Losally R. Navarro: An Emerging Aklanon Poet

By Melchor F. Cichon
December 8, 2005


Her name: Losally R. Navarro.

She was born in Banga, but grew up in Malinao.

But now she is in Canada.

She used to write feature articles in the Aklan Collegian, the official student publication of Aklan College in Kalibo, Aklan, Philippines, where she got her BSE degree.

As an Aklanon, she is homesick and so when she spotted the website, http://www.my.akeanon.com, she sent in her comments, and exchanged ideas with her fellow Aklanons from the other parts of the world.

Then one day, a thread, Iskul Bukol, was opened in the above website where Aklanons with poetry writing interest posted their masterpieces.

With some hesitations, beeSPUNKY, that is her cyber name, she tried posting her first poems. She said once that poetry writing was not her cup of coffee. But I practically twisted her arms to write poems. I told her I would be around to help her write poems; and if only she would try, she would find poetry writing very challenging.

It turned out that she could not only write, but could write good haiku.

Here is one of my favorite haiku that she wrote:

fear nothing
even if our taj mahal
is made of bamboo

Here we can see how determined and brave the persona is. One can also feel the rhythm of the lines.

Since she is living away from her family and close friends, loneliness always creeps in her mind.

maeapad nga eawod
gapatunga
sa atong paghigugma

(para sa mga akeanon sa panawan ag sa andang pamilyang inaywanan sa Akean)

Previously, she wrote this haiku, where she thought of those foods she used to eat in Malinao:

ginahandum ko—
binakoe nga manok
sa noche buena

She loves her niece so much that she has written about three or four poems about her, especially so that her niece had experienced hardship fighting for her life. Luckily, Shelahanie has passed that critical stage, and now she is on her way to a better life.

Shelahanie

siyam nga buean
naghueat ing nanay
sa pag-abot mo.

And she also thought of her father and her mother-teacher. She wrote:

kasikaeom-

pagtunod it adlaw
nag bye bye
si tatay sa anwang


maestra

adlaw-gabi-i
gahaboe it pamisea
si nanay

(for mom sally,my grade 2 ma'am)

Here are two other very good haiku: condensed and forceful.

eomamig ro kape
samtang ginahaboe
kita sa akong painu-ino

***
ham-an it maila
ikaw kakon
ag bukon kay Basho?


But she is not also thinking of her family and friends. She also thinks of those animals that she always see, with a little tickle.

She wrote:


ro squirrel
gustong magpabukot
sa akong haboe.

***
hakatueog ro beaver
sa paghinueat
it summer.

***
icicle---
pareho sa damang
gakapyot sa bubong.

**
bituon---
nagaidlap idlap
sa puno it eangka.


We can also find how hardworking beeSPUNKY is. Look at her latest haiku:

~canada~

gakatueog pa ro adlaw
pagbugtaw ko
para mag-usoy it dolyar.