The Woodcarver is not an Executioner
(or F. Sionil Jose May not Grasp This)
“Death to all caught with drugs.”
— F. Sionil Jose
A tree never offers itself to be butchered
in the name of art, or, for that matter,
to be turned into shelter or the handle
of an axe. A woodcarver must remember
this. Like a blind man, his fingertips
must become eyes. He must seek
a new shape and form from one
that used to stand in silence
as it collected rain, invited birds
and wind to sing on its limbs.
To carve something that is no better
than feeding a fire would be a far
greater tragedy.
This is in response to a post by F. Sionil Jose on Facebook which I quote below:
President Duterte: What to do Now
At long last, the President has brought to the United Nations the International Court of Justice decision nullifying China’s claim on the South China Sea and validating our sovereignty. This happy development should encourage us to pursue further diplomatic negotiations with China as well as support from the international community. It is only with pressure that China may stop bullying us. China is a very close neighbor; we have to deal with China far into the future, with more care than with any other country. Does the government have a calibrated policy to do this? In the meantime, President Duterte is wearied about rampant corruption in his government. China offers a good model. Corrupt officials in China are imprisoned or shot. More extra judicial killings? Ditto with the drug menace he has not stopped. Just do what Singapore does to keep that country drug free. Death to all caught with drugs.
Jim Pascual Agustin writes and translates in Filipino and English. He grew up in the Philippines and moved to South Africa in 1994. His work has appeared extensively in journals and anthologies in his country of birth as well as overseas, including New Coin, New Contrast, Aerodrome, Rhino Poetry, Burnt Bridge, GUD Magazine, and Modern Poetry in Translation.
The Oxford-based The Onslaught Press published in 2017 his eighth poetry collection, Wings of Smoke. A new expanded edition of the Philippine edition of the book is forthcoming from San Anselmo Publications, Inc. In South Africa, where he now resides, Agustin Received the DALRO Award (2nd Prize) and the Sol Plaatje EU Poetry Award (3rd place in 2014, and again in 2017).Email him at jim@voxpopuliph.com
[Originally published at http://matangmanok.wordpress.com on October 4, 2020.]
