Straight Line

For Tatay this Father’s day

The boy labors to draw
a straight line on a clean
sheet of paper with nothing
but his bare hands and
a pencil that was once as
sharp as a needle.

The sweat on his forehead
threatens to plummet
like waterfalls, arrested only
by the folds and creases
that his young face could muster.

The boy is unaware of the man
who has been standing
at the background

watching

his every move.

The boy turns around. The folds and
creases in his face morph into
a tranquil plane.

The man approached him.
Brought out a ruler.
Held his hand.

Father and son,
they began to draw

a straight line.

Alone During The Surgery

The Teacher’s Stern Warning

The Mayor’s Contention

I came across Austin Kleon’s blog last summer, and I have since enjoyed his work. Copycat that I am, I thought of attempting to do something like this using a Philippine newspaper as my medium. But then I realized I’m stuck with a mountain high of cases to read in law school. So I thought, why not do blackout poetry using my cases? This way, I don’t only get to squeeze out whatever creative juice is left in me, I also get to reuse, reduce and recycle. And of course, this appears to be a little less copycat-ish. Here is my first attempt.