Even until now, the NPA has constantly been bugging the government and the society. The fight against capitalism isn’t over yet. Many people see the NPA’s as terrorists or anti-government persons because of media, but they haven’t actually looked deeper to what these persons are fighting for.
Maxine Pagador
THE GUERILLA IS LIKE A POET
Jose Maria Sison
The guerilla is like a poet
Keen to the rustle of leaves
The break of twigs
The ripples of the river
The smell of fire
And the ashes of departure.
The guerilla is like a poet.
He has merged with the trees
The bushes and the rocks
Ambiguous but precise
Well-versed on the law of motion
And master of myriad images.
The guerilla is like a poet.
Enrhymed with nature
The subtle rhythm of the greenery
The inner silence, the outer innocence
The steel tensile in-grace
That ensnares the enemy.
The guerilla is like a poet.
He moves with the green brown multitude
In bush burning with red flowers
That crown and hearten all
Swarming the terrain as a flood
Marching at last against the stronghold.
An endless movement of strength
Behold the protracted theme:
The people’s epic, the people’s war.
Source: http://www.bulatlat.com/news/2-44/2-44-sison.html
5 comments:
Indeed, the NPA and poets are alike in so many ways. They are both misunderstood and many people don't have the time and effort to see where they are coming from. I believe that jose maria sison's depiction of a guerilla is both romantic and political since it fulfills the objectives of the two kinds. -maura rosario a. gregorio
I like this poem. Compared to the other poems, i had a easier time understanding this. I guess the poem just wants to point out that while being a guerilla and being a poet are two very different professions, they have one thing in common. For one to be a successful guerilla or a successful poet, one must have good perception of their surroundings. One must have a keen eye for detail and should not only consider the face value of things.
-Joeffey Barrios Jr.
This poem tries to develop a relationship between a poet and a guerrila that shows how they are both well-versed of their surroundings. Jose Maria Sison defamiliarizes us of our common percepetions about guerillas who are usually described by people as illiterate and backward. In this poem, we see guerillas as being hailed as people who have a deeper understanding of nature and their imagination. Indeed, this poem creates a new image of guerillas apart from the political and common image we perceive.
-Juan Paolo S. Bermundo
After reading this poem, two very distinct words came to my mind; abu sayaf and lit14. I never thought that these words could have something in common but the poem showed the similarities very well. The ideas were very clear and the comparison of a poet and a guerilla was clearly shown. I like the poem because it is very appropriate nowadays were terrorism is widespread.
-Richmond Valdellon-
The relation of nature and the guerilla brings about an imagery common to poems. The similes and metaphors gave it flair. The different sensory details gave emphasis to what guerillas experience when they are in the jungle--like poetry, being one with nature. The last line shows how poetry could also be used as a weapon in the political/social level (in "the people's war"). Thus, the inference that the guerilla is like a poet.
--Noemi Gonzales
friend of James Sta. Isabel
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