Poem: For the City That Nearly Broke Me 3

Rosas, claveles,
Pásig ameno,
Luce con galas mil

–Jose Rizal, Junto al Pasig

[Yoink! Poem was here, and has since been revised.]

Here, the italicized Spanish verse is Jose Rizal’s opening chorus to Junto al Pasig. Not sure what else I can offer by way of explanation. As far as the effect of my lines pushing up on Rizal’s lines, I’ll leave that all to you to decide.

2 thoughts on “Poem: For the City That Nearly Broke Me 3

  1. Barbara,

    I’m really enjoying these city poems you’re writing. As for the effect of Rizal’s invocation against your lines, I like the friction that’s created with the music and the imagery (the Divine and the waste) you’re creating here.

  2. Hey, thanks Rachelle. I think I’ll be changing the “patron saint of …” refrain to something else. “River of…” to try to be more keen about the relationship between the addressee/subject and object in the possessive phrase.

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