Poetry: Fhen M

Fhen M.

Kingfisher

 

Chirping blue-feathered kingfisher

flying around the coconut mangrove

maybe searching for her missing lover

this tranquil beach beside the sea

here, shipwreck survivors may have landed

kingfisher tweeting to find her lost husband

or maybe he just wanted to be alone

far from the sand grains, farther than the stars

at peace with himself and nature. 

***

Under Mesopotamian Sky

moon's gentle glow

the night is young

though the seconds tick by

to the ends of the earth I have traveled:

passed groves of gemstone trees, 

outran the rising sun, 

cross the waters of death, 

find the boat man on mountain peak

this gentle grass is the bedsheet, 

these hands are pillow warm,

my thoughts race on

my body is weary

sandman whispers soft, low

but I must stay awake

“under Mesopotamian sky

a mortal man’s snoring.”

***

Employer to Office Worker

Wooden doors were secured with nails 

hammered through then bent on the side. 

R names and computes the payroll;

H encodes the ordinances;

articles – K composes, quotes;

meetings – the Secretary notes;

This is what you are to me now:

like a phone without a SIM card;

without a chord, a computer;

without ribbon, a typewriter. 

Your sister, the bank manager

is the sole reason why you're hired. 

(she hammered through, then bent me on the side) 

you’re dead as a doornail.

***

Bio: Fhen M. studied the academic subjects Writing in the Discipline, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, and The Literature of the World at Eastern Visayas State University (Philippines). His Waray poem “Uyasan” (“Toy” in English”) was published in a collection of literary works entitled 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘪: 15 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘸. His English verses appeared in 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢 anthology series published by Clarendon House, including "Lighthouse," “Seaport,” “January Constellations,” among others.  Red Penguin Books’ 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦: 𝘈 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘰𝘧-𝘈𝘨𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 will publish his piece “Outside the Block Universe". His poem “Sea Snail” will also be included in 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢/𝘍𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 by Open Shutter Press.  Fhen M. submitted verses in Waray for the 5th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop, including the 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 “Duha nga mga pagtug-an” (translated in English as “Two confessions”). David Genotiva, Merlie Alunan, and Victor Sugbo were some of the distinguished panelists of this writing workshop held from the 5th to the 7th of November 2008. His Binisaya poems “To View the World,” “Those who were Left in Cancabatoc,” and other verses won the 1st Chito Roño Literary Awards. 

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Setu, May 2024