Nineteen hundred and eighty six
when you planted the bamboo.
Our learned neighbor said-
it will not grow
that little branch,
it does not fit here
it will come to naught
since our soil is sand
and our water is salty.
The plant will surely die
for in the whole of Olango Island
nobody can make it sprout.
I guess, perhaps-
you were hard headed
or you were in love
with the sway of the bamboo
everytime Amihan blows
and the bird sings.
One night, it was full moon
when you planted
that little branch.
You gave her water
that is not salty, but fresh.
You nurtured her,
you gave everything
to the yellow bamboo
and not long after
The leaves appeared,
the plant prospered
and danced to the tune
of the Habagat
and to the whisper
of this heart
that you left behind.
*Amihan- Northeast Moonsoon
*Habagat- Southwest Moonsoon
Poem is translated from Cebuano "Dalag ang Kawayan"
