A Cartography Session With Mr. Batuta

This is your claim: No one has made a map

of you. And so the mountains, grand canyons,

great rivers of your self remain unknown.

 

As we drink our second cup of coffee, I see the sign –

the North Star of your eyes flicker. It is time, a dare:

let me try to survey your fabled land.

 

If you could let my feeble fingers measure

every inches of your skin, the summit

of the mountains of your arms, the depth

 

of the grand canyons in your abdomen,

the great rivers of your darkened hair, I will.

If you could just let my tongue do a study

 

of every crevice, every single detail of your body,

I will mark them down in my mind - one by one,

an attempt to name them after the record

 

I make of the sound of your moans and groans,

in words we both understand. So those nipples are

named Desire, the navel becomes Passion,

 

and the penis, Salvation. This is how I plan

to make a map of your self, to be lost in the midst

of a night of shared cups of coffee and late talks,

 

finding myself wrapped in your arms

wondering, wandering.

ETO ANG TULA NI MR. BATUTA TUNGKOL SA PAREHONG TOPIC. PROJECT NAMIN ITO PAREHO, ISANG GABI ILANG TAON NA ANG NAKALIPAS:

BABALA SA KARTOGRAPO

Huwag mo nang tangkaing gawan ng
  mapa ang aking isip
Iligpit mo na ang iyong lebel pang-surbeyor
Sapagkat ang mga muhong ibinaon ng
  kahapon, kadalasa'y hinuhugot ng mga
  halimaw ng ngayon -
Ipinupukpok sa kanilang ulo upang
  magpatiwakal.
Kung balak mong mag-iwan ng sariling
  tanda na para bang mga tuldok sa
  librong pambata
Na sa bandang huli'y iyong pagdudugtung-
  dugtungin
Upang makalikha ng anyo, makahalaw ng
  pamilyar na larawan,
Ang kompas ng iyong mabuting pakay,
  manginginig lamang sa pagkapahiya.
Kukote ko'y walang takdang hilaga
Ang kinatatayuan mo'y makunat na luwad -
Regular na nilalamas, nilalapirot,
  minamasa ng higanteng kamay ng bukas,
Kamay ng paslit na humuhubog ng
  kakatwang pigura.
Lumabas ka na sa isip ko
Bitbitin mo na ang iyong lebel pang-surbeyor
  at kompas
Baka ika'y maabutan pa ng higanteng kamay
  at malamas, malapirot, at mamasa
  kasahog ng makunat na luwad.

 

***

My Geography Lessons With Vicson-Louie Escalona

 

You never told me

that I could find

the Alps on your arms;

Those mountain ranges

as if carefully chiseled by the gods.

I wanted to trace its outlines

to become a silent witness

to your perfection,

But you drew my attention

to the rocky hills resting on your chest –

Hard and serene.

In between

is a trail of hair –

The Ganges forever flowing to eternity

Making me lose my sanity.

And how dare you to let me swim your river!

You did not warn me that at its edge,

Hidden in the thick bushes

The Vesuvius standing proud,

Throbbing,

Pulsating,

Angry to spew

Its sweltering lava

From underneath.

And it did!

The lava flowed endlessly

Beyond the two gargantuan rocks

You could not blame me

If I chose

To burn my tongue

Just to taste

Your wonder.

***

 

(Salamat kay Karl at nahanap ko muli ang dating AKO.)

Music :: Beautiful In My Eyes - Christian Bautista

Anything?