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 ...

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...

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 ...

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...

by ABIGAIL M. ADRIATICO OLIVE'S DESK was a complete mess. Her first day in college was fast approaching and she felt the need to do something to calm her nerves. Thinking she needed to redecorate her space, she took everything out of her desk and cork board.  With everything placed on the floor, she moved things around without a clear plan in mind. Everything looked far more cluttered than when she began. Frustrated, she crumpled one of her papers into a ball and threw it as hard as she could towards the waste bin by her opened door. It hit the door frame instead and rolled out into the hallway. At the time, her mother had just gone out of her room and noticed the crumpled ball on the floor. She reached it before Olive did. “Do you need help?” she asked her daughter soft...

by GHEMARIE LABSAN I HAVE always been scared of the night. Lola often spoke tales of once terrifying beasts that lurked on moonless nights and preyed on the weak.  They came in different shapes and forms, usually disguising themselves to look almost human-like. It would be easy to mistake one for your friend. It would even be easier to mistake one for an ally. They were not your typical monsters with sharp teeth and grotesque figures. They blended perfectly well with everyone else and even looked like ordinary men. They would speak nothing but falsehood—convincing you to believe them and ultimately luring you into their intricately woven trap of lies. These monsters devoured their prey in a surprisingly methodical manner given their nature. Their prey would not even know that ...