POETRY SERIES — ALPAS
Isles of Escape
Together far apart
These eyes,
beseeching heed,
poising grace,
that hold your gaze,
with a thousand lucid tales,
of setting suns blazing regal in folklore,
of sprouting lagoons, kinship ‘n eagles ashore.
¹for you
can only be free when even the desire of
seeking freedom becomes a harness to you,
and when you cease to speak of freedom
as a goal and a fulfillment.
A feather each,
for my hat and your quill,
I dance for you,
under the moonlit skies,
You mourn my loss, in bitter woeful eyes.
Together we do, build treasured castles in sand,
Hand-in-hand, beyond the stretches of bigoted land.
²And what is it but fragments of your own
self you would discard that you may become
free?
I see your dreams,
but weave my own,
I hear your voice, see your shadow,
bear your truth, justly in other tongue,
under the mangroves, where our hearts strung.
There I will, in the land without feud, find your creed true one day,
Then you will, under the clouds hued free, heed me my own way.
³And when the shadow fades and is no
more, the light that lingers becomes a
shadow to another light.
And thus your freedom when it loses its
fetters becomes itself the fetter of a greater
freedom.
— 1, 2, 3 On Freedom, from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.
The quotes have been included between stanzas in the verse above in relation to alpas⁴, the Tagalog/Filipino word for freedom, based on which the poetry series for this month is themed over at Paper Poetry.
Together Far Apart — In Resplendent Isles of Escape
The Philippines⁵ is a beautiful archipelago comprising about 7640 small islands in the Pacific Ocean. Claiming a rich cultural heritage by virtue of the ethnic diversity that is spread across the islands, the Filipinos are known to be naturally empathetic, amiable and respectful of one another.
The poem here, therefore, aims to explore harmonious living in the islands, expressed in terms of freedom of living, as individuals different to one another, yet as collective beings dwelling together.
The second in a series of poems under theme Alpas, I am fondly presenting this to Paper Poetry with much gratitude to Indubala Kachhawa, Suntonu Bhadra and Carolyn Hastings for the challenge and the opportunity.
The first poem in the series is at:
References:
- 1, 2, 3 — On Freedom, from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.
- 4 — Alpas — Alpas is a Filipino/Tagalog word which means to become free or break loose.
- 5 — The Philippines — archipelagic country in Southeast Asia.
Editorial Note: Paper Poetry runs a themed series of poems every month. This month’s theme is Alpas: to set free. To know more about it, read here.
