by M.J. Cagumbay Tumamac, translated from the Kinaray-a language into English by Eric Gerard H. Nebran
the flood, in the grouping of the dead
by C.Q.: was alive and spoken
but now forgotten in the present
and there is no proof of its name
or the owners; no one knows
the ways of its existence. It’s visible
*
in the city what was abandoned
by the war, says M.D.—e.g., Mostar,
where you can see the windows
remain open. Can the corpses be seen
if they are left in the forest of Mt. Busa
after several nights of combat?
For T.S., everything that is no longer
remembered is to be buried
in the earthy bowels of the fields. Surely
*
a dream: you saw yourself facing
the fields where the massacred journalists
were buried; you were digging
but nothing was found,
no bodies, clothing, or effects,
until it rained and the flood came
and the ground released the severed tongues.
ang baha, sa klasipikasyon kang mga patay
ni C.Q.: piho nga nabuhi kag ginhambal
ugaring nadura sa panumduman kadya
ang ngaran, ang mga nagpanag-iya, wara
ti sangka pamatuod; ara kato apang wara
ti may kamaan kang pagkabuhi. Hapus
*
makita sa syudad ang mga nabilin/ginbilin
kang gyera, suno kay M.D.—e.g., Mostar
nga asta kadya, ara ang mga pirme abri
nga bintana. Makita bala ang bangkay
kon pabay-an lang sa talon kang Busa
pagkatapos ang pira ka gabii nga engkwentro?
Kay T.S., ginalubung sa lupa kang bukid
ang tanan nga indi na madumduman. Piho
*
damgo: nakita mo ang kaugalingon
atubang kang bukid nga ginlubungan
kang ginmasaker nga mga dyornalista;
wara untat ang imong pagkalot apang wara
ti nakita nga mga lawas, gamit, ukon bayo,
asta nag-uran, nagbaha, kag naanod
halin sa bukid ang mga gin-utod nga dila.
Originally written in the Kinaray-a language, the poem discusses some of the horrors that occur in the poet’s home region in southern Philippines. The original text has been published in TLDTD, an online journal for poetry by Filipinos.
Published: Thursday 5 June 2025
M.J. Cagumbay Tumamac (poet) is a writer and reading advocate from southern Mindanao.
Eric Gerard H. Nebran (translator) is an educator, illustrator, and PhD candidate in the Comparative Literature programme at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Originally from General Santos City, he has taught Language, Literature, and Education at both secondary and tertiary levels for over a decade. He also works as a freelance editor for publishing houses and produces content for a range of organisations, including academic, corporate, and media institutions. His research interests encompass orality, history, popular culture, and digital humanities. He actively studies and promotes the literary and cultural productions of his hometown.