[Poetry Friday] Ashes by Nerisa Guevara
A few weeks ago, we welcomed Nerisa del Carmen Guevara as our Featured Poet in GatheringBooks for our current bimonthly theme.
We are very privileged to share a few of her selected poems and photographs for Poetry Friday.
Our host this week is Carol’s Corner.
If you wish to know more about Nerisa, click here to be taken to her blog. About the Poet: Nerisa del Carmen Guevara finished her M.A. in English Studies Creative Writing at University of the Philippines (U.P.), Diliman. She has attended the Dumaguete, Iligan, U.P. Writing Workshops and has been a panelist for UST CCWS and UST CCWLS Creative Writing Workshops in her capacity as Junior Associate (UST CCWS 2003-2006) and Resident Fellow for Poetry (UST CCWLS 2010-2013). She has received A Palanca Award for Poetry in 1999 and a Silver Cup Award for Dance Solo in the 2004 April Spring Festival in Pyongyang, North Korea. She teaches Literature and Creative Writing in the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters where she has been running the Poetry Workshop called The Baguio Soul Project: Journey into the Self Through Words these past eleven years.Ashes by Nerisa Guevara
From Reaching Destination, 2004
Ashes.
Your bones are
Finer than soft
Softer than the blades of grass
Touching you now.
Touching you now
Is like touching the sand
And the air with it
And water on the shore.
You are one with
The ground you jumped off from.
You are where things
Grow.
Like in the myths,
You are a princess that will become
The firm face of fruit,
Flower’s white mouth.
The heavy dew
Will cling to you
In the morning.
Thank you for introducing me to a new poet!
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This poet seems like someone we should find out more about, Myra. That 2nd poem is quite a love poem. Thank you!
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Oh, yes, and I need to circle back here and catch up on recent posts! This was just a lovely offering today – thank you. Such sparse and yet sensual writing – gorgeous.
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I love these lines: “Like in the myths/You are a princess that will become/The firm face of fruit/Flower’s white mouth.” They seem to be wistful and hopeful at the same time. Thank you for sharing!
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The second poem caught me. “You are where things grow” — yes! What if we approached one another always with that thought?
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