Rea Maac, Marinduque-Singapore
Wala kahit isa ang nais makinig, kaya heto
Ako, nag-iisa, nakaupo sa lupa, naghahanap
Ng nakakubli at hindi mabigkas.
Mula dito, aking nakita ang alon, sumalpok sa dalampasigan
Na para bang nais burahin bakas ng kahapon.
Malamig na simoy ng hangin, humahalik sa’king pisngi
Katulad ng mabining haplos ni ina, umaalo kung ako’y may sakit.
Halimuyak ng mga bulaklak na nakakalat sa hangin
Katulad ng pagmamahal ni ama, hindi man nya sabihin
Ngunit ito’y aking tunay na dama.
Hindi ko maiwasang magtaka kung paano...
Paanong ang alon, nawasak ng naaayon
Siguro kung kaya lang nitong burahin ang kirot ng puso
Eh di sana’y sinulat ko na lang lahat sa buhangin,
Hayaang ang alon na dalhin ito palayo sa akin
At huwag hayaang magbalik pang muli kailanman.
Paanong ang araw, sumikat ng may bangis?
Parang apoy na sumiklab mula sa nagagalit na puso.
Nakikipagsayaw ba ang hangin sa puno?
O sinusubok lang ang kanyang mga ugat
Katulad ng kung paano sinubok ng mga problema ang aking pasensya.
Paanong ang mga bulaklak namukadkad ng kay ganda?
Nakatadhana ba sila upang ang paru-paro at bubuyog ay maging masaya?
O parang ikaw at ako, itinadhanang magkita ngunit pansamantala
Nagkahiwalay din pagkat landas na tinahak ay magkaiba.
Makapangyarihang karagatan, kung saan ang ulap ay lumubog
Habang ang asul na kurtina, tahimik na tinakpan ang langit.
Yaong mga ibon, malaya sa kalawakan
Nagpapaalala sakin, na upang maabot ang pangarap
Kailangan ko ding pumaimbulog ng mataas.
Lahat sa akin paligid, kalikasan ay masigla at kumikinang
Habang narito ako, nakaupo sa lupa,
Hawak ang tuhod sa aking dibdib,
Heto ako, umaasa balang araw, katulad ng dagat
Akin ding maipamalas, angking kahusayan.
Whisper of the Mind (English translation)
There’s no one willing to listen, so here
I am, alone, sitting on the ground, searching
For what is hidden and unsaid.
I see the waves, stomping on the shore
As if trying to erase the footprints of yesterday.
The cold breeze kisses my cheeks like the gentle
Touch of my mother, comforting me when I’m sick.
The scents of the flowers scattered in the air
Like the love of my father, whose love
Is silent but strong.
I can’t help but wonder…
How can the waves crash in so perfectly?
Maybe if it can erase all my heartaches
Then I should have written them on the sand,
Letting the waves bring them away, never to return.
How can the sunlight shine so fiercely?
Like how fire bursts from an angry heart.
Is the wind dancing with the trees?
Or is she testing their roots?
Like how problems test my patience.
How can those flowers blossom so beautifully?
Are they destined to make butterflies and bees happy?
Or like you and me, destined to see each other only for a moment,
Parting ways because we choose diverging paths?
Dominating ocean where the clouds have sunken
While blue curtains silently cover the heavens,
Those birds flying free in the sky
Remind me that to achieve my dreams
I must soar high.
All around me, nature is alive and sparkling,
While I’m here sitting on the ground,
Holding my knees to my chest.
Here I am, hoping one day, just like the sea,
I too can showcase my best.
Originally from the Island of Marinduque, the heart of the Philippines, Rea Maac has been working in Singapore since 2010. Her poem "Alikabok" was shortlisted for the Migrant Workers Poetry Competition 2016 and was included in the anthology Songs from a Distance. She also contributed to the books Our Homes, Our Stories: Voices of Migrant Domestic Workers in Singapore and Call and Response: A Migrant/Local Poetry Anthology.