Because only the truth will save you from wandering. This can be your power, if only you will own it.
You do not know me, as I do not know you. But I do recognize a kindred spirit when I see one.
There is nothing special about you; in fact, you are anything but special in this world obsessed with beauty. No one would give you a second look — not with your unkempt hair, nor the skewed ratio of your face, carrying a fraudulent smile that belied the darkness emanating from your soul. But I did see you from across that busy hall, filled with people going about their meaningless lives. …
para kay Toffee
Nais kong maging panaginip
nang hanggang sa iyong pag-idlip
ako’y iyong mimithiin
Sagabal ang gising
ang gaslaw ng diwa
Sa mundo ng pagtulog
lahat ay malaya
Sa ilalim ng mga talukap
malayo sa ligalig ng daigdig
Hahagkan kita, irog
pupunuin ng pag-ibig
Ngunit lahat ng ito’y
pawang panaginip lang
Nawa’y mangarap nang gising
at ang tinig ay pumailanglang
Jay-ar Paloma is an HR executive by day and a frustrated artist by night. He has extensive background in campus journalism as an editor-in-chief in elementary and high school as well as a contributor in his college days in UP Diliman. Currently…
“And what makes you think you have been saved? You cannot even see me, can you? Do you even know what I am?”
The sun chariot passed over the island of Sarpedon. Helios, the sun, marched onwards home to give way to the moon, his sister Selene. In front of the cave on the island, surrounded by jagged rocks that belied the lack of thriving life, stood a monster, watching dusk quietly take over dawn.
“What would you like for supper?” A voice asked. The monster turned around to see its companion. A woman, her skin like sun-kissed olives warmed…
Drinking coffee became a ritual then for us, a part of every date, and I didn’t have the heart to break it.
If there was a word to describe what I felt at that moment, it perhaps haven’t been invented yet.
But it felt like all the air has been sucked out of the room, and with it, all the sounds it carried. What remained was the percussion in my chest — my telltale heart beating like a lonely metronome. That was how it was when I first met him, and now, three years on, I had the same feeling. Like I was seeing him again for the first time.
“Hello,” he greeted half-awkwardly before sitting, raising an eyebrow in response to…
If godparents are seen as second parents, then how we choose them reflects our own values of parenting.
It is a tradition ingrained in the Filipino as far as our colonial history. More than the birth of the Christian god, Christmas is seen as “a day for the children.” The younger ones would still have their beliefs in Santa Claus, while their parents would roam around alongside them, collecting gifts and money from their ninong and ninang.
A good godparent, in turn, would fulfill this expectation, but a bad one would hide from their inaanak. …
In truth, chess is still a man’s sport.
Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit is officially the most popular miniseries of 2020. The chess-themed drama, based on Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel of the same name, discussed the tragedies and triumph of female chess prodigy Elizabeth “Beth” Harmon, from surviving being orphaned and a drug addiction, to becoming a world champion. The show, created for the video streaming platform by Scott Frank and Allan Scott, is credited for making chess more accessible to the public and reigniting the interest in the sport altogether.
In addition to the script and performances of its ensemble cast (particularly that of lead actress Anya Taylor-Joy)…
Nothing lasts forever
winding roads hath their bend
and thus I look forward
to the end
When I wave my last goodbye
I will no longer shed a tear
I have coaxed out every morsel.
The end is finally near
Quivering in anticipation,
an arrhythmic heart and
bated breath —
I will open my arms in welcome
“Let down the bars, O Death!”
For courage sprang aplenty
Fear here hath no place
I will end this valediction
My last of days
And when they ink my eulogy say Grace, when, to and from To be, only in memory, For the…
Fiction inspired by Tungkod PH’s “Christmas in our Arts” project
There was something comforting about her cane touching the earth; it was her attachment to the real world, the thread that connects her to reality even if she has lost one of her senses.
A flurry of dancing colored lights reflected on Cecilia’s eyes, but she didn’t need to blink them away. It was early Christmas morning, and as always, her and her grandmother’s tradition is to spend it in the final night mass. The cold December air chilled her, but Lola gave her a comforting pat, warming her ever so slightly. Cecilia always marveled at her grandmother’s strength. …
In the modern world where smart-shaming is weaponized to keep criticism in check, it is even more imperative that we keep a clear head and realize what struggles matter most.
Woke. It is a word that started as a call to justice in oppressed communities, but is now rampant in digital spaces as an identifier of people practicing “cancel culture.” This verb-turned-adjective’s once noble power has now become corrupted, trickling down to the recesses of meme culture to describe the caricatured versions of “social justice warriors,” “liberals,” or the equally perverse “snowflakes.”
Weaponization of words is not a new concept…
Umaandap-andap ang ilaw sa lobby ng hotel kung saan naghihintay si Elena at ang kanyang ina. “Gaano katagal po kayo magcheck-in Ma’am?” Usisa ng kahera. “Dalawang oras lang,” sagot ni Ester. Ngumiti ito sa anak at hinawi ang buhok na mabusisi niyang inayos kaninang umaga.
“Excited ka na ba?” Tanong niya, at tumango ang anim na taong gulang.
Maganda ang gayak ni Elena noong araw na iyon: suot niya ang bestidang kulay rosas na may disenyong Hello Kitty at mga pulang sapatos na pinapayagan lang siyang gamitin tuwing may okasyon. Nilagyan din siya ng koloretes ng kanyang ina, kaya’t may…
