Stay Safe

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asian poetry, charlotte aninion-de guzman, Covid, Filipino poetry, Poem, Poetry, saintcharlotte, sanctuary, Stay Safe

Two words
We tell one another now.
Two words
We say to people we love.
Two words
We unselfishly speak even to strangers.

Stay – \ ˈstā
Say it, feel the words linger on your lips.
Close your eyes and listen,
To the silent meaning at the end.
Stay \ – ā \ longing, hear the unspoken desire to see the person remain unharmed.

Safe – \ ˈsāf
Breathe in, exhale, and speak the word.
Do you feel air leaving your body?
An act of passing on precious breath to another.
Safe \ – āf \ blessing someone with the very act of breathing, of living.

Two words
We utter nowadays.
Two words
Our prayer of protection.
Two words
Filled with life and determination.
To continue fighting
To keep on living.
Two words
Stay safe.

A year of quarantine and the COVID cases has risen. Yesterday (April 6) there were 9,000 new cases. We have a total of 803,000 cases since the virus appeared. A lot of people have died (13,435 deaths). The hospitals have reached their maximum capacity. Our health workers are tired, frustrated, and angry. Manila and the surrounding areas are in lockdown again. The government, it seems, has no concrete plans on how to go about things. The people are tired …. We try our best to keep on going. Every day we pray for one another to stay safe. (Manila, April 7)

A City of Words

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charlotte aninion-de guzman, charlotte de guzman, Creative writing, Filipino poetry, Poem, Poetry, saintcharlotte, sanctuary

I have not the language of writers
Born from distant mountains
Children of the fields and the sky
For their words reflect the river they came from
Slow, languid, and flowing like waters from pools
Where sleepy banana trees recline on banks
Blessed by the ancient rain
And where needlepoint of sunlight never fades
But shine brightly even behind closed eyes

No, I am a daughter of the asphalt
Of the long and winding streets of this city
Where a million feet never rests
Even as the moon rides high across the midnight sky
You can hear hundreds of souls shuffling
Making their way through narrow alleyways
That lead to houses upon houses of dreams
Nestled under a sea of tin eaves
Separated by weathered roads
Where jeepneys reign and sputter at standby
As their barkers, in unison, heave and cry
A crescendo of sound, a concert of destinations
To attract the people passing by
“Come now, come now. Just one more. And we are off.”

Off deep in the city. Off to reality. Off to the daily grind.
And my words run
Letters spilling on top of one another
Like buses racing against each other
And my words intimately know the cracks on the pavement
My syllables fit snugly into every pothole
Forming neon lighted sentences beside shanties
Furiously carving out their existence,
Punctuated with the rise of every building
Reflecting the red sun against windows of glass
And all the while, people stand and fall
Just like a crowd of words, pushed and pulled
Shaped and molded into steel and grimy concrete
Never knowing rest, always changing, sharp and knowing
Tenacious, street-smart, no sugar added attitude
Dripping from my tongue like the acid retort
Of vendors and pedestrians alike
Fighting for space, fighting for life
And my words, are born out of them,
Blades of phrases, bound together
Cutting deeply into city-bred flesh
And all the while,
The sunlight shines through
Manila’s open bloodshot eyes.

Another Reason to be Thankful

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charlotte aninion-de guzman, charlotte de guzman, ecopoetry, Filipino poetry, Filipino poetry in English, Poetry, saintcharlotte, sanctuary, Sustaining the Archipelago, Yolanda: The Language of Grief

Thank you, Lord 😊❤️ Finally got the personal copy of my poem – “Yolanda: The Language of Grief”, which came out in the book entitled, “Sustaining the Archipelago” from UST Publishing House. This book is the first anthology of ecopoetry in the Philippines. I am so grateful and honored that one of my poems was able to make the cut and be included in it. Thank you Rina Garcia Chua for this opportunity. God bless you more 😊 And of course, thank you Lord for everything ❤️ The glory and honor be Yours forever. #LoveYouLord 😊

My YouTube Channel: Lit Learn Live!!!

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analysis, books, Lit Learn Live, Literature, Poems, saintcharlotte, sanctuary, YouTube, YT

Hi, starting a YT channel where I get to share my passion for writing, poetry, and books. I hope to upload a new video every week where I would be teaching literature, or sharing poetry, or analyzing texts, or sharing books that you may want to buy and read 😊

Here’s the link to my first YT video 😊 Hope you guys could support by liking and subscribing 😊 Thanks 💖💖💖

http://My YouTube Channel : Lit Learn Live!!!

😜💋❤️😘

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charlotte aninion-de guzman, Creative writing, Filipino poetry, Filipino poetry in English, Poem, Poetry, saintcharlotte, sanctuary

The poinsettias bloomed today
Just like your lips on that day
I kissed you
Flaming bright and luscious
I never knew that Christmas red
Can be so wickedly delicious

Image from IG : “FLORAL FIXATION 🌺🌺 Well @pii.ka

Salita ng Dapithapon

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charlotte aninion-de guzman, Creative writing, Filipino poetry, Poem, Poetry, saintcharlotte, sanctuary, tula, Waiting for Sunset movie

Naisulat tapos panoorin ang, “Waiting for Sunset”

Naalala mo ba ang sinabi mo?
Mahal mo siya at iiwan mo ako.
Bakit nakalimutan mo na yata?
Anong nangyari at bumabalik ka?

Ngunit yan ang problema sa salita.
Pag hinugis at sinambit
Ito’y parang ibong nakawala
Lilipad sa himpapawid.

Di na mahuhuli at mababawi
Tulad ng desisyong di na mahahawi.

Ito ang masaklap na katotohanan,
Ang alaala ng mga araw na nagdaan
Sa paglipas ng taon at panahon
Nalalagas parang mga tuyong dahon.

Sa pagsapit ng di-mapigilang dapithapon
Naglaho ang ikaw at ako noon.
Ang dating tayo ….
Anino na lamang ng kahapon.

Manila Bay 2020

Haunted

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charlotte sharon aninion-de guzman, death, haunted, Poem, Poetry, saintcharlotte, sanctuary

 

Photo by photokip.com on Pexels.com

This week, some of my good friends said goodbye to people they love and I felt sad upon hearing the news. It also reminded me of the people I lost — we never really get over the pain of losing them, do we? So, I just had to write and let the sadness out.

I walked through the house
It was silent
Except for the sound of your voice
Asking me if I’ve eaten dinner
Or what would I want to watch on TV later?
I walked through the house
It was empty
Except for the smell of your perfume
Lingering in the hallway
And on your favorite blouse that was in bloom
With lilies, bright and welcoming
Like your smile, beckoning
In that photograph across the room.
I walked through the house
It was cold
Like the monsoon storm
Howling in defiance at the sun ….
I reached out across the bed, felt the sheets with my arm
They say you’re gone.
But why does your pillow still feel so warm ….

Venus in Orbit is Here!!!

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charlie, charlotte aninion-de guzman, charlotte de guzman, let’s get lit, podcast, saintcharlotte, sanctuary, venus in orbit, we are venus in orbit

So blessed to have been invited to join this group of smart and talented women – the goddesses of the podcast show known as Venus in Orbit – Kooky Tuason, Marty Tengco, Charms Tianzon, Lai Legaspi, Simone Sales, and Carla Baretto. I’m so excited to be a part of this show. So please do check us out ❤️❤️❤️

Our website is: https://wearevenusinorbit.com/podcasts/ and our FB page is: Venus In Orbit 😘❤️ #Charlie #LetsGetLit 😘❤️

I just came out with Episode 1. Coming out this week is a podcast that is gonna be about: Creating Meaning During the Pandemic – inspired by Camus of course 😘😘😘 And hey, while you’re at it, listen to what the other goddesses have to offer as well 💕💕💕 Hope you guys can join us soon 😊

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=138857004481752&id=105644131136373

Dreaming of Rain

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asian poetry, charlotte aninion-de guzman, charlotte de guzman, Creative writing, Filipino poetry in English, Poem, Poetry, saint charlotte, saintcharlotte, sanctuary

And the rain fell
Gentle and insistent
Lingering on my lips and skin
Tapping against the window pane
Like a lover asking to be let in
And I came alive
With the touch of the wanton wind
With the scent of the undulating sea
With the kiss of monsoon
Watering the forgotten arid places
Of this sultry summer afternoon.

Image: ctto @Pinterest

Sunset

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asian poetry, charlotte aninion-de guzman, charlotte de guzman, Creative writing, Filipino poetry in English, Poem, Poetry, saintcharlotte, sanctuary, Sunset

Don’t tell me to stay away
When the fading sunset defiantly flames
Against the memories of each passing day
Don’t tell me to stay away
While radiant fire dances in your eyes
And all I can see in their golden depths
Is tomorrow’s promise of you and I.

Sunset Over Manila Bay #unfiltered #iPhonePhotography #PoetryandPhotography

Masks

Tags

charlotte aninion-de guzman, charlotte de guzman, COVID19 reality, Creative writing, Filipino poetry, Poem, Poetry, saintcharlotte, sanctuary

So now we have translated
Past computer screens
Past mobile phone dreams
From virtual reality into tactile clarity
These distances we have created
Boundaries that society
Even in cyberspace has initiated
Are now transpiring
Manifesting into daily living.

Masks
Open the doors. Let them land and enter.
Political reasons. Loyalties deferred.
Masks
ASL? Filipino? Truth or not.
Chinese, should I say – but?
Masks
Hoard the goods, sell on Shopee.
Triple the price, must think of me.
Masks
Stop at checkpoints. Follow orders.
I’ll go around it. Find a way, who cares?
Masks
Work. No output. No pay.
Ants mean nothing, haven’t you heard them say?
Masks
Front liners unprotected.
Fear. Save myself. Better them dead.
Masks
Wash your hands.
Pilate’s speech. After all that’s been said.
But who cares what you say then and when.
Everybody’s gone. No one is left to listen.

Manila, on the night before the quarantine starts. The stillness is unnerving, and yet the silver light of the moon seems to be a celestial promise, telling me that everything will be okay.

If Only Today Could Stay

Tags

charlotte aninion-de guzman, charlotte de guzman, Filipino poetry, Filipino poetry in English, If Only Today Could Stay, Love, Poetry, saint charlotte, saintcharlotte, sanctuary

You said
Life can be short or long
And I replied
You are so wrong
For our moment now is too swift
Too fast for a lifetime to keep
And this instant of being in your arms
Cocooned in the warmth of your charms
Is but a dream in the heartbeat of reality
Where our flesh obeys the voice of mortality
And if I could, I want to get trapped in forever
Hold back the seconds, escape with you wherever
You and I can be free, to be just you and me
And to taste happiness, not just for a while
But live in the eternity reflected in your smile
Tell time to stop, for I want today to stay
And never let the sweetness of your kiss fade away.