Panangaasi

Since summer isn't completely gone, trees
still throng with the medley of andidiit.

Alinaay—benevolence of weather that we pray for. 
Alutiit—house lizards skittering through cracks,

under the door or in the ceiling. Some days 
it seems impossible to get through this life 

without some kind of anib. As night falls 
harder, gurruod ken kimat. I wanted to see 

the moon: so much fuller when I think of it 
as bulan. But all the world is either sheets

of fire or water. Bari-bari, we whisper,
walking every day through streets of danger.  




*

Ilocano words:

panangaasi - showing pity, concern
andidiit - cicadas
alinaay - calm
anib - talisman
gurruod ken kimat - thunder and lightning
bulan - moon
bari-bari - a word to ward off bad spirits


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.