Noong minsan

Nung minsan, umalis ako sa amin, pumunta ng pulo, sumama sa auntie ko, hindi alam ng tatay ko. Alam lang ng nanay ko. Nasa laot na ako nang magpaalam sa nanay ko. Akala ng nanay ko, hindi uuwi ang tatay ko.

Biglang dumating ang tatay ko. Na-surprise, naghanap sa akin. Nasaan na si Merilyn? Hindi sila nakasabi ng totoo. Sabi ng kapatid ko, Waypa muwi, Amah. Hindi pa umuuwi, laung niya, galing sa town. Sabi ng tatay ko, miyatay, sige lang, antayin ko muna siya bago ako kumain. Tapos, hinintay ako ng tatay ko, matagal. Hanggang gabi. Tapos, sabi ng tatay ko, Saan ba talaga nagpunta? Samahan mo ako, puntahan natin. Sabi ng kapatid ko, hindi ko alam, laung niya, kung saan yun siya banda. Yung nanay ko, hindi na niya talaga matiis, sinabi niya yung totoo. Pagkasabi niya, nagalit ang tatay ko, nagwala. Sabi niya, patayin ko kayo, ilabas nyo ang anak ko! Pag hindi pa nakauwi hanggang bukas, papatayin ko kayo, susunugin ko ang bahay na ito!

Tapos, tumawag sa akin. Sabi sa mga Auntie ko, pag hindi nakabalik yang anak ko hanggang bukas, papatayin ko ang kapatid ninyo. Ang asawa ba niya. Tapos, nakipag-usap siya sa akin.

Sabi ko, Hello? Laung niya, ano ang gusto mo, pag-uwi mo dito patay na ang nanay mo? O uuwi ka ngayon din? Umuwi ako kaagad. Mamamatay yung nanay ko. Mas gustuhin ko pa na tatay ko ang mamamatay kesa nanay ko.


(an excerpt from an interview)

Everyone has a stake at royalty. I very recently discovered Royalty at Takut-Takut, that garbage dump where, to quote a dreaded poet-aristocrat's line, my kind breeds like rats. He happened to be a prince, maybe a little god. And I'm buckling, because in history's configuration, if I dare configure, he will make a slave out of me, if I wasn't already.

Already, he made me clean the latrine and then fired me.

They call us kids

They call us kids.
All the time.
We're chameleons.
We change names.
We change looks.
We age.
Then are young again.
We have only our lives to commerce.
For your purchase.

Anyone with enough ambition to create and not to take away is someone who deserves respect. There are those who are better at it than others. There are some who have severely large amounts of enthusiasm who are prolific as hell, spewing out a million products a year. Year products. Ten percent good 90 percent crap.

Then there are those who spend years studying other peoples’ works because they don’t have a chance in Hell to produce anything with a hint of talent. Yeah talent. But like I said no one should be denied the privilege to create and some people most certainly do not need the fear of whether their goods are better or worse than the Best or Worse. They can find out for themselves.

Kurdt Cobain