An excerpt from Mal

---

Mesándel Virtusio Arguelles

At noong tanghali biglang dumagundong

 

Sumambulat

ang ganap sagrado

 

hanggang wasakin

at sunugin

 

 

 

Kailangang muling-buuin ang damuhang

namumulaklak ngayon

 

Mapupulang-mapupula

 

 

 

 

Walang marka

 

sa bawat dapat burahin

 

 

 

 

Lumalabas

mistulang humihingal

 

mula sa naghihintay

sa harap

 

 

 

 

kailangang paslangin ang

alam

 

sabihin

ang naglalahong alam

 

 

 

 

huklubang mabagal

danasin, lasapin

 

Baka wala

ngunit may wala

 

maliban sa hindi daratnan

kahit maghintay

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nililikha

upang maging nilikha

 

Pinagtagni-tagni

 

Humahaba

parang prusisyon

 

ng mga kabayo

An excerpt from Mal

---

Translated by Kristine Ong Muslim

And that noon, there was a sudden blast

 

The truly sacrosanct

exploded

 

until razed

and burned

 

 

 

It is imperative that it is once again made whole — the grassland

that now flowers

 

reddening red

 

 

 

 

There is no mark

 

on everything that should be erased

 

 

 

 

Emerging

as if gasping for breath

 

from the one who waits

at the frontline

 

 

 

 

there is a need to eradicate

knowledge

 

declare

the knowledge that is waning

 

 

 

 

senility that’s slowly

endured, savored

 

There may be none

but there’s none

 

except for what cannot be found upon arrival

even after waiting

 

 

 

 

 

 

Created

to come into being

 

Stitched together

 

Become longer

like a procession

 

of horses

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