This article first appeared on The Vivre Lifestyle website.
The National Poetry Month in the USA has ended last April, and soon, the summer season will follow suit in the Philippines.
While numerous pieces related to this genre of literature and this season have been written, it is a rare phenomenon for someone to bear the season’s name and specializes in the celebrated craft.
After teaching for two years in one of CDO’s schools, Summer Daffodil Paguia decided to take a break. Opening a new chapter in her life to familiarize the Constitution, she returns to write poetry – a hobby which she started to love since her third year as an English Education Major in Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
“I started to love writing when I reached college,” she recalled. Although she began writing when she was in the second grade, it was not until she was encouraged by a college instructor, whom she considers the greatest among everyone who taught her, that she realized that poetry was her forte.
“You write! You write all your thoughts!” her teacher told her in one of the five classes he taught which she attended. It was a creative non-fiction class where she and her classmates were encouraged to write moments in life which they deem significant, according to their perception of the truth.
“Because of his (teacher’s) words,” she said, “I was inspired to write.” Her first poem involved the death of her dog which she wrote in her diary. It was a one-stanza poem that revealed a fragment of her grief. But unfortunately, her diary got lost and so did her earliest work.
Her loss prompted her to write more as she declared that “poetry is an experience of itself.” Thus, her experience which involved honing her then newfound talent led her to get published on DAGMAY’s website at 19 after sending her poem online. The literary journal of the Davao Writers Guild, DAGMAY publishes literary pieces in the four basic genres of literature: fiction, folklore, nonfiction, play and poetry. On the website, Mindanaoan writers, whether published or aspiring, are featured along with their works.
Below is Summer’s first poem published by the journal:
“Afloat”
Seated near the life-size poster of a man promulgating a clothing brand
Unfamiliar voices clouded the girl’s mind
She sits there, nonchalantly
Her eyes wandering
Observing people’s crooked smiles and arched eyebrows
Her senses falter, she loses track of time
Books piled up to her nose
Papers scattered in front of her, like stars seen when the sky is clear
She reaches for her phone inside her dusty purple bag.
None. No message from anyone, not even from her sim card’s service line
She places the device on top of the pile of books by her side.
She takes her pen and her little notebook
Scribbles a few lines trudging, pounding inside her head
Eager to be caught in the pen’s charmed ink
Her thoughts, rushing, bumping like wild beasts
Her hands, her pen, cannot keep up with the impossible
Words ran frantically in her fragile domain
And then abruptly she stops, gasps for air, for life
Tears surface from the wells of her heart
She lets go of the pen and covers her face with bare hands
“I’ve had enough remembering for the day.”
She reaches for her pen, not to write a line or two
“Now, back to work.” She whispers to herself
As she picks another test paper to look through
Currently, she has eight published works by DAGMAY; seven of which are poems. Her latest, entitled, “You” was released last month and entailed her concept of love.
A New Beginning
This year, Summer pursues a new path which was paved vividly before her after passing in the recent Philippine Law School Admission Test (PhiLSAT). Although she deems the teaching profession one of fulfilment, her desire to learn can equal to her passion for words. But this time, besides the customary poetic verses that sprout from her creativity, she is preparing to encounter terminologies related to the law.
Entering Law School may be a challenge, but she personally chose it for a career path. “Before I decided to take Education in college, I was considering to take Political Science,” she said. “Now that I have the opportunity to take on Law School after earning my degree and practicing my profession, I am willing to endeavor on a new field.”
But even as this new chapter begins, she sticks with poetry for her recreation. “Poetry will always be with me” she remarked. “It is like air; it will always be there.”
***
Seasons may change and months come to an end. But for Summer Daffodil Paguia, taking a break does not mean leaving her passion behind, but starting a new chapter with it.
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