I rummaged through my baul last night and found "3ng," a literary and art folio created by Sid Hildawa+ in 1995. The folio included such big names in Philippine art and literature as Bencab, now National Artist, Doctolero, Butch Payawal Reyes, Hermisanto, Ricky de Ungria, Gemino Abad, Vim Nadera, J. Neil Garcia, Robert Alejandro, Jerome Malic, Lourd de Veyra, et al. and, of course, Alex C. Delos Santos!
My contribution is the first issue of ADS, a one-page newsletter I used to publish back then, when zines were not yet proliferating. I think I am one of those who pioneered on literary zines. I am struck by a poem in English that I wrote and forgot. "Beyond Rangoon" is an impressionist poem after watching the film. This is a rare one since I have stopped writing poetry in English. It is not even included in my first poetry collection Mga Kanta ni Datu Lubay (2003). Just for keeping tab, I am publishing it here again:
BEYOND RANGOON
Scene: Burmese refugees cross
the river border to Thailand
No way to bid goodbye now.
Death is the river of peace
That claims husbands and friends
Not spared from brother's bullets.
Not only hearts are wounded,
But the land.
She cannot take so much
Of the blood of her sons.
Guns aren't the best tools
For tilling; fear not the best seed.
She could only yield clenched fists
And flags of anger, red to the grain.
Even words can bend rifles:
Fathers can teach soldiers
Not to kill their brothers.
Freedom is a broken bridge away.
No use looking back.
There is victory in fleeing
A country where birds
Know only the chill of cages.
