Featured Poet - Cupidlyn B. Gravador

VINCENTIUS

“Starry, starry night ...” 

It was the year 2013,

he came back to the Philippines. 

She said she was due

and decided what he must do.

“Shadows on the hills ...”

His growing up wasn’t easy;

he was always full of misery. 

As a kid,

he grew up rigid. 

His mom was battered,

dad, a drunkard.

He didn’t want it for his child,

so he had to make a stand. 

When he arrived,

day and night, he worked hard. 

Each day he went home,

he was tired and all alone.

“Colors changing hue ...”

Born was the baby,

he named him ******. 

He was his firstborn,

never wanted him to mourn. 

“For they could not love you ...” 

But her family

didn’t like him at all. 

Whenever he wanted to see his mini,

they would treat him to the wall. 

His mom could still recall,

the girl was crying via call.

“Tita, they are pushing him away, 

the most hurtful to him they would say.” 

These events led to his downfall;

no one was there who cared at all.

He dealt with it on his own call

till his mind went out of control.

“They would not listen ...” 

It’s been like a decade;

his son is now a young boy. 

He asks, “Where is dad?”

Indirect answers give him no joy. 

“… they did not know how.”

No matter how many toys

are given to this beloved boy,

nothing could ever replace,

his mind must be in a maze.

“Perhaps they’ll listen now ...”

Now is not the time

for him to know about the decline. 

Life is not a game. 

Someday, the truth will give his mind tame. 

ABOUT THE POEM: "This poem was written on June 7th, 2024. The subject is a man who grew up in a violent home. As they say, 'It always starts from home.' On the outside, he would project himself as a tough man, but deep inside, all he ever wanted was to feel loved. At present, his son is his most significant reason to live."



THE LEAVES

are fallin’.

One by one

they are fadin’ … 

One minute

you see ‘em. 

And then

they are gone…

They are gon …

They are go …

They are g …

They are … 

ABOUT THE POEM: The author was contemplating an instance when she was standing at the balcony fronting the pond; she had been watching the leaves fall piece by piece, enjoying their crispy sounds as they fell on the ground. To her, like the leaves that were falling from the trees, life is also fleeting each second of the day. So, mortals we are, we ought to make our existence meaningful while we still have the chance.

*First publication: MFU Lit Mag Vol. 9 (2024)

OLYMPIAN WINGS

All this time, I’ve been hiding

in my little brittle shell.

All those years, I’ve been trying 

so, so damn hard to fit in.

All the time, I’ve been following 

everyone but my mummed shattered soul.

Every time, my crystalline glassy heart 

just wants to explode.

It’s time. I’m ready 

to break free, flee, and spree. 

Unafraid, I’m prepared 

to spread these glittery amethyst feathers. 

Unbothered, I shall roam and soar 

with my invisibly immortal wings. 

Ready, Aeolus?

Come, breeze me

to my starry, starry birthright. 

At once, blow me away

towards my mystical destiny!

ABOUT THE POEM: "This poem was written on August 18th, 2024. It is about breaking free from the world of mortals. As a college student, the author was very fond of Greek and Roman literature, as her name is also from a Roman god’s name, Cupid (Eros in Greek)." 

BIRTHDAY WISH FOR A MELANCHOLIC BROTHER

Dear younger brother M**k,

I know, for you, it’s been dark. 

We could feel you’ve lost even the tiniest spark.

Seems like fate played on you an unmindful prank. 

It’s been some slow years

yet you still shed bottles of dry tears.

Your mind is full of foreboding worries and fears

facing the far future with your three deer.

Today is a special day.

It’s your 40th birthday. 

I hope there’s anything I could say

to sway your pains away. 

But I could only kneel in prayer

to our omniscient Almighty Father.

Though the tragic past we cannot alter,

the present and future are all now that matter. 

I hope you stop silently asking

why she had gone without aging.

Within our human control is nothing. 

Only in God’s powerful hand is everything. 

I wish you would accept finally

that her time is ordained ahead of the many.

As the enduring stoics have to say,

“Face the unfolding come what may.”

Try your best to find back joy,

she left you with three clingy boys.

She is a huge part of each of them,

so treat them like a priceless gem.

The rocky road ahead is long

but remember this: you are never ever alone. 

For you, here we are—your blood, your family. 

Perhaps unphysically but always, always whole-heartedly. 

Happiest birthday,

my dear skinny brother!

For you, here I am forever and ever

your far away but loving pinkish blonde-haired older sister… 

ABOUT THE POEM: "This poem is dedicated to my younger brother. His partner died in 2019, a few months before the pandemic. Her passing caused him melancholia, which greatly affected his life until the present."