Literary Archives - Page 45 of 71

25

Jul

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Backbreaking

photo by ELIJAH JOHN M. ENCINAS/ THE FLAME “MA, mag-eenroll ba ako?” my son asked me. I did not know how to answer. Work hard. This became my mantra as I continued working on-site with the promise of a higher salary. I never let the mountain of paperwork on my…

17

Jul

By The Flame Literary

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KOnekSYon

>YES2ANTITEROR BILL...Mdaming salamat tatAy...lagotkau ngaun mga sAlut s liponaN!!! *Share* C taTay nlng matino ngaun. Bat b andAming kontRa....pandemya nga maki2Sali p teroRista’t adik!!! Kaya tuMataas OCVID ehh...terorista lng tAkot z antierrorBill… MAGKaCOVED sNA CLA!!! <1 Message Request: SouthEast-Asian Coalition for National Security *Accept* <Good evening. Ito po ba si…

15

Jul

By The Flame Literary

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Aswang: The Face of a Monster

By MHERYLL GIFFEN L. ALFORTE AS NIGHTTIME comes, old wives' tales and superstitions about malevolent shape-shifting creatures come to mind. Children whisper fearfully and flee into the safety of their homes out of fear for these shadowy beings haunting the street. But as they grow older, it becomes apparent that these…

11

Jul

By The Flame Literary

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One for the Headlines

THIS current reality is eerily similar to something found within the pages of history. As if taken directly out of a dictator’s playbook, this regime repeats the tyrannic and despotic leadership that occurred four decades ago. They come after the journalists one by one—suppressing the fundamental rights to information, making…

04

Jul

By The Flame Literary

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Sea Monsters of the Night

THERE are tales about the sea where mermaids, monsters, and ghost ships haunt the wide expanse of water, especially at night. But in this world, mermaids and ghost ships remain only mere legends; and monsters are the only one that is real. As soon as the ember sky turns pitch…

27

Jun

By The Flame Literary

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Together, We Thrive

THIS time, my fingers finally have the strength to crack open my own fortress of secrecy. Out of bigoted spite and bitterness, I am forcefully shoved in a truck. I find myself gasping for air inside a cell; leaving me suffocated from the scent of fear and solitude. Beyond bars,…

20

Jun

By The Flame Literary

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Midnight Thoughts

Trigger Warning: rape, implied suicide EVERYTHING is dark. Someone calls my name. It asks me if I am okay. I jolt awake. I remember foggy memories of intrusive mouths and unwelcome hands touching me. Years have passed, but my nightmares remain all the same. I am almost an adult but…

13

Jun

By The Flame Literary

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Hanggahan

Hindi matatakpan ng mga makikinang na ilaw o malalambungan ng dilim ng gabi ang bawat kalsada at eskinita na iniikutan ng mga maniniil at mapang-api. Katulad ng mga banyagang imperyalistang sa ating mga daungan ay tumuntong noon, dala nila ay pagbabanta sa buhay at kalayaan ng inosente man o…

06

Jun

By The Flame Literary

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Silenced Chaos

THE afternoon was dull when he went outside. Perhaps he could not find peace in his own home for with each path he crosses, he sees the misery behind one's mask. His world was covered in sickness, chaos, and corruption—each rest he takes seems wasted since all his mornings remain…

30

May

By The Flame Literary

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In Pursuit of Normal

SOMBER clouds loom overhead as gloom engulfs me—it is a feeling I have been accustomed to these past three months. Somehow, I feel strongly that I share the same sentiments with the rest of the world right now. Come dawn, everything remains the same, as days melt into months and…