Ark
Translated By Bernard Kean Capinpin
Only lightning the mere light we have in our journey.
Out the window, in each flicker of light, the heavens
Swell with lessons of solitude. The crow in its cage
Grows mad. And if it should spread its wings,
It would be like a king’s shadow waiting upon death,
About to give a last directive to vanquish his kingdom.
The old captain spends his time counting
Pairs of animals. He has slain a few of them after
Their partners had perished. Mourning has no place here.
Translated from the Filipino
Notes:
Read the Filipino-language original, “Arka,” and the translator’s note by Bernard Kean Capinpin.
Source: Poetry (December 2023)