I WILL be traveling most of December, January, and February.
By the time you are reading this, I would have been six days in Whiston, a town in Merseyside, somewhere in the Northwest region of England.
And still, I am online running a poetry workshop.
And I’m thinking, why not make use of my workshop materials for my newspaper column?
I mean, after all, some of my most avid readers are aspiring writers.
***
Sure, sure, it’s poetry.
And who has time for poetry these days?
But I also thought that if I put a pink twist on poetry, maybe, just maybe, some people will get interested.
And if I do my job well, I might even educate people not only on poetry and poesy, but also about protest and propaganda, and Philippine politics.
And so, I dare with the alliteration— Pink Poetry: Propaganda, Protest, and Philippine Politics with The PSN.
So now, you know.
***
With a poetry workshop subject as broad as that I mentioned, I knew my favorite Hiligaynon language would be too limiting.
I mean, who else writes on matters like these in Hiligaynon other than The Peter Solis Nery?
So I thought I would do it in English for a more universal appeal.
But… my young Filipino followers from the other regions of the country are mostly Filipino language users.
And so, I do the most sensical compromise: deal with this workshop in English and Filipino.
And so, I try even if I’m largely thinking English in Europe now.
***
As of this writing, I have prepared five lessons with five corresponding prompts.
So far, I have 30+ members in the workshop group.
If each of them write five poems, we can generate 150 poems on the subject matter.
And even if each just writes two good poems, we will have 60 good poems.
***
I’m not sure what I will do with the output poems other than put them together in a decidedly pink book.
But I’ve been entertaining the idea of publishing them here in my column, because why not?
My Life As Art has done it before: Give a publication break for other literary writers who dream of being published.
***
And so, we begin with…
Lesson 1:
Stop writing blindly.
Define your readers.
Sino ba ang mambabasa mo —age, gender orientation and sexual preference, geographic location, educational attainment, political affiliation?
Maaaring maintindihan ni College Student ang poem para kay Lavandera, pero baka hindi maintindihan ni Lavandera ang poem para kay College Student.
***
ThePSN secret: I always write with high school students in mind.
Sometimes, I’m lucky that College Professors understand my work.
And I’m luckiest that often, kahit si Lavandera, gets ang sinusulat ko, kasi nag-high school naman s’ya, kahit sa totoo, hindi naman grumaduate.
***
Your turn: Write a poem for Aling Tasing, a Pac-Man supporter.
Or write a poem for presidential candidate Leni Robredo herself.
Or do both since you have enough time.
***
And so as not to intimidate my workshop participants, I write my own poems not following my own prompts.
But I still think that I rock the concept of Pink Poetry. Haha.
***
ANG MAKATA SA 2020s
ni Peter Solis Nery
*
Nasaan ang puso ng tula
Kung ang makata’y sinungaling
At nagbubulag-bulagan?
Kung itinatakwil ang kasaysayan
At itinatanggi ang katotohanan?
Nasaan ang puso ng bansa
Kung walang mithing makalaya
Sa hawla ng fake news, TikTok, at
Mga trolls na utak-palaka, utak-tuta—
Kokak nang kokak, kahol nang kahol
Wala namang kaluluwa, walang
Malasakit sa lima o sampung taon
Pagkatapos ng isang araw na halalan.
May mga patay-gutom na umaalulong
Ng mga apolohiya’t pagtatanggol
Sa mga kasakima’t kalabisan
Ng yumaong diktador para lang
May masaing, makain, mamayang gabi.
Kung ang bayan ay bulag, gutom, at
Walang pang-unawa, marahil
Mabuti pang wala na lang mga tula. (To be continued)/PN
