“so your coffee’s cold because half the moon is ice. when the brewed sea boils, stir the cold into high tide. don’t chill. half the moon is fire.” Verse speak by Desiree, a passion for words

This is Tanka 18 (The Japanese tanka is a 31-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line) in Desiree L. Balota’s upcoming book of poems “What Name Do You Give Her? and other birthrises.” The book will be launched May 18 in St. Theresa’s College (STC). Cebu-born Desiree’s creative pursuits stem from her heart, and her need to express herself in the printed word.

Desiree studied in Guadalupe Elementary School for her primary schooling, the University of San Carlos South Campus for intermediate and high school, STC (BS Education, major in English) for college. She earned her Master’s Degree in literature in Cebu Normal University, where she is currently studying for a doctorate in literature and communication.

In school, Desiree would, if told, contribute poems for the school paper. But it was only a few years after college when she started to write, mostly poems, seriously. But even in her younger years, she had told herself, “I would open myself to opportunities for learning how to write poems and stories.” So she read articles and books on how to write poems and stories, and attended writing workshops. She attended Iyas, which means “seed” in Hiligaynon, at the Saint La Salle University in Bacolod; the Cornelio Faigao workshop organized by the University of San Carlos; and writing workshops in the University of the Philippines Cebu. She came out with her first book of Cebuano poems in 2017 which she called “Pagsubang sa Bangaw, Pagsidlak sa Bulan (The Rise of the Rainbow, The Effulgence of the Moon).” It is a “collection of poems with the themes of gender equality, gender-based violence, restoration, providence, active involvement, leadership and progress,” a sample of which follows: Kawsa (Cebuano)

kay napatuman na ang pagbughaw sa tin-aw nga sapa, gibunyagan dinhi ang lunhaw nga maya ug nahimo kining agila apan inay magpaila ug makiguban sa panganod, nagpabilin siya sa yuta uban ang mga balili. gidagit niya ang kinabuhi sa matag lunhaw nga dahon hangtod nisamin na sa iyang bayhon ang yuta.

sa paghangad niya sa langit alang sa paghalad sa katagbawan sa iyang mga nahimo, nakita niyang nagsakay sa panganod ang usa ka panon sa mga maya nga nagsabwag-uli og mga liso-lunhaw ngadto sa yuta, tin-aw ngadto sa sapa.

Cause (English)

because this clear brook has been turned blue, a green maya was baptized here. The maya became an eagle but it did not parade its new form and join the clouds. it remained on the ground with the grass and snatched the life of every green blade, this, eagle, until its stance became the mirror of the soil.

as it lifted its head to the sky to offer its contentment for its deed, it saw a flight of maya riding on a cloud sow-returning seeds— green seeds to the ground, clear seeds to the brook

“I am basically Cebuano, and I told myself that I have to learn to write in Cebuano because I am Cebuano,” Balota shared, regarding why her first book of poems is in Cebuano. “I imposed it on myself. I committed to it because I thought I could have things to express; my thoughts, feelings in Cebuano because, for me, Cebuano captures my heart more,” the poet said.

But she added that she still writes in Filipino and English, since she wants to be able to write in more than just one language.

To learn Cebuano better, she listens to radio programs in Bisaya and reads newspapers and magazines in the dialect— some of which, have printed her poems in Cebuano.

“The thoughts, feelings, learning and experiences just found their language. There is something about Binisaya that captures and conveys my Cebuano mind, heart, experience and consciousness that, to me, makes me feel my voice and my heartbeat in these verses.”

In this book, “‘Daw Manananggal” is about gossip and slander, “Tanos” is about growth learning and the experience of the sea, “Pagbali” is rising from the experience of condescension, “Kay Queer fruit kuno ko, in a decent orchard” is about equality, respect, and eating a kiwi a workmate gave her, and “Ang Secretong Gipadayag sa Binuwakang Dayari ni Lilia” is about genderbased violence, vindication and partnership, and seeing a garden every day.

She says she writes in the language which, in her heart, suits the topic; the thought she has in writing a poem or story. That said, she will be coming out with another book of poems in English. Here is another sample, Tanka 25:

petals

and the peace of the adoration chapel filled the rose of my pure love. you have chosen to renounce the earthly Eden so from this day forward, i will live a life that will nurture the purity of these red petals that, after my tears and my submission, will transform into white.