“…Bago mo muling matingnan ang maningning na pag-ibig,
kailangang matakpan ang paglalakbay ng tanging itim…”
~ “Ang Isa Pang Pangalan ng Pag-Ibig,” Rebecca T. Anonuevo
(“…The road will be cloaked in a singular darkness
before you gaze again upon love’s brilliant face…”
~ trans. L. Igloria, from “The Other Name of Love,” by Rebecca T. Anonuevo)
And in that cleft of rock, that
desolate stretch lit by no sign,
no lamp nor welcoming hut, you’ll hear
the stops of all drowned instruments
singing from the bottom of the lake and add
your voice— How long have you walked
and over what distance? By this time,
it will no longer matter: the chains
that bound you to your suffering will have
grown brittle; there won’t be any need
to find the blacksmith in this town.
Lay down, lay down upon the grass
and watch the trails of your breath
release, like tiny sparks, under the moon.
In response to Via Negativa: Paradoxen.