Guimaras Strait

Guimaras Strait--
mangroves and seagrasses
covered with banker oil

Beneath the Mango Tree

ECG--
beneath the mango tree
an abandoned globe

Silently

silently
bunker oil darkens
Guimaras shorelines

Abandoned Globe

sunshine looks at the
abandoned oil-coated globe--
the black shoreline

Grey August

grey August--
tears follow
after the oil spill

Before

before the rice
can sprout--
grasses

After Cleaning

after cleaming
the shorelines of Guimaras
tourists return

New Moon

the oil-spilled worker
never complains of wiping leaves--
a new moon

Passing Clouds

passing clouds--
father gets back
his hook and line

Sunrise

sunrise--
everybody wants
to clean the dark shorelines

Ring Yuhum

kinilometrong oil spill
halin sa Guimaras hasta sa Iloilo--
ring yuhum

Morning

morning--
he mends
his fishing net

Behind The Smile

behind the smile--
the shadow
of yesterday

Wiping A Mangrove Leaf

wiping a mangrove leaf--
I pause
for a souvenir picture

Oil Coated Mangrove

oil coated mangrove tree here
.....oil coated mangrove tree there
...........and more everywhere

Pathway

pathway--
her smile
lightens my journey

Inay

Inay,
ham-at maeapuyot
ro baybayon?

After Supper

after supper--
nobody wants
to stay near the shores

From the Air

from the air—
oil sheen in Panay Gulf
from Solar I

The Rising Sun

oil slick--
the rising sun
over Guimaras hills

Sunrise

sunrise--
she wipes away
Guimaras' tears

Day End

day end—
a snail falls down
from an oil-coated mangrove tree

The Morning After

morning after the oil spill—
tourists pack up
their bags

Darkening Sand

oil spill—
tourists look back
at the darkening sand of Guimaras

Solar I

August 11—
Solar I tanker looks at the skies
for the last time

Hook and Line

father hangs
his hook and line--
oil coated corals

Guimaras Mangoes

Guimaras oil spill--
mangoes remain
sweet

Leaf by Leaf

oil spill
mangrove trees die
leaf by leaf

Guimaras

Guimaras--
your shores will whiten
like the dark skies

Oil Spill

oil spill--
black barefeet
on the shore

Welcome to Poems for Guimaras

I created this site to help create awareness on the plight of Guimaras residents who have been affected by the oil spill that took place on August 11, 2006. The major source of income, which is fishing, of the people of Guimaras especially those who live near the seashore has been greatly affected. Now many of them cannot fish because of the oil slick. Their mangroves have also been damaged and this will take a long time for the area to recover.
Hundreds of inhabitants have contacted diseases because of the oil spill.
It's good that many people in and out of Guimaras have been thier help.
Through poems, we can lighten their heavy loads.