AYOS LANG ANG BUHAY SA MANILA
Bienvenido Lumbera
Ayos lang ang buhay sa Maynila.
Wala kang paki sa hindi mo pami,
at ika'y pababayaan
ng 'yong kapitbahay.
Singkipot ng inuupahang entresuwelo
ang mundo, tamang-tama:
may banyo, may kusina.
Ma'no kung mayroon man bendor
na nsagasaan ng dyip sa Espina?
Hindi mo alam (di naperyodiko kasi)
ng isang buntis ang naglunod sa Pasig kahapon.
Mabalitaan mo ma'y di mo naman kilala.
Basta ligtas ang eskinitang patungo sa inyo,
malalim man ang baha sa Sta. Cruz, ay ano?
Nakatanghod ang dalawang bata
sa pagkagat mo ng siopao
o paghigop sa sabaw ng mami.
Puwedeng di mo pansinin,
para nung weyter sulok
na nagtitiris ng tagihawat.
Salbahe' ng mga bata 'yan--
malimit naaaksidente ka na'y
ikaw pa'ng dudukutan.
Para sa 'yo, ang pakikisama'y
para nung gripo sa banyo--
tantiyado mo kung kailan
hangin lang ang ihahagok,
at kung anong oras naman
may tutulong tubig
pag binuksan.
Meet the Writer
Bienvenido Lumbera (11 April 1932-) is a noted poet, literary critic, scholar and librettist. He was proclaimed National Artist for Literature in April 2006. He was also the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communications in 1993.
Lumbera was born on April 11, 1932 in Lipa, Batangas. At one year of age, his father died from a fall from a fruit tree. At the age of five his mother died of cancer. He was raised by his grandmother Eusebia Teru who, according to Lumbera, exercised a definitive influence on his life. When his grandmother died, he lived with his childless godparents Enrique and Amanda Lumbera.
Lumbera spent his high school years in Mabini Academy and went on to earn a degree in journalism at the University of Santo Tomas where he graduated in 1954. He took up masteral and doctoral studies in Indiana University, where he graduated with a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature in 1967. His doctoral dissertation Tagalog Poetry, 1570-1898: Tradition and Influences on its Development was eventually published by Ateneo University Press in 1986.
Lumbrera introduced a new aesthetic to traditional Tagalog literature with what is known as Bagay Poetry. Lumbera taught literature and creative writing at Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of the Philippines, and at the University of Santo Tomas. He was also appointed visiting professor in Osaka University from 1985 to 1988. He was also the first Asian scholar-in-residence at the University of Hawaii. With the declaration of Martial Law, he was arrested in January 1974. In December of that year, he was released from jail upon petitions of his former student Cynthia Nograles, whom he later married. IN 1977 he became editor of Diliman Review, which was openly against the Marcos regime.
In 1993 he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication. He was also awarded many literary awards, including the National Book Awards and the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards. (http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Bienvenido_Lumbera)
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