Jim Pascual Agustin's Blog, page 24
April 4, 2016
March 17, 2016
Editing myself – Jewels from SOUND BEFORE WATER
Grief is as sure as love. This poem which is included in SOUND BEFORE WATER (UST Publishing House, 2013) came to mind when I heard of a friend’s loss. Today I decided to take out the final line. In the book it still ends with “Grief is nothing but a shadow.”
Jewels
She closes her eyes.
A picture book world
propped up by her left foot
against tree bark
collapses.
Light rain,
silent, reawakens
paintbrush colours,
landscapes on paper.
Tiny drops,
jewels, gather
on her hair, eyelashes.
There are moments
that linger,
she remembers.
Her hands trace the damp
skin of trees. Remnants
gone beyond touch.
-o-
Filed under: poetry, Sound Before Water Tagged: grief, Jewels, loss
March 1, 2016
Graphic reviews A Thousand Eyes
The Philippines Graphic released a review of A THOUSAND EYES. The text is up on the legendary magazine’s Facebook page HERE. I hope you enjoy the review and consider getting hold of the book – if you live in Manila or anywhere in the Philippines. Unfortunately the digital version is still not available.
Thanks.
Filed under: A Thousand Eyes, Filipino poetry, Filipino-South African, Jim Pascual Agustin, Literary News & Articles, poetry, Uncategorized
February 29, 2016
Sniffing Out Madness
One photo from a Donald Trump campaign caught my eye. Sometimes you need not look further.
Filed under: Bush legacy, Capitalism's greed, Life in a different world, North America, politics, Uncategorized
January 30, 2016
Hooks, Boundaries, Feathers
This post will only be up for the last weekend of January 2016. Congratulations if you managed to read it. The poems are what I intend to read at the Central Library in Cape Town to as yet an unknown number of people (perhaps just the librarian and myself!). If you like any of the poems at all, it would be nice to get some feedback. The reading is at 2pm South African time.
Thanks to all my friends who are in various parts of the world and cannot attend.
Filed under: A Thousand Eyes, Baha-bahagdang Karupukan, Filipino poetry, Filipino-South African, Fragments and Moments, How to Make a Salagubang Helicopter, Imperialism, Influences, Jim Pascual Agustin, KaLaman at DayuHan, Kalmot ng Pusa sa Tagiliran, Life in a different world, Literary News & Articles, Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry, Sky for Silent Wings, Sound Before Water, Uncategorized
January 27, 2016
Reading to an Imaginary Audience
I’ve been invited as feature poet at the Cape Town Central Library’s Poetry Circle this Saturday, 30 January 2016. They even put up an invitation on their Facebook page, which made me nervous.
Here is the LINK to the public announcement.
I told my online poetry critique group my fear of facing an audience that might not know me. Worse, what if nobody turned up? Well at least there’ll be refreshments. “More for me!!!!” (hahahaha). One kind member of the group said this:
Time for one of my favorite stories. I tell it all the time. People start nodding their heads finishing off the lines because they know it so well. But here goes anyway. I’ll probably tell it again.
It’s about Abbott and Costello, the famous comedy team. Bud Abbott cheated on his taxes and was in trouble with the IRS for owing back taxes. Lou Costello at this time was dead. So Abbott sent out a nationwide request to his loyal fans to help him out with donations. After all that trouble, he only got about 2 hundred dollars. A wise-ass reporter asked him to comment on his so-called fans donating so little. Mr. Abbott said, “It was damn nice of them.” So it’s damn nice of those 7 people or however many finally do show up.
Seriously, though. I do love reading my work out loud, particularly those that work better that way than just flat on a piece of paper. I know most people who read this little blog are not even in Cape Town – or South Africa, for that matter. So feel free to give me a shout and wish me luck. Yes, I’m nervous but I’m also very excited. I hope not to waste anyone’s time at the very least.
If you’ve ever read and like any of my poetry, it would be nice to hear which ones you think I should include for the reading. Makes the whole effort less solitary.
Thanks for accompanying me on this journey.
Filed under: A Thousand Eyes, Africa, Alien to Any Skin, Baha-bahagdang Karupukan, Butterfly Moments, Filipino poetry, Filipino-South African, Fragments and Moments, Jim Pascual Agustin, Literary News & Articles, Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry, Uncategorized
January 18, 2016
Aerodrome publishes “Wood and String” and “End of 2010: Another Science Fiction Year has Come and Gone”
It’s great to see two more poems appear on the fantastic site AERODROME. I wrote “Wood and String” after a video prompt from an international competition at Poetry International. It received honorable mention. Now it has its own page shared with another poem that has been around since… 2010. :) I hope you enjoy both of them.
image from wikipedia
Thank you to the editors of Aerodrome!
Filed under: Africa, Creatures, environment, Filipino poetry, Filipino-South African, Fragments and Moments, Jim Pascual Agustin, Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry, Uncategorized Tagged: Aerodrome, Filipino poetry, Jim Pascual Agustin, poetry
January 14, 2016
New Blog on Asian Literature
I was pleasantly surprised when I found my name mentioned in an interesting new blog on Asian Literature. Please visit Nichole L. Reber’s blog on Ploughshares. HERE is the link to the first entry.
Although I now live in South Africa, my country of birth (family, friends, the landscape, whatever else that allowed me to be aware of the ground beneath my feet and the air I breathe for the first time) remains part of me and will somehow reside in me for the rest of my life.
Filed under: Filipino poetry, Filipino-South African, Imperialism, Influences, Jim Pascual Agustin, Life in a different world, Mga Tula / Poetry, Uncategorized Tagged: Nichole R. Reber, Ploughshares
January 8, 2016
Houseboat features excerpts from A THOUSAND EYES
Houseboat has featured amazing work for some time now. It’s a real treat to anyone who loves words and images. My work has once again been given a chance to reach more readers. I hope you visit Houseboat and spread the word.
Filed under: A Thousand Eyes, Filipino poetry, Jim Pascual Agustin, Literary News & Articles, Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry, Uncategorized Tagged: A Thousand Eyes, Houseboat, Jim Pascual Agustin, poetry, UST Publishing House
December 31, 2015
The Ghost in the Glass – a first draft
The Ghost in the Glass
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language.
And next year’s words await another voice.”
– T.S. Eliot
He took two photographs of himself
as if he were a ghost trapped in glass.
Shirtless, the sun striking him
directly from above, he could feel
ultraviolet rays penetrating his skin.
A fool foolishly marking the last day
of another year in a country where he remains
alien, though not on paper. He Skyped
with his family back home the day before
with his webcam turned off.
A glimpse of his mother on her birthday
was all he asked for, her sight
having left her years ago. He saw everyone
there peering through the tiny lens
of his sister’s tablet. No one saw him.
-o-
Filed under: Africa, Filipino poetry, Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry, Uncategorized
