Thursday, December 24, 2015

MERRY CHRISTMAS




To my readers and visitors here, I wish you all Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year!




Also to my dear family who have been there with me especially after my recent stroke which hospitalized and rendered me immobile though I am gradually and surely getting better. Thanks be to GOD and my haiku way of living.

discharged patient
he kicked the inert get-well balloons
out of his way



Saturday, December 19, 2015

WINTER POEMS


WINTER POEMS

TANKA

around
the bonfire
of used Christmas cards
the homeless gather
hugging warmth

HAIKU

Christmas program
the deaf children sing
in sign languagee

day after Christmas
she gives a used card
to her shelter friend


chilly night
under its darkness
hides my loneliness

Tagalog version

gabing malamig
sa iyong dilim nagtatago
aking kalungkutan


Published in my book,
Haiku and Tanka Harvest


Friday, December 4, 2015

EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY




EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY 

by Victor P. Gendrano

      Jasmine dances the waltz with such grace that it aches my heart to watch her in a stranger's arms, she who is my favorite, my first-born granddaughter, bubbly in her recent 18th birthday debut. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was cuddling her to sleep...Tempus fugit! 

growing pains
she dances with strangers
my daughter's daughter

And now, Jasmine is bound for college. She told her grandma that she will also be an elementary schoolteacher like her. Knowing her ability, I know she will turn out to be a good one and her students will have been lucky to have her. 

end of summer
the cocoon rides the wind
her empty room

Published in World Haiku Review
Vol. II, Issue 1, March 2002

POSTSCRIPT:

True to her promise to her grandma that she will be also a schoolteacher, Jasmine has been a successful one for sometime now teaching in a  public elementary school. To top her late grandma's achievements, she is currently finishing her Master's degree in Education. Grandma Lucy and I are indeed very proud of you Jas!

Saturday, November 14, 2015

THAKSGIVING PRAYER

Five years ago, I posted the following prayer in this blog. I just think it's still relevant and more so these days. So here we go again.



Thanksgiving prayer

Thank you
my Lord and God
for gift of life and health
remembering our lost loved ones
once more.

Heed not
our weaknesses,
teach us how to forgive
and live in harmony with all
others.

So that
once more this world
of hate will be again
a place of love and peacefulness,
Amen.


Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Navy man's death




NAVY MAN'S DEATH

(For Gene de Guzman, husband of Nelia de Guzman in the tribute below, who passed away earlier as a Navy veteran).


I was there too under a shade
the gun salute shattered my pretense.

The bugle wail pierced the summer heat
for a moment drowning my grief.

Why is it that we only miss
those who are in their eternal rest?


In my book, Rustle of bamboo leaves, but originally published in World Haiku  Review, Vol. 1, Issue 2, August 2001.

Monday, November 9, 2015

CONDOLENCE MARE



FOR Mareng NELIA DE GUZMAN
(Condolence to her family and loved ones)

     autumn advent
     the last remaining leaf
     falls down from the tree
     on the gentle prodding
     of Santa Ana wind

     in unison we join
     our collective prayers
     for the eternal repose
     of her soul, mercifully now
     in a pain-free world

     from Pareng Vic Gendrano
     9 November 2015




On the passing today of Nelia de Guzman, the mother-in-law of my daughter Juliet.

Monday, November 2, 2015

SENRYU AND VANGUARD HAIKU


Senryu and Vanguard Haiku 

A senryu a day drives your shrink insane. - V. P. Gendrano's aphorism.

Senryu, a close relative (sometimes I refer to as a cousin) of haiku is another Japanese poetic poem dealing with human foibles, usually humorous and satirical.  Whereas haiku is serious, senryu is light-hearted.

Here are samples of senryu and vanguard haiku which I have written and some published throughout the years. In my book, Rustle of bamboo leaves, http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/rustle-of-bamboo-leaves/246155 I devoted no less than a whole chapter about it.

Facebook
the new public place
to bare yourself

Sketchbook, Vol. 6, No. 3
May/June 2011 

uncontrolled laughter
grandpa's dentures fly 
in my bowl of soup

behind her mom
she parries deftly
his flying kisses

more subdivisions
the distant echoes
of bird songs

texting while driving
he wakes in the hospital
with only one leg

Sketchbook, Vol. 6, No. 3
May/June 2011

young mother
she scolds her son
and joins him crying

he takes viagra
and almost died in bliss
his wife's wish

chilly morning
she grabs me back to bed
a little longer

World Haiku Review
January 2011

she sneezes once
twice then three times
girl with the nose ring

Sketchbook, Vol. 5, No. 4
July/August 2010

Thursday, October 22, 2015

PEOPLE WATCHING



PEOPLE WATCHING 
by Victor P. Gendrano


A typical Sunday morning scene unfolds before me in my favorite eatery which I usually frequent after church mass service. Seated together on the right table is a young couple evidently so much in love with each other, oblivious to other people around them while safely ensconced in their private world. Holding hands, they let their free hands tend to their food and drinks.

Next, to their left, is a father and his well-behaved daughter in her Sunday clothes, slowly munching her french fries. In between sipping her drink, she glances at her dad with an adoring and loving smile. During a lull in their eating, he gently brushes a wisp of unruly hair upwards to her child's forehead. 

On the next table are two middled aged men boisterously rummaging a found newspaper left on their table by a previous customer. One is looking for sales in a local store while the other is busy perusing the sports page. 

At the farthest table, an old couple, obviously married and used to each other's ways, are quietly eating with nary a conversation but with a happy and contented demeanor.

People watching like this is becoming a pleasant diversion for me lately, unobtrusively observing the action and flow of humanity seemingly in slow motion.

dining alone
I forgot to feel sorry
for myself


Friday, October 16, 2015

OLDTIMERS

(For the Filipino American History Month observed each October in the US). 


Oldtimers, a cinquain poem

by Victor P. Gendrano

Across
the vast ocean
they came in waves and droves
leaving behind their native land
for good;
to Hawaii, California
even to Alaska
for better life
they hoped.

Too long
they have endured
so much hostility
and outright discrimination
galore.
They're my ancestors who, alas,
the young people today
unknowingly
ignore.

From my book, Rustle of bamboo leaves,copyright 2005.
 http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/rustle-of-bamboo-leaves/246155



Friday, October 9, 2015

A Pause in Time



by Victor P. Gendrano

Tarry a little while
and let those jaundiced eyes
pierce the unseen wonder
of nature's bounteous beauty

which in civilization's 
suicidal dash to extinction
neither could pause nor ponder
or otherwise reflect on the
spontaneity of the moment

or the cherished charm 
of a dew-draped flower
the mesmerizing melody of a song
the wishful whispers of a sigh or
a budding brave and shy smile

For once
let feelings and emotion
reign supreme over reason
and embrace these arrested
moments like long-lost lovers

Then let the soul sustain
itself of those magical moments
pulsing with life again.


In my book, RUSTLE OF BAMBOO LEAVES


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

IN THE NAME OF LOVE


IN THE NAME OF LOVE


Inspired by titillating and tragic news headlines some time ago, I wrote the first two related tanka and posted them in the Summer Haiku Blog, a world-wide community of poets with the common love of the Japanese poetic forms. Then I added the third and fourth ones  later after a similar headliner.


she gunned him
in his sleep
as she can’t bear 
to share her lover
then she killed herself


mystery solved
he disappeared
only to admit later
he’s with his other love
living abroad 


their vow of love
remains unbroken
to the very end
when both submitted
to euthanasia


she with terminal cancer
he with hale heart who chose
to die with her together
in a foreign hospital
sanctioning self immolation

While having dessert in a restaurant after a late lunch, I wrote these lines on the back of the sales receipt, fresh from the memory of the poems I wrote above. 


Being a wordsmith that I am, my poetic persona meandered to a familiar magical and homey place where the past and the present mesh and time stands still. With just a bit of remembered lives or events, an avalanche of words spews out from nowhere and weaves themselves into a poem, like this one. 


the entwined ivy
and blooming rose
reach for the sun
the entanglements
of forbidden love


Tuesday, September 8, 2015

REMEMBERING 9/11

REMEMBERING 9/11
A haiku sequence

simple math
six hijackers
to six thousand dead

innocence crumbles
among New York rubble
September rain

patriotic fervor
the geraniums
remain in bloom

blood-stained sun
sinks in the rubble
twilight of hopes

the Vietnam vet buys
red, white and blue tulips
memorial garden

In my book, Rustle of bamboo leaves
but first published in
World Haiku Review
Vol. 1, Issue 3, November 2001

Friday, August 28, 2015

People watching


PEOPLE WATCHING 
a haibun

A typical Sunday morning scene unfolds before me at my favorite fast food place. Seated together on the right table is a young couple evidently so much in love with each other, oblivious to other people around them while safely ensconced in their private world. Next, to their left is a father and his well-behaved daughter in her Sunday clothes, slowly munching her french fries. In between sipping her drink, she glances at her dad with a contented smile. During a lull in their eating, he gently brushes a wisp of unruly hair upwards to her child's forehead. 

On the next table are two middled aged men boisterously rummaging a found newspaper left on their table by a previous customer. One is looking for sales in a local store while the other is busy perusing the sports page. At the farthest table, an old couple, obviously married and used to each other's ways, are quietly eating with nary a conversation but with a happy and contented demeanor.

dining alone
I forgot to feel sorry
for myself

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Bilingual poems



Having constantly used a borrowed language since high school and beyond, I am sometimes torn by uncertainty as to whether to use one in favor of the other or end up writing in both idioms in my poetry. 

I like to think though that I have some readers who understand both Tagalog and English hence my decision to use both as much as possible. Any comments or feedback on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Here is a bilingual sample.

from a distance
at the appointed time
I wait for your glance
to bask once more
in your smile

Tagalog
sa abot ng tanaw
at takdang panahon
hintay and sulyap mo
nang muling mamasdan
and iyong ngiti

Published in my book,
Haiku and Tanka Harvest

Selected Haiku and Tanka poems, 2006-2011 A selection of over 200 haiku and tanka poems previously published in various online and print journals as well as book anthologies, written from 2006-2011.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Cinquain Trilogy



Because
I showed my grief
you were surprised yet knew
there's inner hurt gnawing inside
my soul.

But then
aren't we forced
by social norms to hide
our fears lest our loved ones suffer
from them?

I take 
my manly role
seriously as I can.
Yet do they know that I also 
feel pain?

From my book, RUSTLE OF BAMBOO LEAVES






Monday, August 3, 2015

CACTUS

the cactus plant
outlives and outlasts
even man himself
who then is the master
of the universe

from my book,
Haiku and Tanka Harvest
available at Amazon


Tagalog

ang cactus ay
nabubuhay nang matagal
sa tao, sino nga kaya 
higit makapangyarihan
sa mundo






Thursday, July 30, 2015

Friendship

my neighbor mows
the grassy edges
of my unkempt lawn
in the shade I try to write
this friendship poem

from my book,
Haiku and Tanka Harvest

Friday, July 17, 2015

MORE BILINGUAL POEMS



HAIKU

lack of rain
still no news
of their runaway daughter

Tagalog

kulang sa ulan
wala pa ring balita
lumayas na anak

a fly on top
of the carabao
the mighty one

Tagalog

nakasakay
sa likod ng kalabaw
makapangyarihan

TANKA

from a distance
at the appointed time
I wait for your smile
to bask once more
in your smile

Tagalog

sa abot ng tanaw
at takdang panahon
hintay ang sulyap mo
nang muling mamasdan
ang iyong ngiti

From my book,
Haiku and tanka harvest

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Trilingual Haiku



TRILINGUAL HAIKU

KALUNGKUTAN (Tagalog)

gabing walang bituin
hinihintay kita sinta
kahit sa panaginip

SOLEDAD (Spanish)

la noche sin estrellas
esperare por te amor
aun en mi sueños

LONELINESS (English)

starless night
l'll wait for you my love
even in my dreams

From my book,
Haiku and Tanka Harvest

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Moving Day


MOVING DAY, a haibun
by Victor P. Gendrano

World Haiku Review, August 2013

watching me watch
the remnants of my past life
my daughter whispers
it's alright Dad to be sad
on your moving out

On my daughter Juliet's insistent demand that it's time for me to enjoy my retirement, I moved to a senior community place euphemistically called Leisure World. On the early morning of that first day, I thought I smelt the aroma of a freshly brewed coffee, so half-awake, I hurriedly walked to the kitchen dreamingly half-expecting a homey breakfast with my late wife.

Unfortunately, I accidentally bumped my head on the bedroom's slightly open door and felt blood oozing from my forehead to my eyes. I sidestepped to the bathroom, snatched a bunch of toilet paper and pressed them tightly over the wound. With my right hand on my forehead, I used my left hand to dial for help.

A paramedic examined the wound and, obviously to lessen the gravity of the situation and put me at ease, he proclaimed with impish grin and studied flair that it was only a cut and no stitches are needed. He then cleaned, dressed and bandaged my head wound, while softly humming a tune.

Blurting repeated thanks while escorting him to the door, I glimpsed a shaft of early morning light gradually piercing and bathing my sleepy neighborhood.

no time nor place
could weaken the memory
of my first love


Sunday, June 21, 2015

Ode to my father


ODE TO MY FATHER
by Victor P. Gendrano

Gnarled hands reveal
The toil of countless years,
Unceasing care in raising us
From carefree days.
Warm them on mine, let us,
In peace, relive the bygone days
With no regret. Let's not lament
The rare instance when we snatched
From fleeting time a few minutes
Then being one, sharing one's soul
In man-to-man's togetherness.

Oh memories!
Time-warped and distance-dulled
We seem only to dwell on those
We like and dump away the rest
As if in so doing we wash our guilt
Of things undone, unspoken words
Which might haunt us in our sleep.

Your frail body, which now is sapped
Of all strength lay bedridden
Creased brow, etched lines
On aged face my hands
Nor love, cannot erase.

Hearken, I'll sing our song
When as a child you soothed my fears
I need it now to steel myself
Still sorrow, and sad swan song
Inchoate yet escaping
From my burdened breast.

And when the thief of life
Finds us apart, take heed
With you my thoughts, my love
My memories remain always
As with Mother who you precede
Rest peacefully, peacefully rest
We commend you to heaven's grace.


In my book, RUSTLE OF BAMBOO LEAVES, but first published in Heritage magazine, Vol. II, No. 1, March 1988.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Summer advent




summer advent
the warmth of affection 
from family and friends

Thank you all who have visited me in the hospital, sent in get-well cards, and your prayers and concerns for my speedy recovery. i'm blessed in having a very loving and caring family who attend to my daily needs. With the help of God, I am on the way to recovery.

sunny day
the discharged patient kicks
the deflated get-well balloon
out of his way


Saturday, June 6, 2015

Fish that got away

Tagalog

nakawalang isda
palaki nang palaki
sa tungga ng alak

English

one that got away
the fish grows bigger
with every sip of beer

In my book.
Rusrle of bambbo leaves

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Chopped tree




the widower explains
to his visiting son
why he chopped their shade tree
twice there he drawls
I tried to hang myself

In my book,
Haiku and Tanka Harvest

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Loneliness



starved for a woman's touch
he indulges in fantasy
and falls prey to a flirt
beneath the cloak of night
alone,he weeps

In my book,
Haiku and Tanka Harvest

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Cycle of life

Mother"s Day
my daughter brings her daughter
as a peace offering

eighteenth birthday
she dances with strangers
my daughter's daughter

a cocoon rides
the autumn wind
her empty room

early spring
my daughter"s daughter
now a new mother

From my book. Rustle of bamboo: Selected haiku and other poems.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Bullying


in the news
bullying is worse
than child abuse


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Ash Wednesday


dust we are
to dust we shall return
Lenten lesson

Tagalog

abo tayo
sa abo rin ang tungo
aral ni Kristo

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Friday, February 13, 2015

Friday the 13th


Friday the 13th
I shoo a black cat
from my driveway

Monday, February 9, 2015

Winter storm

icy deadly storm
man's ingenuity still no match
to nature's fury



Saturday, January 31, 2015

Soldier's wife


SOLDIER'S WIFE
a haiku sequence

by © Victor P. Gendrano

soldier's wife
a brisk wind blasts open
her mailbox

she picks up
the muddy newspaper
announcing his demise

in the horizon
a meteor disappears
in a flash

Sunday, January 11, 2015

World peace



New Year advent
a troubled and weary world
yearns for peace