In the Ossuary
Why pierce delicate flesh?
Longing to see the sun.
Why stray from a primordial alliance?
Irked by the neverending wait.
Why be wracked with anguish?
Yearning to become thunder/river.
How come a horn/branch snaps?
There’s a gale and a kiss for defying it.
Why does the mirror fracture/sin?
Desire/it is in the illusion of every observer.
Why the furrowed/import of earth?
Explore the path of other creatures.
Translated by Kristine Ong Muslim.
You can read and listen to the poem in the original Filipino here.