Literary Archives - The Flame

Sep232022 by Letters EditorNo Comments

In These Burning Halls

Literary, Liyab

by ABIGAIL M. ADRIATICO I will never be accustomed to the silence in my halls now bathed in darkness, for all that is left in my hallowed ground once graced by hope and harmony are the timid footsteps of those that come and go, bearing nothing but unease and uncertainty. From the distressed faces that I see and troubled hearts that they bear, it comes without question– fear is all that echoes within. Yet, in this sea of dread and despair is a tide that refuses to die down. They march against the stillness, armed with words that beg to break through the restraints forced onto their throats. With their efforts to try and let the truth prevail, the lingering danger of eternal silence continues to put out ...

Sep172022 by Letters EditorNo Comments

Eased by the Tides

Literary, Liyab

by CZERIZHA KAIZEL S. ADZUARA THERE WAS hardly a rise and fall of the tides. Ramil approached the waters, a seastorm stirring within his chest. He watched the graceful ebb and flow of the sea—in hopes to find serenity in the coastline. Alone and deep in thought, Ramil settled down in the sand. He felt a subtle discomfort as the sand sank his rubber shoes. The grains caused a sharp pain on his soles. Then there came the drizzle and the western monsoon breeze. Nonetheless, Ramil was heedless of them all. There was a stronger hurricane propelling inside him, caused by the turbulent stream of his life. He did not need to be engulfed by the tides to drown. Ramil had always thought of ways to tame the winds, and he always found them on the shore. He pondered if he coul...

Sep102022 by Associate EditorNo Comments

Arcadian Abode

Literary, Liyab

by Trixcy Anne B. Loseriaga My beloved languished was I whenever I recall those luscious lips of yours. Your fiery soul concealing the blissful agony of my sworn brothers. Their sunken eyes cloaked in your warm embrace. How I wished to reunite with them but Tyche was never in my favor. My grace I thirst for their smiles and their never ending tittle-tattles, but Ponos never ceased to amaze me with his relentless drudgery. My queen drained was I whenever I harrow those shriveled skin of yours. How I longed to bathe myself in those translucent tears of yours. Embracing my brothers, drinking to our heart’s content until your sister blinds us ...

Sep72022 by Letters EditorNo Comments

Blue Room: The justice system through the lens of the elite

Literary

by FRANCINE GAEBRIELE GUTIERREZ VILLAINS, TOO, have a story to tell. Whether or not people choose to sympathize with them, their own narrative is essential to understanding the root of the conflict. The local film industry is already home to social and political commentaries which expose former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs and how it propagates the brutality of uniformed men. Respeto (2017), Buy Bust (2018), and Watch List (2019) are a few titles that have gained public interest over the years. Ma-an Asuncion-Dagnalan’s 18th Cinemalaya entry Blue Room is not new to the category though it still manages to stand out from the rest. Blue Room resembles the grim reality of how money and power play a key role in tweaking the justice system according to one’...

Sep62022 by Letters EditorNo Comments

Kaluskos: Yearning for a child’s affection

Literary

by TRIXCY ANNE B. LOSERIAGA MOTHERHOOD IS never an easy feat. There are challenges a mother must face to perform her expected role which makes her detestable in the perspective of others. This is captured in the full-length film Kaluskos (2022), directed by Roman S. Perez Jr. It is a horror film entry for Cinemalaya 2022, a Philippine independent film festival. Kaluskos focuses on Rebekah (Coleen Garcia) as she struggles to mend her relationship with her daughter while being seen as a “bad mother.” The film begins with a dreadful tone, which sets the mood for Rebekah’s mental state throughout the film. As the battle between Rebekah and her husband Jay (Karl Medina) to win over Amaya’s (Queenzy Calma) sole custody continues, Rebekah struggles to keep herself gr...

Sep52022 by Letters EditorNo Comments

Kargo: Pamumuhay sa Patriyarkal na Mundo

Literary

by ABIGAIL M. ADRIATICO SA MUNDONG patriyarkal, madalas naririnig ang samu’t saring kaso ng karahasan ng mga lalaki na ang direktang biktima ay mga kababaihan. Pangkaraniwan na ang lubos na paninisi sa mga babae. Matagal nang nakadikit sa ating kultura ang mga stereotypical na paniniwala tungkol sa kasarian—ang mga babae ay mahina at ang mga lalaki ay malakas. Mula sa direksyon ni TM Malones at sa panulat ni Joseph Israel Laban, ang pelikulang Kargo ay isa sa mga pelikulang tampok sa ika-18 taon ng Cinemalaya. Matapos ang dalawang taong pagdiriwang nito online, nagbalik na muli sa sinehan ang film festival kasabay ng temang “Breaking Through The Noise.” Nasungkit ng Kargo ang Audience Choice Award para sa kategorya ng mga Full Length Feature Films. Umiikot ang kwen...

Aug292022 by Letters EditorNo Comments

Sa Mata ni Andres

Literary, Liyab

by ABIGAIL M. ADRIATICO Maulap ang kalangitan nang masilayan ng bayani ang kumpulan ng mga tao sa tabi. Habang hawak ang mga karatulang may samu’t saring kataga, patuloy sa pagsigaw ang mga kabataang napupuno ng galit at hinagpis sa mga pangyayari sa bansa na hindi kanais-nais. Kanyang naalala ang nakaraan— ang mga panahon kung saan minsan siya’y nalagay sa bukana ng daan patungo sa kalayaan. Bahid ng lungkot at pighati ang daanang kanilang sinimulan ngunit saksi ang inang bayan sa sakripisyong kinailangan alang-alang sa kalayaan nais nilang makamtam. Kasabay ng sinag ng araw na patuloy na sumisilip sa mga ulap na nagbabantang lumuha, bakas sa mata, sa bawat sigaw, a...

Aug242022 by Letters EditorNo Comments

In Motion

Literary, Liyab

by CZERIZHA KAIZEL S. ADZUARA At last, home calls. The soles of my feet will stroke the grounds walked by saints and heroes alike. At last, my arms will sway and welcome the warm bodies that once were just in photographs. I lament the half of my college years perched upon a stool; my worn-out eyes locked in mere cyber movements. The pang of pain from being unmoved. One twist and you would hear my bones plead for a gentle stretch. The sinews in my neck were stiff as my longing for home: that cradle of moving bodies and its soft yellow lights at dusk. For two years, the glow of home was replaced by a lampshade. For two years, the long stride upon brick pavements was suc...

Aug202022 by Letters EditorNo Comments

Lampos

Literary, Liyab

by TRIXCY ANNE B. LOSERIAGA MALAYO RIN ang nilakad ni Dana bago niya natanaw ang pampang. Maaliwalas ang simoy ng hangin at ang mga bata ay nagtatampisaw sa tubig. Nagkalat sa dalampasigan ang liwanag ng mga alitaptap. Dumako ang ilang alitaptap sa kinaroroonan ni Dana. Hinuli niya ang isa subalit biglang naglaho ang ningning nito. Nag-iba ang simoy ng hangin. Napukaw ng mga maya ang kanyang atensyon kaya pinanood niya ang mga ito. Sumikip ang kanyang dibdib nang mapatingin siya sa naglalagablab na langit. Namayani ang kulay pula sa kaulapan, tulad ng isang hapong pilit niyang kinalilimutan. Hapon na’t uwian na sa paaralan ngunit may ilang estudyanteng nanatili pa rin para gawin ang mga takdang aralin habang naglilinis ang mga diyanitor. Habang kumakain si Dana ng fis...

Aug162022 by Letters EditorNo Comments

Retirada: How capitalism encapsulates senescent bodies

Literary, Liyab

by PATRICK V. MIGUEL SELF-WORTH is often associated with productivity at work. The narrative is that when one has no job or a day passes by without work done, the respect for the self is completely annihilated. This is the epitome of hustle culture—a culture that propagates a “work, work, work” system with the idealized fantasy of financial success in the end. But what happens if someone is bound to be out of work? What happens when workers are at the age when they have to retire? A possible scenario to that question is presented in the full-length film Retirada (2022), directed by Cynthia Cruz-Paz and Milo Alto Paz. It is among the pool of selected films presented in this year’s Cinemalaya, a Philippine independent film festival. Retirada circles around the lives of...