Kung Nanaisin: Mga Tula

by Romulo P. Baquiran Jr.

Isa si Baquiran sa iilang makata na biniyayaan ng totoong gilas sa pagbuo ng matalinghagang imahen. Mas mapangahas ngayon ang kaniyang retorika sa mga taludtod/saknong na halos may sinop ng klasikong matematika ngunit mas may silakbo rin ng marahas na musika, tila mga lutang na galak hango sa iisang kubling hinanakit. O kaya mga kabog ng dibdib sa nangangamoy kulob na silid ang Kung Nanaisin. Walang katapusan ang mga posibilidad at ang kaniyang pagpapagod sa bawat imahen: muling panunulay sa manipis na alambre habang inaalala ang kirot ng minsang pagkalinsad ng paa. -- Niles Jordan Breis, Mananaysay at Makata

Genres: Poetry

74 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Romulo P. Baquiran, Jr. is a poet and teacher of Creative Writing at the U.P. Department of Filipino. He is a member of LIRA, Katha and Oragon Poets’ Circle.

He has edited many books, among which are Pablo Neruda: Mga Piling Tula with National Artist Virgilio Almario, and Kuwentong Siyudad with Roland B. Tolentino and Alwin Aguirre. He has also worked with Mario Miclat and produced the tribute Beauty for Ashes: Remembering Maningning Miclat.

Baquiran’s Onyx won the National Book Award in 2003. His Singsing ni Solomon is available as an e-book at http://www.pantas.ph/singsing.pdf. He has also authored Mga Tula ng Paglusong.

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first time to read Joey Baquiran's poetry and I am not disappointed. Prior to this book, I read and really liked his memoirs, Sagad sa Buto: Hospital Diary at iba pang sanaysay (4 stars) because I met him in person and he recommended his books to our book club. So, I bought and read these two books by him.

Kung Nanaisin: Mga Tula is his collection of poems written in Tagalog. It is divided into two parts: "Parokya" that is composed of poems seemingly tell situations that you can find in a local community including those that are mundane, fanciful, funny, absurd or totally outrageous, e.g., a woman falling in love to a pedophile priest, how he felt after so many years of not seeing his classmate who he had a fight when they were in grade school, an unfaithful wife of an overseas contract worker or a nun nursing the damaged flesh of a leper. This part also has poems related to the structures or scenery that one can see in a local community like a river, a cemetery, a church or just how Baquiran imagine that he is a kite that afloats an afternoon sky. There is also one poem Parlorista where the good Professor (yes, Baquiran teaches Literature and Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines) drops his parochial and contemporary Tagalog and shifts to gay lingo and I was just caught unguarded. My favorite among these poems is Lamay where Baquiran double guessed what goes on in the minds of the people in wakes. It reminded me of Steven Covey's habit - Begin With the End in Mind or how you want to be remembered by people when you die and they visit you at your wake.

The second part is entitled "Kung Nanaisin" and if the poems in the first part are more external the poems in this part are more internal as these poems deal more on what's going on what the subjects feel. For example is Pulubi that I would like to share with you because it is so short yet can convey a whole gamut of emotions dishing out various interpretations:

May pagsabog na lunti at pula sa himpapawid
Nagdiriwang ang lahat sa pagsulpot ng bago
Tumitibok ang paghihingalo ng taon.
Pumipintig ang pulso ko sa pulso mo:
Nagsasalabid ang guhit ng mga palad,
Sandaling sumasayaw sa matalim na lamig.
Bulong lamang ang nagbubuhol sa atin ngayon.
Ano nga ba ang naghihintay sa kabila ng umaga?
Aakyatin ang tulay paghupa ng nasunog na kulay.
Sa pagakyat, tatambad ang pulubing natutulog,
Ang pulubing binabati ng sumisikat na araw.

I really do not know what to make of it. It is definitely not about a beggar on a pedestrial walkway and I even think that it is about an unrequited love. It is also quite timely because it feels like about the dawning of a new year. But it has it hopeful feeling that after the storm (relating this to Yolanda), there is still hope for our country.

With this many interpretations, I have no doubt that Romy Baquiran is a poet par excellence.

[Meeko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I. Parokya

Lubos akong namangha sa bisyong matagumpay na naisakatuparan ni Romulo Baquiran Jr. sa Parokya. Napakatalino ng pagkakasulat sa mga tula sa unang parte ng libro. Maihahalintulad ko ang Parokya sa isang katawan. Isinilang ni Baquiran ang isang katawang binubuo ng magkakahiwalay na parte na may sariling mga kuwento. Bawat tula ay may lalim ngunit kayang sisirin ng diwa ng nagbabasa.

II. Kung Nanaisin

Ang pangalawang parte ng libro ay mas tumalakay sa indibidwalidad ng isang tao. Punong-puno ng mga talinghaga ang bawat tula, mapatungkol man sa katawan, o sa uniberso, o sa asukal at asin.

Sa kabuoan, matingkad ang imaheng naisalarawan ni Baquiran sa koleksyong ito. Matagumpay siyang nakapagsulat ng kwento ng iba’t ibang paksa ngunit may kabuoang ihahatid sa nagbabasa.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘di ako eksperto sa mga tula ngunit madadama mo rito ang mahika sa mga matatalinhagang imahe. dumadaloy ang mga salita at sumasayaw ang mga taludtod.

babalik-balikan ko pa ‘to sa mga susunod na panahon. kulang pa ang napulot ko sa librong ‘to.