Kristine Ong Muslim

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.