Jim Pascual Agustin's Blog, page 43
November 5, 2012
The Ghosts of Dogs
I was asked by an online friend whether I was a “dog person” or not. I like dogs and cats. I didn’t grow up being close to either of them. My cousins had countless cats – they must have drifted into their house and liked the ever-growing company and decided to stay. My family had one dog at a time, meant to guard the gate.
I remember how each dog was lost and replaced. One day I’ll try and write something about them. And then another day about the ones I’ve had for my own family here in Cape Town.
Sometimes I think of nothing but ghosts and forget the living.
Filed under: Uncategorized
October 31, 2012
Xstrata and Indophil Resources Go Home!
Sometimes it really is quite simple. Lives are more important than profit.
In the following news item it is literally the foot soldiers who are in trouble while the executives of these multinational monsters (or should that be monster executives of these multinational companies?) go globetrotting in search of more lands to plunder.
13 Soldiers Face Court Martial for Davao del Sur Massacre
Filed under: Asia, Capitalism's greed, environment, Fragments and Moments, Imperialism, Influences Tagged: Australia’s Indophil Resources NL, indigenous people's rights, Multinational Mining, Philippines, Swiss, Xstrata
October 30, 2012
Resurrecting Words
I am in the process of translating my poems from two early books – Beneath an Angry Star (Anvil, Manila 1992) and Salimbayan (with Argee Guevarra and Neal Imperial; Publikasyong Sipat, Manila 1994) – in the hopes that I can release a new edition as an ebook that will be bilingual, expanded, and slightly revised. I hope I won’t have to leave out some poems due to translation difficulties or space limitations. After this I plan to put together a selected poems manuscript initially intended for South African readers. I need friends to keep me focused on this. Any out there? (… there… there… there… — think of echoes in a dark cave)
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Anvil Publishing, Argee Guevarra, Beneath an Angry Star, Filipino poems, Filipino poetry in English, Jim Pascual Agustin, Neal Imperial, poetry, Publikasyong Sipat, Salimbayan, translation
October 26, 2012
One Day I’ll Hear about It
I just got reminded that one of my books, BAHA-BAHAGDANG KARUPUKAN, has been nominated for the National Book Award for Poetry in Filipino back home. Now I can’t remember if I posted this bit of news here before. But still, very happy to be reminded. I’m not expecting to win, although it would be nice. Very nice. hahahaha (can’t contain myself, obviously!).
Filed under: Uncategorized
October 18, 2012
I’m Being Petty, but it makes me happy! (TRANSITIONS Table of Contents)
I laugh at the drop of a hat. Or a hat staying on someone’s head when it should’ve been blown away by the wind. Or just a hat with or without a cat. Or the absence of a hat that used to make me laugh – well, a sad laugh then.
So this makes me ecstatic – seeing my name in the table of contents of Modern Poetry in Translation‘s latest issue, the last one to be edited by David and Helen Constantine, and the first one with incoming editor Sasha Dugdale.
I grabbed this image off the MPT website, so sorry for the low resolution. If you are able to buy a copy of the issue, please do. If you work for or are in touch with libraries – in the Philippines or wherever in the world – please request the staff to subscribe to MODERN POETRY IN TRANSLATION. It is an amazing publication. A bridge of words, ideas and worlds across time.
This is probably not my last post regarding Transitions. Wait til I get my copy from the post! 
Filed under: Africa, Asia, environment, Europe, Fragments and Moments, Life in a different world, Literary News & Articles, Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry, Uncategorized Tagged: Alien to Any Skin, Baha-bahagdang Karupukan, Filipino poetry, Jim Pascual Agustin, memory, Modern Poetry in Translation, Philippines, poetry, South Africa, translation
October 15, 2012
It’s Like the First Time Again
I’m stopping myself from rambling … just wanted to post this bit of news for now until my excitement settles down (less likely to say something stupid haha).
That amazing project started by Ted Hughes in the 60s is still going strong – Modern Poetry in Translation – and they are launching a new issue soon. I’m in it!!!!
-o-
Thank you, David and Helen, for letting me in. Welcome to Sasha! Can’t wait to see the issue.
Filed under: Africa, Asia, Europe, Fragments and Moments, Influences, Life in a different world, Literary News & Articles, Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry Tagged: Filipino, Filipino poetry, Jim Pascual Agustin, Modern Poetry in Translation, poetry in trans, translation
October 5, 2012
Rambling
It has been a while since I wrote anything here. Too many things have happened, not all of them I can really share with anyone else. Self-censorship is a version of hell – worse because it is your own thoughts that you imprison before anyone else has heard/read/seen them. You stop yourself from expressing what needs to run out the door to find its own path, its own world that might or might not welcome it.
As far as I know there are no birds, even flightless ones, who pluck out their own feathers. Tragic characters in old narratives pluck out their eyes.
Not long ago I wrote a short poem whose title was longer than the body. Not a lot of journals or magazines accept short poetry (or Haiku, or whatever this particular beast might be called). And this rambling post was not meant to be an introduction for the piece. I just remembered it. The same way things that have no connection to what I am busy with suddenly enter my thoughts – like when I was mowing the lawn earlier I suddenly realized I hadn’t written birthday poems for our twins. They are now ten and I owe them at least a poem for each year that has passed. The next thought was “Maybe I can write the poems backwards.” Who knows that that means? The lawnmower blade got stuck with thick grass and I had to deal with it. The thought passed.
-o-
The poem has two versions, so I shall post them both here.
30agosto2012
2309-2316
pb2
I Took a Walk and Came Home a Stranger in the Dark
cold night, hum of stars
my feet stick out the blanket
soon enough, sunrise
-o-
cold night, hum of stars
blanket’s too short for my feet
soon enough, sunrise
-o-
Filed under: Africa, Asia, Creatures, environment, Fragments and Moments, Influences, Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry, Sanaysay / Essays, Silly Babble, Uncategorized Tagged: Jim Pascual Agustin, memory
September 23, 2012
Making Dragons Out of Ready to Roll White Icing
Click to view slideshow.This is the first time I tried to make something out of ready to roll white icing. Dragons for one of the birthday cakes for our twins! My wife makes amazing cakes every year. She deserves her own website for her creations. My work is just a sideshow. I made climbers for a mountain she had made for the same birthday – we have twins – but for the dragon cake we had the cake made and printed with an image of a dragon. I just did the props. Here are some photos of my first attempt.
Filed under: Uncategorized
September 21, 2012
Those Who Cannot Look at Mirrors will Seek Hammers
My country of birth remembers the declaration of Martial Law 40 years ago today. Actually it was signed into law on 11 September 1972 – if I remember my history books right – but was only declared on the 21st.
Recently a new law was signed by the current president. It comes close to an Orwellian vision. Here’s a link to an article from Rappler:
CYBERCRIME LAW gives idiots in power a way to deal with any form of opposition.
Filed under: Uncategorized
September 13, 2012
TPP – ever heard of it?
Apparently it’s something like the Death Star. Need I say more?
Follow the links and find out for yourself:
ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
Filed under: Africa, Asia, Capitalism's greed, environment, Europe, Imperialism, Influences, Latin America, Middle East, North America, politics
