Three Poems of Jose F. Lacaba
Ariel D.T.
Rene O. Villanueva
"Varied range----from the reflective to the sardonic and down to the almost comic."
Alfredo Navarro Salanga
Mr. Lacaba will be an important writer. I hail him at the beginning of his career in the same way that Emerson, after reading Leaves of Grass, hailed Whitman......."
Jose Garcia Villa (l968)
THE AMAZING ADVENTURES
OF JUAN DE LA CRUZ
One dark night
Juan de la Cruz
in fear and trembling took a bus
all spruced up
though with empty pockets
NO SMOKING BOSS
said the bus conductress
and she heaped curses
on Juan de la Cruz.
All spruced up
though with empty pockets
Juan de la Cruz walked
the length of Rizal Avenue
NO PARKING
said the street
NO PISSING HERE
said the wall
so Juan de la Cruz
trudged on
till he was ready to fall.
Hungry and thirsty Juan de la Cruz
stopped outside Ma Mon Luk restaurant
smelled the noodles and dumplings
till he felt full.
He passed by Dalisay Theater
stared at the comedian Chichay's photo
PASSES NOT HONORED TODAY
said the box-office girl
between giggles.
Juan de la Cruz
paid Congress a visit
BEWARE OF DOGS
said the representative.
He went to Malacanang Palace
bearing no incense
KEEP OFF THE GRASS
said the gardener
said the soldier
to Juan de la Cruz.
Hot and horny
Juan de la Cruz
prowled the streets of Culi-culi
and fell willy-nilly
into a stinking gutter
YOUR CREDIT IS GOOD BUT WE NEED CASH
said the pimp
sipping his soup.
All spruced up
though with empty pockets
Juan de la Cruz
plodded down Dewey Boulevard
PAN-AM BAYSIDE SAVOY THEY SATISFY
said the neon.
The sea yawned like lion how nice to jump in but
NO DUMPING OF GARBAGE
said the waves.
Juan de la Cruz
tramped back to Quiapo
and finding himself in the lurch
tiptoed into the church
IN GOD WE TRUST
said the bishop
ALL OTHERS PAY CASH.
When Juan de la Cruz
could swallow no more
clutching a bolo
his clothes all tattered and torn
his pockets still empty
he ran up
Mount Arayat
the emaciated
Juan de la Cruz
WANTED OR ALIVE
said the military
who blamed the goddam kids
for agitating
such peaceful citizen
as Juan de la Cruz.
ROASTING A PIG IS DELICATE WORK
Roasting a pig is delicate work:
leave it, young man, to experts.
That's a new dress shirt you have on,
you'll only get dirty if you turn
this greasy bamboo spit hugged
by a greasy shaven hog;
ashes might scatter
in your direction, and fire
burst out and burn you.
So just relax and watch, okay?
After all, young man, we're being paid;
there's a fee for the sweat we shed
to make a success of your birthday.
Turning this spit is not child's play.
It's work; we're hired to get tired;
and if play is all you desire,
I could teach you a lot of games
you've never even heard of, but don't
make a game of our livehood.
Do on in; that's where you're needed.
Don't take our toil away from us.
FISH COOKED IN VINEGAR
This is the way to eat
fish cooked in vinegar;
pull out the fins
(the cat can have those
along with the fishbones),
and bring the fish head
to your lips, and suck out
it's wide open eyes;
then suck on the fish itself
until you have drained it
of it's juice.
Now you can
start on the fish meat.
Eat slowly, little by
little, and pick the fish
clean---we don't have enough
food, it's difficult
to scrounge for food.
Make do with a lot of rice
swimming in the vinegar.
And stop complaining.
Though the fish is thin,
it's better than nothing.
Oliver Trinidad
Ariel D.T. wrote in message <34B83CC6...@hotmail.com>...