You take memory. Put it in a box. Shake it a bit. Open the box. Whisper into it. Close it up and shake it some more. Open the box. Take it apart. Look for the memory that seems to have disappeared. Now start writing what you remember, what should be remembered, what will always be remembered, and then make a new box out of air.
This is how “Cousin’s Thumbnail” was written. Now it has found a home at NoiseMedium. Please read the poem and leave a comment there. Or here. Thank you.
This post will only be up for the last weekend of January 2016. Congratulations if you managed to read it. The poems are what I intend to read at the Central Library in Cape Town to as yet an unknown number of people (perhaps just the librarian and myself!). If you like any of the poems at all, it would be nice to get some feedback. The reading is at 2pm South African time.
Thanks to all my friends who are in various parts of the world and cannot attend.
UPDATE. 4 February 2016.
I’ve deleted the file. But for those who missed the reading or would like to read the said poems, you may contact me here and I’ll gladly share with you.
Thanks to all those who made the effort to listen to my poetry. I had fun and met some new friends. I’m not gonna lie, I like reading to an audience. Something I really miss since I moved to South Africa. It doesn’t matter whether it is at a formal venue or just with a group of friends. I remember those crazy days back at university with people I may not always agree with but who were nonetheless open to hearing what I had to say. Then years later at various poetry reading venues – small smokey pubs, or at launches and some academic gathering. Or a handful of friends who manage to find time despite work commitments.
I guess I can come out of my shell and look around here where I am now. Making new connections is never easy, but that’s the only way one keeps growing.
Hmmm. I’m not drunk. Just blabbering like I had a few bottles. Sleep deprivation does pretty much the same thing to me. 🙂
I wonder if the novelty of digital photo frames will pass. Sure, it’s one way of displaying the countless photos we end up taking every day because of the ease of technology. At the same time, though, we move one more step away from what is tangible. Fingertips were never designed to only touch glass… and soon air.
I have a very personal poem that has found a home in Cha: an Asian Literary Journal. Thank you to Jenna Le and Tammy Ho.
Please visit the site and leave a comment. Any show of support goes a long way to those who make room for others to share their work. HERE is the link to my poem, “Photographs Under Plastic Sheets.”
I hope to have it one day as part of my manuscript in progress called HOW TO MAKE A SALAGUBANG HELICOPTER.
What’s the cat photo for? Nothing. Just to “cat”ch your attention. 😛
Matangmanok 