pag-asa
‘di magpalupig ang paglaum
putson man sang kadulom
diamante’ng naga-inggat sa kagab-ihon
‘di mabilanggo kay nagalusot sa rehas
kasubong sang kapawa’ng makahas
ilubong man sa lunang
tubig ini nga nagausoy sa kasapaan
sang mga bronse nga bala di-malingkang
kay kalayo nga nagadabdab sa dughan
sang minilyon nga nagahigugma sa banwa
kag sa aton, sa isa kag isa
Huo, ‘di magpalupig ang pag-asa
kay ini ang tindog sang kamatuoran
sa nagapadayon nga paghimakas
para sa tunay nga kahilwayan!

Pag-asa by Maya Daniel

my poems aren’t gentle,
they say
They say my poems aren’t gentle
As a leaf tucked between
The pages of a book,
Or petals between her soft lips
Or cradle songs for babies to sleep…
They say my poems are like
sharp blades
The unseen pins that dash
Towards the eyes of the oppressors
They are broken glasses laid
For the trudging feet
Of the fascist enemies…

My poems aren't gentle, they say by Maya Daniel

I listen to the riddles of silence
I listen in the midst of noises
I listen until my mind sees the dark
I listen and i hold still
I listen till I could think
I listen to know where i stand
I listen so I could learn from the wind
I listen as the words were coming
I listen as the words were falling into places
I listen to you who speak of people’s war
I listen and listen to learn.
-- Maya Daniel

Untitled (I listen) by Maya Daniel

In the vast forest
in the hearts of the masses
the enemies could never
completely retrace our guerrilla
footsteps without patterns
they thought of us as
wanderers of the land,
fighters of a dead cause
smearing us as terror gang
that must be pursued…
but we are well-kept by the masses
the enemies don’t know
how to love the people
they don’t have real passions
of the people’s dreams
they could not see the peasants’ hearts
they could not grasp the dawn
they could not see the future
and the masses hate them!
--Maya Daniel

Untitled (in the vast forest) by MayaDaniel

She said, she loves the rain
And she would walk under the rainy skies
She said, she loves the sunset
And she would spend watching
The setting sun till nightfall
She said, she loves the seas
And she would dance with the waves
She said, she loves to be a people’s
Beloved Red warrior wielding weapon
Then she dared the mountains
Met by the flowers, calling her name.
-- Maya Daniel

Gladys Regalado