Kenka, Pagayam

.
Aglangoy, agkuy-atka, pagayam
Ket batukem taaw a pagtaptapawam
Bareng naidulin a gameng iti lansad
Di masasaan nga inka mabirokan.

Agtayab, agampayagka, pagayam
Wanawanam law-ang a nakaikariam.
Bareng nasusudi a tagtagaimpem
Maragpatmo, inka maikutan.

Magnaka, itarengtengmo, gayyem
Ket surotem desdes a namayengmeng
Bareng naibudi a kaipapanan
Naan-anaymonton a maawatan.

Ngem sapay koma, pagayam
Ta inton nakadanonkan iti papanam
Ket mapanunotmonto a taliawen ni kalman,
Maysaakto kadagiti mailangaam.

Bay-am a siak ti segden ti parola
Kadagiti taaw a pagdaliasatam
Ket siakto ti inka pagpatawan
Kenni atab a mangyaw-awan.

Kadagiti law-ang a daliasatem
Makipagtayabak, saan nga aleng-aleng;
Ta siakto ti anginmo,
Mangbagkat natibker a payakmo.

Ket kadagiti desdes a surotem,
Addaakto latta, awan dudua
Ta siakto’t mangkibin kenka
Iti tiempo’t samuyeng, pannakaikawa.

Ala, agtuloyka, ‘di ka agsarimadeng
Ta agkurnoak kenka, gayyem;
Dagiti luluak, ladawan ti ragsak
Panangtun-oymo nabalitokan nga arapaap.


//A poem for my good friends who have left: Chie and Jing Fallarna and Celestine Bersabal. God bless you. I am so glad God put you in my life. You are among the treasures I cherish in my heart. I love you. Good luck.

When the nudge for me to write came, I had thought of writing in English, so that my non-Ilokano friends for whom this piece was written would understand it and they would know how I feel for and about them. But when I finished writing it, I realized it was written in a language they do not speak. I tried to translate it, but somehow, I was inadequate; the right words just wouldn’t come. It was after several hours that I realized that maybe there’s no need for me to translate this; that it was written exactly as it should, because they already know how much they mean to me.

.
//Sherma E. Benosa
02 April 2008; 11:10am