FROM #ThePSN of The House of Peter on Facebook. To the 1.9K housemates, and occasional visitors. But especially to those who have read, and did not respond to the initiation Yakap (Hug) Challenge. And now, to you, Panay News readers, who occasionally check out my column, My Life as Art.
*
You ask me how to make a poem catchy or stand out. Well, the yakap challenge is poetry in real life. What we are â our attitudes, and how we think â are the raw materials of our poetry. Being a poet is not only about using words, but it is the quality of our personhood.
*
Iâm a poet not because I write books and win awards, but because I see things differently, do things differently, and Iâm not afraid to do things differently kahit pa pagtawanan ako, kahit pa libakin ako, kahit pa ipakulong at saktan ako.
I am fearless. I am extraordinary. I am confident. Because I know that I am special.
*
Marami ang nagsabing âI wish I have the confidence.â Mali na pag-iisip. Confidence only comes after you do things, again and again.
Ang mga unang tula ninyo will be bad, pangit, di maganda. Awkward katulad ng yakap dahil di ninyo karaniwang ginagawa. Ako, 40 years nang nagsusulat, nagsimula rin sa awkward. Pero dahil palagi kong ginagawa, I got better. At alam ko that I got better kaya confident ako. Kung para sa iba, my efforts are not good enough, F*ck them! I know that I have become a better poet now than 10 years ago, than 20 years ago, than 30 years ago.
*
People who meet me love me and adore me because I am confident and fun. I do crazy things. I drink water from the âdirtyâ Trevi Fountain. I âstealâ photographs from museums. Kahit bawal ang photos/videos sa Sistine Chapel, I took videos. I talk to strangers lalo kung guapo. I buy them coffee, nilalandi ko. And they are âhappy.â Because all people have a loneliness kahit pa close kayo ng family mo.
*
How do I know that even strangers are happy with me? Kasi kung hindi sila happy, they will not sit and stay with me for coffee. I met so many good friends this way.
*
Many of you are also afraid to do the yakap challenge because you are scared na hindi kayo pansinin o sasapakin kayo o sasampalin. But thatâs the thing about love, you cannot expect that it will be returned o susuklian/babalikan ng pagtingin. Hindi dahil crush mo, ika-crush back ka. Di dahil niyakap mo, automatic na yayakapin o maintindihan ka rin. Thatâs the same with writing and poetry. Di dahil sinulat mo, babasahin.
*
Of course, Iâm frustrated na hindi binasa o inintindi o ginawa ang challenge ng Legacy of Love. Pinaghirapan ko ring isulat yon. But thatâs not my loss. Kasi alam ko, it changed the life of some people. Thatâs what powerful writing means to me.
*
So baka mafufustrate ka nga kapag niyakap mo ang parents mo at parang wala lang nangyari. Pinaghirapan mo rin âyon na parang tulang walang nagbasa. But itâs their loss. Kasi you know in your heart that you wanted to make yourself a better, braver, more confident person.
*
Hindi po para sa parents ninyo ang yakap. Their lives will continue kahit di mo sila iyakap challenge. The challenge is for you to be braver, more confident and be the bigger person. It was supposed to make you a better person, even by just trying. Kaya sa mga walang parents by their side, it really doesnât have to be your parents. It could be anyone you have a relationship with, kahit pa stranger (careful lang sa COVID).
*
But I know, itâs easier to keep everything as they are. To not do the challenge. To not do something new. And thatâs how I know u will never be great poets or writers. Because you will never write anything new, you will not try to write anything new and challenging. You will not have the courage to explore a poetic vision. If you cannot manage the real world, paano nâyo ima-manage ang fictional/poetic world na mahirap panghawakan at control-lin? Thatâs why most of your fiction sounds terrible. Because they donât sound true.
*
And this is where I draw the line between writers and wannabes. Writers live a life. Wannabes just think that they know. Wannabesâ imagination are limited kasi they are not informed by experience. How can you write about love if you haven’t had your heart broken? How can you teach others if you donât have a vast knowledge?
*
You know why people listen to me? Because I know almost everything. I know with my heart, with my mind, with my senses, with my faith, and with my spirit. I know the books, and I know the experiences. My imagination is bigger because I know everything. And I assure you, not everybody can make that claim. My only wish is for you to share this vision and for you to become better today, this December, than you were last November.
Merry Christmas. I love yâall!/PN
