Brown eyes

IN “BROWN EYES”, a PSN Poetry for Children workshop in celebration of the National Arts Month, participants will be taught how to look, and where to look.

It is called poetry for children workshop because, well, i t i s elementary poetry writing with the goal of writing simply and clearly so that grade school children can appreciate what poetry the participants may produce.

But the lessons can very well be applied to get to the pautot and high chair kind of poetry.

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Brown Eyes pays homage to the Filipino brown.

Thus, seeing things from the Filipino eyes.

Thus, maybe, translating what the Filipino eyes see so that other Filipino minds may understand.

If poetry is really the art of seeing, then it is basic that we need to teach how to look and see.

How much do you see of the world?

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H o w m a n y f i n s d o e s a bangus have?

A r e t h e s e p a l s o f the gumamela fused or separated?

When was the last time you counted the colors of an actual rainbow?

Which has a wider band in the rainbow, the red or the blue?

How many joints do the legs of a spider have?

How many pairs of wings does a cockroach have?

What’s at the back of a P10 coin?

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What’s the sound of crushed garlic in boiling oil?

Of chopped onions?

Of diced tomatoes?

Of them three combined?

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What’s the sound of crushed garlic in melted butter?

What’s the sound of chopped garlic in melted butter?

What’s the sound of boiling water in an electric kettle?

What’s the sound of boiling water in a pot?

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What’s the color of your mother’s eyes?

Of your father’s?

Whose is darker?

Whose is darkest in your family?

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What’s the feel of your puppy on a rainy day?

What’s the feel on a hot day? What’s the feel in the morning? In the early afternoon?

In the early evening?

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When was the last time you spent five minutes talking to your neighbor?

Talking to a stranger? Talking to a balut vendor? How many of your teeth show

My Life As Art/11