Moonset At Central Park Station Of St

MOONSET AT CENTRAL PARK STATION OF ST. PAUL SUBTERRANEAN RIVER NATIONAL PARK John Iremil E. Teodoro This morning,

it forgot to

after the faint scent

thank me.

of sea grasses awakened me,

It didn’t even bother

I followed

To look back –

the setting moon

It swam quickly

in the reef flats

away from me.

in front of my

It dived

bamboo cottage.

towards the direction of the horizon

I nearly stepped on

where the moon

a parrotfish

was hiding.

that was caught by the low tide.

Perhaps in next visit

it was as big

that parrotfish

as my slipper.

will surprise me with a greeting.

I picked

It shall brag to me

its slimy body

about its scales

and returned it

painted by

to the sea.

the setting moon.

In its excitement (First appeared in the book Paruparu at Korales/Butterflies and Corals: A Collection of Palawan Poems in Filipino and English published by Bandillo ng Palawan Foundation, 1999).