuesday at 06:40 •
          o
           tinigsik ko ining facebook
            mga tawo daing pandok''
            alagad anong riribok
            maski dai midbid mga katood
            Tuesday at 06:49 • 2 people
          o
            tinigsik ko ining peysbok
            an parasurat maribok
            kun mga kanatad turospok
            pirming pwerte an urulok
            Tuesday at 06:50 •
          o
            tigsik sa mayong ngaran
            sa friendster angay ka duman
            Tuesday at 06:54 • 1 person
          o
            tinigsik ko an status
            married pero single
            complicated pero married
            ay! mamili ka "varied"
            Tuesday at 06:55 •
          o
            tigsik sa daing girong
            mahilg sa like, daing opinyon
            supog lang an status ignoron
            Tuesday at 06:57 • 3 people
          o
            tigsik sa bakong friendly
            sadiring post, ila-like ini
            ma-comment pa sa sadiri
            Tuesday at 06:59 • 2 people
          o
           tigsik ko an mga nagkokomentar
            digdi sa facebook kan banwaan
            kung minsan dai man ki kamugtakan
            basta sana may maitaram...
            Tuesday at 06:59 • 2 people
          o
            tigsik ko an comment
            hidaw si Manoy Ben
            saiyang mga prends
            halat saiyang moment
            Tuesday at 07:00 •
          o
            tinigsik ko ining durat
            pirming igwang pighahalat
            da maginibo su kagrat
            ni may na igwa mang ka tsat
            Tuesday at 07:04 •
          o
            tigsik ko an lanob
            pangkurit panglakop
            gabos na ngurob ngurob
            pwera sana an hambog -
            Tuesday at 07:05 •
          o
            tigsik sa mga daing maginibo
            ipigpopost sarisaring video
            dawa r-18 o violensya iniyo
            Tuesday at 07:07 • 1 person
          o
            tigsik ko an shoutout
            pakurusugan kan gasod
            makaabot sa pitong bulod
            Tuesday at 07:08 •
          o
            tigsik ko an mga lalaking parainom
            maski atab pa hanap pampabuyong
            pag dai makaligok ki likidong bugsok
            malibong payo, halunan naghahagok...
            Tuesday at 07:09 • 1 person
          o
            tigsik sa groups na sarisari
            pagkwela, ila-like tulos ni
            dangan lingaw na digdi
            Tuesday at 07:11 •
          o
            tigsik ko an bangui
            toninong makawili
            an sakong si padi
            sabi maturog na kami!
            Tuesday at 07:11 •
          o
            bye na nguna an beauty ko -
            Dios magbantay saindo gabos!
            Tuesday at 07:12 •
          o
            sa mga pirming online ining tigsik
            dai na nagluluwas, minagimik
            bangkag na sa kalalagatik
            Tuesday at 07:12 •
          o
            tigsik sa mga magurang
            sa fb yaraon naman palan
            wall kan aki binabantayan
            Tuesday at 07:14 • 2 people
          o
            tinigsik ko ining pirot
            matanga na oras kalot
            mahigda na ngunang balot
            ta uroldot na su lubot
            Tuesday at 07:19 •
          o
            tigsikon ko daw ining alas nueve
            ta an iba nangtigsik na kasubanggi
            hanggang digdi sana ngaya ini
            ta bako man baga kita labi-labi
            Tuesday at 17:48 •
          o
            tigsik sa satong password
            idtong masakit dapat gayod
            tanganing mayong makatood
            Tuesday at 17:50 •
          o
            tigsik sa mga matibay na hacker
            aram nya daw password ta* aber
            Tuesday at 17:54 •
          o
            tigsik ko ining thread
            halaba garo sliced bread
            gabos maurag, gabos well said
            sabi ngani sa Tiwi dabid!
            Tuesday at 19:48 • 2 people
          o
            tinigsik ko ining facebook
            mga bikolano digdi mariribok
            payt-payt sana an urulok.
            maski minsan medyo nagsasamok.
            Wednesday at 02:38 •
          o
            tinigsik ko ining...
            oops, sorry may nag-atot.
            Wednesday at 02:43 •
          o
            tigsik ko an saimong atot
            gibo kan haludon na parot
            na sablok sa mapanos na nilanot
            sa buli ni tiya tinay kinutkot!
            ...:DD
            Wednesday at 04:01 • 1 person
          o
            tinigsik ko itong buling kinutkot
            hapon na gayod kang ito sinurok
            nagcomputer na dai nagsabon
            yinuro-yamyaman baga an pagulon!
            Wednesday at 04:47 •
          o
            tigsik ko ining katungkaan
            mabisita sako aru-atyan
            kaya dapat nang kumakan
            tanganig diretso sa higdaan
            Wednesday at 12:35 •
          o
            ahahaa
            Wednesday at 17:01 • 1 person
          o
           tigsik ko ngarakngak ni Dyubani
            gari pigsang pinusdak ki perdible
            su sapurak pano sarong balde
            Wednesday at 18:14 •
          o
            tigsik sa sakong gutom
            oras-oras minapagiromdom
            pinangat daa o kaya natong
            Wednesday at 18:17 • 

     From the tigsik samplers of high school days (that looked like fragmented verses at first glance which called to mind the Fireflies of Rabindranath and the Haiku of Japan), observing the online Tirigsikan brought me into the light and set me into reading a collaborative poetry which can be essentially compared to the Renga of Japan delivered in the flair and wit of the traditional Tagalog Balagtasan (despite that this online Tirigsikan is without the traditional 'sumsuman' or merrymaking with wine with which it is known for).

 

An Paglansar kan Tigsikan ni Manoy Jim buda ni Praning

Jimple Uy Borlagdan ► Praning's Korner Taga Legazpi

Tigsik ko an banggi
digdi sa dahon ni Taga Legazpi
ano maray na pagtirigsikan
dai akong maisipan

Wednesday at 03:34 

•        o
              sa banging ini wara man ako ma isip
              nata daw pag arog kaini dipisil mag tigsik
              sa kadakulan kang nasa payo wara mailuwas sa sakong puyo?
              Wednesday at 03:36 •
            o
              Tigsik ko an pag-isip
              pagkaipuhan dipisil i-osip
              pero nata pagturutambara
              an hisdal nagbabaha-baha?
              Wednesday at 03:38 •
            o
              sa sakong pag hurop hurop
              mantang sabaw pig hihigop
              ano daw maray na pag tigsikan
              digdi sa dahon ko ngunyan???
              Wednesday at 03:39 •
            o
              Tigsik ko an saimong pig-aatid-atid
              aram kong sa hutok nagsurusaralabid
              maray kaan palumuyon ki diit na pasagid
              sa ngimot kan basong nakakapaligid
              Wednesday at 03:41 •
            o
              dai ko man urog maiisip
              nata baga sa utok ko nagsarabit
              mga muyang iluwas kan sakong mga muro
              gamit ko lang sa nguso
              Wednesday at 03:45 •
            o
              tigsik ko an pagkomposo
              hali sa wara pasiring sa igwa
              garo pagdakop sa layas na kabayo
              an silaod halipot, may bari an abaga
              Wednesday at 03:48 •
            o
              an bangui sarong tigsik,
              an pagkamoot, mga rignos sa diklom.
              tigsik ko an bangui
              ta igwa siyang namit,
              ...
              alagad may naghihibi
              sa sarong harong sa harayo,
              may puting kandila, may puting paros.
              Wednesday at 03:49 •
            o
              sa pagsurat ko ki mga rawit dawit
              sa kahaluyan katutukaw makulog sa lapit
              pag anap kan mga tataramon
              sakong makuwa ang sakong paglaom
              Wednesday at 03:51 •
            o
              tigsik ko an pagsurat
              huna pwede marabat
              kiray mo masarabat
              bulbol mo mahurunat
              Wednesday at 03:53 •
            o
              maski ini kulot
              dakol muya kumusot
              halaba dakula
              sakuya ining padaba
              Wednesday at 03:54 •
            o
              Tigsik ko an mga lalaking hambog kumakan nin matataba,
              Alagad kun an mga ini palan naiistrok
              Si manoy masakit na man na makatindog
              Uminom pang dugo nin kobra, dai na minaisog.
              Wednesday at 03:55 •
            o
              tigsik ko an panurat
              kasugpon halabang maparat
              kayang baduson an papel
              kan mga tataramon kan anghel
              Wednesday at 03:56 •
            o
              tigsikan na daing padumanan
              pero dakol na maaram
              sa kada tigsik
              liwoy ko biyo nag taralsik
              Wednesday at 03:57 •
            o
              malulupit po kamu..!!!! mayo kamung ka parihas sa kinaban
              Wednesday at 03:58 •
            o
              Tigsik ko an satong tigsikan
              enot sa Facebook hinaman
              pag kan iba namuklatan
              marambong an satong napunan!
              ...mabalos padi! mauragon! :DD
              Wednesday at 03:59 • 1 person
            o
              maray baga ining tigskan
              payp asin utak ko nag durudalagan
              exercise kan sakong utak
              na garo na baga linupak
              Wednesday at 04:00 •
            o
              tigsik ko si praning pag abot sa korner.
              ang saeyang pag tigsik nakaka praning.
              Wednesday at 04:01 • 2 people
            o
              sa masunod naman praning korner
              pagnagkauyon na garo togeder
              makabuyong pero daing hangober
              magtirigsikan kita por eber
              Wednesday at 04:05 • 2 people
            o
              pinaunrhan mo ako salamat pading jimple
              uya lugod nagluwas so sakong dimple
              ngirit na aga mulach na baga ako
              pag nagbayle gaor si vhong navarro
              Wednesday at 04:06 • 1 person
            o
              sakong pag bisita sa saimo dahon pranz tigsikan nindo duwa ni jimple swabeng swabe tigsikan nindo sna gangiuibuhon burubangi ngani samo bangi pirmi hapi.classm8 inda ko ok na ba ini?hapot lng hain kana ta binayaan mo kmi??
              Wednesday at 04:47 • 1 person
            o
             pag age ko dgd.sa dahon na nipa ninda praning. teg pabakal lang ako nin mantika saka suka ni mama naula sa sapa. sa ka babasa nin mga man lain lain na tigsik na nag kukurit sa tinampong mainit.
              Wednesday at 05:01 •
            o
              sakong mga amigo,
              kasubaggui nakibale ako
              sa maogmang tirigsikan nindo
              alagad ngonian an sakuyang payo
              garo daing laman, an utak blanko.
              ...pero maski puru paano
              ako mokontribo, sa maogmang
              tirigsikan nindo.
              tigsik ko ining tirigsikan
              sa isip nagpapayaman
              pwedeng umentra maski sisay
              basta an mensahe malaman....
              :D :D
              Wednesday at 05:09 •
            o
              ‎@ manay bie: wara man ki topic pano trip trip lang me pading jimple
              Wednesday at 05:41 • 1 person
            o
              aram ko nonoy na daing topic
              pero ako napapaisip
              kung ano an maray na itigsik
              sa arog tang may mga trip?
              Wednesday at 05:52 • 1 personlikes this.
            o
             Tigsik maragsik nag ririsik risik
              Managum manamit mahaldat malanit.
              Wednesday at 05:59 • 1 personlikes this.
            o
              Tigsik ko an ginigibong pa tago,
              kan mag-ilusyon nangurapot garo tuko’
              siisay sainda an tolos maduko’?
              Tinitigsik ko an rumansa kan mga Agta,
              ...Maski sa mga sanga ginigibo, nakurapot sana,
              Sagkod na mabari kun nagkikiwig-kiwig na.
              Wednesday at 06:01 •
            o
              bravo!!!:) mga amtibayon man kamo...
              Wednesday at 14:31 •
            o
              an tigsik ni praning...ma.......
              Wednesday at 23:17 •
            o
              ano na iyan n tirigsikan na yan..gari daing magkairisipan????
              Wednesday at 23:54 •
            o
              Mheng, kaya ngani nagtitirigsikan tabi ta dakolon na nanag-kakairisipan, biyong nagsusurupay. :)
              Yesterday at 02:29 • 1 person
            o
              tigsik tigsik
              ano ang naiisip
              maski ano ang trip
              dai lingawan su'logon ang brip
              Yesterday at 02:31 •
  

     Just like the renga, the solo tigsik continues to be written around and are just about the same in form and essence, but somehow, it leaves me with the impression that the implications of a participative and collaborative Tirigsikan, will bring us to a closer experience of how our forefathers had it during their severely drunk and merry poetic times.

     A live and personal Tirigsikan has yet to happen within our rounds at present, (and I mean outside of the four-corners of the literature class!) but warming up the walls of the Bikolano literary circle on Facebook, Jim Borlagdan of Kun Bikolano Ka, Mag-Bikol Ka, Praning's Korner Taga Legazpi, Franco Sangreo of LitraTulâ are rounds of Tirigsikan with contributions from other poets and enthusiasts.

"Tigsik kita..." - An Paki-Agyatan ni Manoy Jim Borlagdan Makipag-Tigsikan sa Dahon ni Franco Sangreo

Franco Coralde Sangreo Yesterday at 07:15 

Ano an naitanom ko ngunyan? Mabuhay kaya ini dawa magadan an kinaban? 

•           o
             tigsik kita manoy?
              Yesterday at 07:25 •
            o
              payt..
              Yesterday at 07:29 •
            o
              ano ngayang tema?
              Yesterday at 07:33 •
            o
              manungod satung kulturang bikolnon, punan ko na:
              Tinigsik ko'ng parasurat
              sa Bikol gulping maurag
              siging tirigsik magdamlag
              ...kinaugma luluya ta puyat
              Yesterday at 07:37 •
            o
              tigsik ko an parasurat
              hutok nangangarawat
              sabi ko nang bakong rabat
              dipisil baga mang-arat
              Yesterday at 07:40 •
            o
              Tinigsik ko an pagsurat
              pantais kapwa parasurat
              magtarangka o maghalat
              masurat maski sisay mag agyat
              Yesterday at 07:47 •
            o
              Tigsik ko ining Bikolnon
              dakulon an tataramon
              oyaon digdi an gayon
              kun satuyang atamanon
              Yesterday at 07:57 •
            o
              Tigsik ko an parasurat
              tuod sa paghalat
              kun nuarin mawaltak
              an liday hali sa alak
              Yesterday at 07:57 •
            o
              Bikolnon tigsikon ko
              tigsikon ko ki tudo
              ta ogma an daghan ko
              na danay ini sa tawo
              Yesterday at 07:59 •
            o
              tigsik taka pading franco
              parasurat uragon daing salto
              ta an bilang kan linya sarakto
              Yesterday at 08:01 • 1 person
            o
              Tigsik ko ining mata ko
              kaya gayud suminakto
              an mga bilang sa linya ko
              buta'ng wala muklat to-o
              Yesterday at 08:06 •
            o
              tigsik ko mga sakto mong linya
              pwedeng sa mata pero garo sa talinga
              an hulog kan tataramon pinalitada
              dai lamang makikigkig an maaging rida
              Yesterday at 08:08 •
            o
              tigsik ko an satong tigsikan
              kaipuhan ko na magpaaram
              nag-aapod na an higdaan
              kaipuhan pang mangaturugan
              Yesterday at 08:18 • 1 person
            o
              Tinigsik ta ka pading Jim
              pigmawot ta kang mahiling
              alagad habo ko an gin
              sa harampangan ugaring
              Yesterday at 08:19 •
            o
              Tinigsik ko an orasan
              iyo, matanga na palan
              an satuyang Kagurangan
              kairiba sa higdaan.
              ...mabalos pading JIM...sa tigsikan ta
              Yesterday at 08:23 •
            o
              mabalos man padi, nabugak su hutok ko. muya ko burubanggi arog kaito. :)
              15 hours ago •

     This is just perhaps the first three rounds of Tirigsikan online, I hope that there will be more to come, because there is so much more to know and learn about this form of poetry, the Tigsik. 

      You probably had fun reading the posts, so just think how much more it would be if you could utter your own responses and take part in the tigsikan? I think that would be a lot more fun!

      The renewed interest of us Bikolanos in this traditional endeavor, if can be sustained through collective efforts, will not only strengthen and encourage literary productivity and cultural scholarship in the region, but will also bring forth more people into the circle to contribute to the current efforts of perpetuating the Bikol language and provide support and continuum to the long heralded and often heard-about new renaissance of Bicol literature and arts.

THE COOLEST THING PERHAPS ABOUT THE "AGYATAN"??

THE TIRIGSIKAN SA FB COMMUNITY 
WAS BORN AND CAME TO LIFE!

 Note: Bicol is generally accepted as the spelling of the name of the region, thus Bicolano refers to the people who live or whose roots originate from the place. Bikol is used to refer to the language and a Bikolano is someone who utters the language.

Read more about the TIGSIK via Bicol Wikipedia. 
Some information can also be found at Tigsik Bicol.