Vocabulary

Photograph via Flickr by Didier Baertschiger
“Bokabularyo” by Mesándel Virtusio Arguelles translated as “Vocabulary” from Filipino by Kristine Ong Muslim
Nothing, you say
in the language of your hunger
to always create, to repeat yourself. You constantly need to
reiterate nothing
in your vocabulary
so that you won’t forget to remember having repeated
your word
Come, eat
the word
greater than your hunger
Bokabularyo
Wala, wika mo
sa bokabularyo ng iyong gutom
sa paglikha tuwina, ang ulitin ang sarili. Kailangan ulit
-ulitin ang wala
sa iyong bokabularyo
upang hindi malimot maalalang inuulit
ang sariling salita
Halika, kainin
ang salitang higit
malaki sa iyong gutom
Note: The Filipino original appeared in Guwang (High Chair, 2013).