Book Spine Poem December 2019

Faith

Breaking apart

Behind the beautiful forevers

Stillness speaks

Book Spine Poetry Festival: The Best of 2017

Announcing the best Book Spine Poems of 2017!

Book Spine Poetry Best of 2017 from Zarah Gagatiga

Book Spine Poetry Festival 2017

March 21 is World Poetry Day and we are bringing back the Book Spine Poetry Festival. It begins on March 13, 2017 until April 3, 2017.

It is easy to do!

* Compose a poem or poems using the spine of books from the BA Library.

* Register your book spine poem to Mr. Flynn.

* The poems will be put on display from April 4-8, 2017 and everyone is invited and enjoined to vote on the poems.

* We are looking for poems that:

     - make us say What The Freak (WTF) is that?!

     - give us the chills 

     - touch our hearts

     - inspire

     - make us wonder

* Griffins who have poems as entry to the festival will get 5 book points for the book quota.

For samples of Book Spine Poems, read the poetry made by former students. These are posted on the doors of the BA Library.

Advanced happy World Poetry Day!

At the Academy Last Week: Poetry and Christmas Reading Passport 2016

Last week at the Academy, we launched the annual Christmas Reading Passport. This reading campaign began three years ago. It has evolved into a program that address reading needs and interests of students. I have also included an aspect of Bibliotherapy by including reflection questions.

Here are posts about the Christmas Reading Passport from previous years:

Christmas Reading Passport 2015
 Christmas Reading Passport 2014
 Christmas Reading Passport 2014 Video

Here's how the Christmas Reading Passport works:

1. Students get a reading passport.

2. The reading passport is designed to encourage students to read four books on the themes of hope, peace, joy and love. There are four questions to be answered, one for each book. This way, students are guided on their book choices. Recommended reads, a list of books about the themes are sent out via email lists to everyone.

3. The passport and the books are taken home over the long holiday break.

4. Students come back after the break with the passports filled out. They submit this to the library staff.

5. They get a token from the library.

 As the grade 9s have started a unit on Poetry in English class, I have put on display books on poetry. Inspired by current events, I picked up some books and stacked them together for a book spine poem I shared with the community.

Book Spine Poetry Festival 2016

It is World Poetry Day on March 21. It is time, once again, for the Book Spine Poetry Contest. This is an annual celebration of poetry, oral tradition and books. This year, instead of having the poems pitted against each other, we will have a festival where book spine poems will be put on public display to be read by students, teachers and staff, even parents, of the Beacon Academy. Readers pick a book spine poem that they like and vote for it.

The Book Spine Poetry Festival is now on its third run.

So far, the library is getting three to five book spine poems a day. I create some myself as an added push to those who are hesitant to join in the fun. So far, we have ten book spine poems displayed in the library.

Yesterday, a junior, who is new to the mechanics of the activity, asked me. "How do you start making a book spine poem, Miss?"

"How do you feel today?" I asked back.

"I'm pretty upset."

I replied, "Well. Start from there. Your feelings, your emotions can fuel you to write a poem."

And so, a poem came to be.

Book Spine Poetry Winner 2015

This year, we had two judges for our Book Spine Poetry Contest. MJ Tumamac and Beverly Wico Siy graciously accepted the judging duties. Here are their notes and reviews on the winning poem.

Beverly Wico Siy's review:

Napakahusay bilang description ang tulang ito. Matatakot ka sa nilalang na ipinakikilala bilang mamamatay-tao hindi lang dahil sa itsura nito (Big mouth and ugly/Freaky green eyes) kundi maging sa ugali at espiritwal nitong katangian 

(Unclean/Unholy/Wicked). Ang big mouth ay maaaring mangahulugan ng pagiging madaldal, maingay, buka nang buka ang bibig dahil sa pagsasalita. Maaari din itong ipakahulugan bilang matakaw, lamon nang lamon, kinakain ang lahat ng makita. Gahaman, sa maikling salita. 

Ang Green Eyes naman ay puwedeng ituring na reference sa dayuhan, partikular na sa mga taga-Kanluran. Kaya masasabing ang tulang ito ay isang epektibong babala: may naghihintay sa dilim, mga nilalang na walang sinasanto na maaaring magmalupit sa iyo at magdulot ng kamatayan. Sa anong dahilan? Sa kawalan nito ng kakontentuhan at matinding kagutuman.

MJ Tumamac's review:

Sa pag-aayos ng mga linya, hindi lang mahalaga na tunog matulain ang bawat linya; mahalaga rin kung may nabubuo itong diwa. Una, diwa sa literal na nibel. Tulad ng nabanggit ko na dati, hindi palabuan ang pagtula. Una kong tinitingnan kung maayos ang pagkakalahad, lalo na ang gramatika nito. Mula sa maayos na pagkakalahad ng ideya, tiyak na lilitaw na may talinghaga ang tula. Tulad ng tula sa ibaba, malinaw ang paglilista ng mga katangian muna.

Book Spine Poetry Contest 2015 Part 2

Here are the rest of the poems that were entered in the Book Spine Poetry Contest.

Book Spine Poetry Contest 2015

Last March, I opened the Book Spine Poetry Contest to the student body. By mid-April, there were ten entries to the contest. I will be posting five poems today, then the second five tomorrow. Judges' comments and feedback will follow after the poems are all posted in the blog.

The Book Spine Poetry Contest is Back!

The Book Spine Poetry Contest is back! It was launched yesterday during the school assembly in line with March 21 being World Poetry Day and March 16 being Teen Tech Week (USA).

The same rules apply from last year's contest. Instead of running the contest for four months though, a month is only given for students and faculty to join and send in entries. Here are the rules:

Book Spine Poetry Contest

How to do it: simply compose your own found poetry using the books' spine. If you're not done with your poem yet, you can leave the books you pulled out of the shelves with Mr. Flynn for only a day. He will return it back to the shelf the following day. Cut off time is 3.30pm.

If you have no intent at finishing the poem, YOU must return the book to its proper place in the shelf by following its call number.

Once you've composed your book spine poem, I'll take a photo of it; I'll tag your name and this becomes your batch's entry to the Book Spine Poetry Contest. We'll feature poems completed and submitted to us at the end of each week.

For the prizes: Finals = Ice Cream / Grand prize winner = Pizza Party

And yes, you can work in pairs, in triads or in teams of four.

 To campaign and promote the contest, I have made my own book spine poems.

 Book Spine Poem 1 

You Know Where to Find Me
When It Happens
By the River
The Boy With the Porcelain Blade


Book Spine Poem 2

Warm Bodies
In Between the Sheets
Breathless
Beauty
Sunshine
A Ring of Endless Light

The 2014 Book Spine Poetry Winners: Final Round

Our Book Spine Poetry Contest at school draws to a close.

Final round judge Ed Maranan picked five best poems from the fifteen finalists. Here are the poems:

Honorable Mention
"A World Undone
Embracing Defeat
Going Going
Gone"

Honorable Mention
"In the Country of Men
Seeking the Heart of Wisdom
Atlas Shrugged
...and a hard rain fell"

3rd Place
"Last Night I Dreamed of Peace
Looking Back
The First Escape
Before we were free
A Hero of Our Time
Jumped
Fences
Shaking the Foundation"

2nd Place
"In Defense of Women
It's Not Easy Being Mean
Cycle and Hatred
Bood and Rage
Ice Cream and Sadness
Maiden of Pain
A Woman's Life"

1st Place
"In the Country of Men
Things Fall Apart
Funny How Things Change
As I Lay Dying"

Judge's review of the poems will be posted in the blog tomorrow.

Book Spine Poetry Contest February 2014: Judge's Review

For the February run of our Book Spine Poetry Contest in school, I asked MJ Tumamac, Salanga Prize Winning Author to judge the month's entries. Here is MJ's review.

Ano ang hinahanap ko sa isang tula? Marami at madalas ay nag-iiba. Isa rito ay ang “kalinawan” ng pahayag (bagaman ang laging persepsiyon ng mga tao sa tula ay “hindi dapat ito naiintindihan”), ngunit hindi ibig sabihin nito na kung ano ang gustong sabihin ng tula ay mismong sinasabi na sa tula. 

Gusto ko lamang ipahayag na isang pahayag ang tula at hindi lamang binubuo ng mga “matatalinghagang” o “malalalim” na salita at parirala (ngunit hindi ako nanlalahat dahil may mga paraan ng pagtula na binabali ang mga “kumbensiyon”). At huwag ninyo akong isisipi na ikinakahon ko ang kakanyahan ng tula.

Kaya, nagustuhan ko ang tula sa ibaba. Maaari na sigurong alisin ang pangatlong linya dahil maaari na itong lumabas sa pang-apat na linya. May ganoon ding katangian ang huling dalawang linya. Ngunit nagustuhan ko ang matalinong paggamit ng mga pamagat at ang “kalinawan” ng pahayag.

The next 100 years

When everything changed

Split in two

A conflict of vision

The end of nature

Collapse

Ganito din ang makikita sa iba pang nagustuhan kong tula pero malaki siyempre ang impluwensiya na hindi sila ang nag-ayos ng bawat linya dahil mga pamagat ito ng mga aklat.

A world undone

Embracing defeat

Going, going

Gone

The language of passion

All we know of love

Burned

In the shadow of the rising sun

Naaliw naman ako sa tulang ito, kahit na nawiwirduhan ako sa pangalawang linya dahil kabaligtaran ang ginagawa nito sa sinasabi nito.

Dear bully

Without further adieu

Run fast

Someday this pain will be useful to you

At ang pinakanagustuhan kong tula ay ito dahil na rin sa mga pag-isa-isa ng mga bagay-bagay na nagkakaroon ng maraming kahulugan dahil sa piniling paksain.

In defense of women

It's not easy being mean

Cycle and hatred

Blood and rage

Ice cream and sadness

Maiden of pain

A woman's life

Bionote:
MJ Tumamac, aka Xi Zuq, is a poet and writer for children from General Santos City. Visit him at www.xizuqsnook.com.

Book Spine Poetry Contest February 2014

Book Spine Poetry January 2014 Judge's Review

• Last month, I posted Bebang Siy's choices of winners in our Book Spine Poetry Contest. Here is Ronald "Poy" Verzo's choice poems from the January batch of entries.
   
• The Hours
• After the Storm
• And the Mountains Echoed
• Someday this Pain Will Be Useful To You
  
  
• I like this. Why? In only four book spines it was able to dramatize a catastrophe and how we learn from it. Let’s say, the Yolanda aftermath and how the pain it caused can help people become better. It can also say something about how people cope with problems, and how pain can be put into good use.  The imagery is concrete--the aftermath of a storm echoed by an image equally large and adamant as a mountain, giving strength and truth to a didactic closing line.
  
• In the Country of Men
• Seeking the Heart of Wisdom
• Atlas Shrugged
• …and a hard rain fell
  
  
• Atlas, a man carrying the world on his shoulders, shrugging, as a reaction to man’s search for wisdom and greed for power, leads to hard times. A really powerful imagery to a very good commentary.
  
• snow falling on cedars
• unclean
• unholy 
• undead
• in between the sheets
• Of the Dawn of Freedom
  
  
• It paints a dreary picture-- the snow falling on cedars described as unclean, unholy, and undead. And then it paints of something hidden between the sheets, which the words unclean, unholy, and undead could also refer to, something probably asleep, a freedom about to wake up from a dream.
  
• Last Night I Dreamed of Peace
• Looking Back
• The First Escape
• Before We Were Free
• A Hero of Our Time
• Jump
• Fences
• Shaking the Foundation
  
  
• What I like is how the poem could speak of memory as a place of peace, how it could speak about history and the lessons from the struggles for freedom, and how it reflects and tries to define what a hero of today should be--and that is someone who overcomes barriers (jump fences) to shake the very foundation of things that are valued now, and probably help bring to mind what was the very foundation of our freedom.
  
• Dear Bully
• You say more than you think
• Solitude
• When No One Understands
• The idea of evil
• On Truth and Untruth
• This I believe
  
  
• It is refreshing to read something address something parochial, something which is not far from the concerns of an adolescent, and still make it matter.
  
  Wicked
• Radiance
• Piercing the Darkness
• Savor the Word
• Shiver
• Before Ever After
  
  
• I love the oxymoron—why that radiance, which is piercing the darkness, is described as wicked.
  

Book Spine Poetry January 2014: Judge's Review (2 of 4)

Ngayon ay dadakona ako sa ilang kalahok na nanalo:

Last Night I Dreamed of Peace

Looking Back

The First Escape

Before We Were Free

A Hero of Our Time

Jump

Fences

Shaking the Foundation

Nagustuhanko ang tulang ito sapagka tbuo ang naratibo at nagtapos ito sa mga action word tulad ng jump at shaking nakapwanagpapakita ng paglampas sa mga harang sa pangarap tulad ng “fence” at pagbabantasa “foundation.” Nagustuhan ko rin ang pag-isolate ng makata sa salitang jump dahil ipinakita nito kung gaano kahalagaang action na iyon sa buong tula. Palagay ko, ang persona ay isang nilalang nan angangako ng matindinguri ng pakikilahok sa isang bagay nanapakahalaga sa kanyang panahon. 

At naramdaman ko sa pagsasalita ng persona kung gaano karaming pag-asaang itinataya nito sa kanyang sarili at sa mga tulad niya. Bilib ako sa tangan na ideyalismo ng akdang ito.

Dear Bully

You say more than you think

Solitude

When No One Understands

The idea of evil

On Truth and Untruth

This I believe

Relevant angpaksa.Napapanahon at napakalinaw ng mensahe. Para sa akin, matapang ang persona dahil diniretso niya ang pakikipag-ugnayan sa bully. Ipinakita rin dito na may alam siya sa utak ng mga bully (na palagay ko ay hindi alam ng karamihan sa mga aktuwal na bully, sa tunay na buhay) at sa kanilang mga sinasabi sa kanilang mga biktima. Isa itong tunggalian ng nilalang na malalim ang pag-unawa at ng isang nilalang na bully lamang at wala nang iba.

In the Country of Men

Seeking the Heart of Wisdom

Atlas Shrugged

…and a hard rain fell

Natuwa ak odahil may alusyon ito kay Atlas, isasa mga diyos sa mitolohiyang Griyego. Mukhangwell read ang estudyanteng sumulat nito. Napakatingkad din ng imahen na lumabas sa tula. 

Gaano nga ba kaliit ang tao sa iskema ng isang uniberso? Nagustuhan ko rin kung paanong nag pokus sa tao ang unang taludtod at sa abalang mundo nito na siyang nangyayari ngayon. Ang ikalawang taludtod ay paglalarawan sa information era naginagalawan nating lahat. Akala natin, tayo at ang ating talino ang sentro ng uniberso. Ay, maling-mali. Nariyansi Atlas para ipakita kung gaano tayo kaliit, gaano ka-insignificant. Siyang may hawak ng daigdig! Magkibit balikat lamang siya’y puwede nang masira ng ulan ang iyong araw.

Snow falling on cedars

Unclean

Unholy

Undead

In between the sheets

Of the dawn of freedom

Nagustuhanko ang ipinipintang imahen ng tulang ito, ang pag-ulan ng niyebe salugar na may mga puno ng cedar, isang madaling araw ng kalayaan. May ritmo ang pagkakasunod-sunod ng mga salitang unclean, unholy, undead dahil sa paulit-ulit natunog ng prefix na “un” at maiiklingsalitang karugtong nito: clean, holy, dead. Nakakagulat din kung paanong tinapo sangserye ng “un”. Unclean, negative. Marumi,
nakakadiri. Unholy, negative. Hindi banal, pariwara, walangkuwenta, bastos. At undead. Undead, negative. Kumbaga, zombification ng mga patay na nilalang.

Maaaringangtula ay nagpipinta ng larawan ng isang katatapos lamang na digma. Lahat ng digma ay nagluluwal ng mga unclean, unholy at undead na pagkatao. Dahil sa imahen sa mga taludtod, parang gusto kong sabayan ang persona sapag-aabang ng mgasusunod na pangyayari sa umagang ito.

Maligayangbatisalahat ng nanalosa Book Spine Poetry Contest at samga nag-organisanitolalonakay Gng. Zarah C. Gagatiga. Nawa’ymagpatuloykayonglumikha at tumula. Mabuhayangkabataangmakata!

BebangSiy

Kamias, Quezon City

Pebrero 2014

Book Spine Poetry January 2014: Judge's Review (1 of 4)

Last February, I invited Beverly "Bebang" Siy and Ronald "Poy" Verzo to judge entries in the Book Spine Poetry Contest that we're running in the library. The poems were entries for the month of January but judging transpired in February, National Arts Month. Serendipitous? Probably.

I will be posting their reviews in several parts.  Here is the first part of Bebang's review.

Ngayong National Arts Month, kakaibang patimpalak sa tula ang aking nilahukan bilang isang hurado. Pinamagatan itong Book Spine Poetry Contest na nilahukan ng mga estudyante ng Grades 9-12 ng Beacon Academy at inorganisa ng kanilang librarian na si Bb. Zarah C. Gagatiga.

Lahat ng kalahok ay kailangang makagawa ng isang tula gamit ang iba’t ibang pamagat ng aklat, na nakalimbag sa spine ng aklat. Ang isang spine ay katumbas ng isang taludtod. 

Dito ay hindi ako nagbago ng criteria sa ginawa kong paghusga sa mga kalahok. Ang ginawa ko ay katulad din ng paghusga ko sa karaniwang patimpalak sa tula. 

Bakit? 

Sapagkat ang proseso lamang ng paglikha ng tula ang naiiba rito. Ang Book Spine Poetry ay isang halimbawa ng Found Poetry. Ito ‘yong uri ng tula na binubuo ng mga salita o pariralang basta na lamang natagpuan. Malabo ba? Ganito, halimbawa ay ang tula na gawa sa ilang headline ng ilang diyaryo. O kaya ay ang  tula na gawa sa unang pariralang matatagpuan sa unang pahina ng unang sampung libro na madadampot sa isang aklatan. Ibig sabihin, pre-selected ang (mga) salita na siyang titindig bilang isang taludtod. Walang babaguhin ang sinumang nais gumawa ng tula mula sa mga natagpuan niyang salita o parirala. Ang maaari lamang baguhin (depende na sa makata) ay ang pagkakasunod-sunod ng taludtod at/o ang mga bantas na nakapaloob sa mga ito.

Kumbaga, hindi kailangang likhain mula sa bula ang isang taludtod. Sa patimpalak na ito ng Beacon Academy, nariyan ang mga spine ng aklat, nariyan ang salita o parirala sa bawat spine na siyang bubuo sa taludtod. Kailangang piliin ang mga ito at ayusin ang pagkakasunod-sunod para makalikha ng isang tula.

At dahil tula pa rin ito, inaasahang matatagpuan pa rin dito ang mga elemento ng nasabing anyong pampanitikan.

Narito ang ilan sa palagay ko na dapat taglayin ng isang tula (in no particular order po!):

1. Mapaglarong gamit ng wika

-ito ang dahilan kung bakit nagiging manunulat ang isang karaniwang tao. Nagbabago ang simpleng salita dahil sa mapaglarong gamit niya rito. Nagbabago ito ng anyo, ng kulay, ng hugis, ng amoy, ng lasa, ng tunog dahil sa masining na paggamit ng isang manunulat. 

Sa kaso ng mga spine bilang taludtod, maaaring nagbabago ang kahulugan ng orihinal na pamagat sa spine dahil sa mapaglaro at masining na pagkakasunod-sunod ng bawat spine. Nalalaro niya ang mga salita, at ang kahulugan at tunog nito batay sa pagkakasunod-sunod ng spine.

2. Talinghaga

Ito raw ay pinagsanib na dalawang salita: nakataling hiwaga. Walang eksaktong salin sa Ingles ang salitang talinghaga. Ayon sa UP Diksiyonaryong  Filipino, ito ay mapagbuong simulain ng isang akda, lalo na kaugnay ng malikhaing pangangasiwa sa tayutay at retorika. 

Ito ‘yong bagay sa loob ng tula na kapag naaninag  mo, ikaw ay mapapa-“aaa… iyon pala!” Maaaring maipahayag  ang talinghaga sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng tayutay tulad ng simile, metaphor, irony, personification at marami pa. Maaari din namang ang talinghaga ay ang bagay na siyang hindi ipinapahayag sa isang tula. 

3. Mapaglarong gamit ng taludtod

Dahil sa patimpalak na ito, pre-selected ang (mga) salita sa isang spine o taludtod, ang kailangang bantayan ay kung paanong nagagamit ang pagkakaputol ng mga salita at diwa ng bawat spine. Nakakapagdagdag ba ito sa mensaheng nais iparating ng tula? Nakakapagdagdag ba ito para lalong maging interesting ang talinghaga sa tula? Dahil ba sa huling salita ng piniling spine ay nadagdagan ang pananabik para basahin ang susunod na spine? Ika nga ay, page turner ba ang huling salita ng bawat spine?

4. Persona

Ang persona ay ang mata na pinagmumulan ng isang tula. Kaninong mata ang nakakakita ng karanasan na nasa tula? Sa isang bata ba? Sa isang teenager o sa isang matanda? Sa isang mayaman ba, mahirap o middle class? Sa isang tao ba noong unang panahon o ngayong modernong panahon? Paalala: hindi kailangang tao ang may ari ng mga mata na ito. Maaaring maging mata ito ng isang yelo o kaya ng isang penguin.  Puwede ring mata ng isang buong bansa na naghihikahos. O kaya ng isang bansang gustong manakop ng ibang bansa. Kahit anong persona ay posible, walang hanggan ang posibilidad na mapagpipilian ng sinumang gustong tumula.

5. Mensahe at Tema

Bilang hurado, mahalaga rin sa akin ang tema o mensahe, hindi lang ang paraan kung paanong nilalaro ang mga salita o kung paanong ibinabaon sa mga salita ang isang talinghaga o kung paanong nayayari ang isang taludtod. Aanhin natin ang tulang napakahusay sa mga teknikalidad na nabanggit ngunit ampaw naman ang mensahe o di naman makabuluhan ang tema? 

Napakahirap gumawa ng tula ngunit sa kasawiang-palad, ang tula ay isa lamang messenger. Mas importante pa rin ang message na dala-dala ng messenger. Ang pogi nga ng messenger, wala namang kuwenta ang message niya, wala rin, di ba? Sayang lang ang panahon ng nakatanggap ng message. Kaya para sa akin, mahalagang nagbibigay ng angkop at makabuluhang mensahe ang isang tula o ang anumang pampanitikang akda. 

Book Spine Poetry Winners for January 2014

This month's Book Spine Poetry winners were judged by Beverly Siy and Ronald Verzo, award winning author and poet of the Readers' Choice Awards. Here are their top three choices:

1st Place

Last Night I Dreamed of Peace

Looking Back

The First Escape

Before We Were Free

A Hero of Our Time

Jumped

Fences

Shaking the Foundation

2nd Place

In a Country of Men

Seeking the Heart of Wisdom

Atlas Shrugged

…and a hard rain fell

3rd Place

Dear Bully

You Say More Than You Think

Solitude

When No One Understands

On Truth and Untruth

This I Believe

I will be posting the comments of the judges in the blog in the next few days.

Book Spine Poetry December 2013: Judge's Review (2 of 2)

Here is the second part of Rhandee Garlitos' review on the poems that made it to the finals in the library's Book Spine Poetry Contest. Part one can be read here.

Therefore, these three best entries captured not only the essence of being a poem built on a stack of found titles.  I see this exercise somewhat done before by the American writer Annie Dillard, making something out of newspaper and magazine articles, creating poems from an obsolete almanac in the 1920s, putting together lines by obliterating the unnecessary weeds and hedges.

The third place winner captivates me with its premise – that there could be fun in poetry despite its serious messages.  Its humor is natural and appealing to the young with its premise on the oldest subject in the world, the monkey on every normal student’s back – Maths (When no one understands / Maths 1001 / Academic anxiety / A Game of Groans)

A few more editing touches, and if the last line was used instead as a title, it would be a very potent haiku on the subject, like this:

A Game of Groans

When no one understands

Maths 1001 —

Academic anxiety

The second prize winner had the strength of a strong message.  It speaks of the need for restraint in order to achieve atonement, and it cuts both ways, too.  It could be like a gentle advice to go easy as one passes by an offended elemental, or a stern warning to be careful not to disrespect the boundaries set by a higher being, sort of like the traditional Filipino superstition of “Tabi, tabi po”.  Although it suffers slightly from the natural lack of a preposition (If whispers call for / atonement), it impresses me with its brevity.  A few more tweaks and fine-tuning and this would have gotten my two thumbs-up.

Walk softly, Rachel, 

if whispers call 

atonement 

by the river.

If properly edited, this would read like

By the river

walk slowly, Rachel,

if whispers call (for)

atonement.

The first prize winner stands out above others simply because its author (or I would prefer to call “recreator”) knew how to piece together a four-line poetry that is cohesive in thought and message.

In the country of men,

Things fall apart.

Funny how things change

As I lay dying.

The first two lines join together seamlessly and conjure the image of disarray brought in by what would have been expected as a warranted chaos.  To me it speaks of a world where men destroy each other in quest for power and command of fear above others, and the world collapses because of their whims.  It also speaks of how someone who lays victim to this chaos speaks of it with a casual, almost cold, demeanor.  Then again, it may be a stoic response by someone finally gasping his last ounce of breath.  It is for this reason that its imagery, along with a powerful message, causes this poem to stand out above all others and deserve a much needed applause for its precision and careful marriage of irony and imagery.

Rhandee Garlítos (aka Raymund Magno Garlítos) is an award-winning poet and children’s book author in English and Filipino.  He has received four times the prestigious Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards (the Philippines’ premier literary contest); the Salanga Prize given by the Philippine Board on Books for Young People or PBBY; and the Gintong Aklat Award for his body of work.  He has published 12 children’s books, with his most recent being “Ang Bonggang Bonggang Batang Beki (The Fierce and Fabulous Boy in Pink)”, “Lauan, The Seed that Wanted to Fly” and “The Cat and the Bat and Other Fables.”  He edits and writes for the monthly travel magazine Cruising #Going Places, where he also edits its literary section.  He is currently based in Quezon City where he lives with his daughter, a sizable number of cats, and a house full of books.

Book Spine Poetry December 2013: Judge's Review (1 of 2)

Rhandee Garlitos, author and poet, sent his review and comments on the winners of our Book Spine Poetry Contest in school. He was the judge for the month of December. He had five poems selected as honorable mention (2) and 3rd, 2nd and 1st placers respectively. 

What do I look for in (found) poetry? As a poet and as a lover of books, I find the task of threading together words in order to produce an image very daunting and challenging.  But the basics remain – poetry should have the capability to hold a moment that should stun its reader, like venom that would leave an impression to its beholder, although in a positive way.  What makes this doubly tasking is to put it together in such a way that it comes out as a form that would withhold its meaning without being too cryptic.

Several of the entries stood out, and some of the entries contained some of the most arresting book titles that have seen the light of day. Though I personally feel that your library, where most of these titles where sourced from, would have carried more.  Imagine if someone started his/her poetry with one of Paolo Coelho’s – “By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept”.  I would have also wished that there would be more Filipino entries (Was it the lack of Filipino titles or the simple disinterest of the students with Filipiniana? I just wonder.) as Filipino titles would have elicited more images that would be more authentic to the Filipino experience.

Nevertheless I commend the creativity of the students who came up with some of the interesting stack of found poetry.  Some would have stood out had there been more care and restraint, but three of the entries followed what the American poet Stephen Dobyns calls “Best Words, Best Order” in poetry (I am actually quoting the title of one of his books.).  

I commend two entries here that would have merited had they been edited well.  One, “The Old Man and the Sea / Fell / After / the Fifth Mountain / Snow Falling on Cedars / Catching Fire”, would have succeeded if it were threaded properly, so that it would read like this:

Catching fire

after

snow falling on cedars,

the old man and the sea

fell

the fifth mountain.

Had this been the order followed, this would have gotten my utmost attention and admiration for its stunning imagery.  Imagine Hemingway’s two most powerful adversaries (coincidentally the title of one of my most favorite books by a most respected author) being enclosed in what would be a conquest of the formidable, while at the same time it reads like a Zen poem, lush with the image of smoldering embers warming frostbit hands.

Another entry was able to gather some of the best lines/titles, but it suffered from one or two more extra (therefore unnecessary) words.  I always emphasize the need for restraint in poetry, that it should never reveal more than it should. Therefore, “Over a thousand hills I walked with you / Up the downstair case / going going / criss cross / thinking about almost everything / Piercing the Darkness / Breaking Dawn” would have been better if it read like this:

Over a thousand hills I walked with you,

piercing the darkness

up the down staircase,

breaking dawn

thinking about almost everything.

It would have personified the deadening pain of being with someone in a journey, trying to dismantle the fabric of the cold, unfeeling “darkness” from where the persona stands (up the downstairs case? or up the down staircase?), trying to break free and see the light from the chains of worrying too much.  It would have symbolized the weight of a mother’s anxiety, anticipating the arrival of her beloved (husband or child, one can choose) even as she imagines herself being in the process of going home.

Book Spine Poetry Winners for December

In the school assembly last week, I announced the winners of the library's Book Spine Poetry Contest for the month of December. Judge of the month, Palanca award winning author and poet, Rhandee Garlitos, gave a thorough and comprehensive review and commentary. I will post his comments in the next few days.

For the meantime, here are the 1st and 2nd prize winners:

2nd Prize: When No One Understands

Maths 1001 

Academic Anxiety 

A Game of Groans

1st Prize: In the Country of Men

Things Fall Apart

Funny How Things Change

As I Lay Dying

Book Spine Poetry Contest 2013

A few days back, I sent via email a book spine poem I made to the school community where I work as high school librarian. It got good feedback and a suggestion that I run it like a contest. I did and sent this email out:

Book Spine Poetry Contest

How to do it: simply compose your own found poetry using the books' spine. If you're not done with your poem yet, you can leave the books you pulled out of the shelves with Mr. Flynn for only a day. He will return it back to the shelf if you did not come back for it the following day. Cut off time is 3.30pm.

If you have no intent at finishing the poem, YOU must return the book to its proper place in the shelf by following its call number.

Once you've composed your book spine poem, I'll take a photo of it; I'll tag your name and this becomes your batch's entry to the Book Spine Poetry Festival on March 21. Take note that March 21 is World Poetry Day. A poet will judge the poems during the finals.

We'll feature poems completed and submitted to us at the end of each month beginning this December. Deadlines are: December 18; January 31; February 28; March 19.

For the prizes: Monthly winner/s = healthy snack / Finals = Ice Cream / Grand prize winner = Pizza Party

And yes, you can work in pairs, in triads or in teams of four.

The reception is overwhelming! Students made use of the OPAC to search for books they want to Below are some entries of students to the Book Spine Poetry Contest.