Editors’ Note: Nestor “Nono” Felix frequently feeds his followers on Facebook with his poetry about his distilled reflections on life and his quick comments about current social and economic issues and whatever else attracts his incisive and inquisitive mind. He is a recipient of the 2024 Nick Joaquin Literary Awards’ Graphic Salute Award bestowed by the Philippines Graphic in the poetry category, an award he also received in 2023. We feature here his FB posts about his poetry and a sampling of his works.

Foreword

These poems were originally shared on Facebook in 2016 and 2017 under my account name Nestor Felix. Each piece, whether in English or Bicol, represents a distilled reflection of nature, childhood, work, and life as whispered to me by the wind. Most often, these whispers found me in moments of solitude. Even during my international travels, the whispers persisted. I found myself longing for the wind’s musicality beyond my country’s borders.

Over more than two decades in development work, I traversed distant lands becoming a frequent visitor to international airports. Even so, shortly after posting, I found myself editing, unsure of the initial intent of my words or how to conclude them. There is a unique beauty in words flowing effortlessly, unbidden by conscious thought. It is almost as if the muse of poetry herself were at work, rather than mere serendipity. Once again, I am clearly under poetry’s spell, with ample time to craft and play with words.

I recall the days of composing poems that were picked up by popular national magazines in the 70s and 80s. Those familiar with my work expect minimalist poems, and they won’t be disappointed. Most of these poems are succinct glimpses into daily routines and moments in between. But each one carries a profound message, resonating with the universe.

While it’s a stretch to imagine these poems being published in book form, it is gratifying to see them weave stories across the internet. Anticipating murmurs about literary moorings, I acknowledge that I am not aboard a luxurious poetic vessel. At my age, I am also not eager to embark on a cruise, even with a generous senior citizen discount. Be that as it may, the whispers of the wind now stray onto the world’s touchscreens in stanzaic form.

Still, my hope is that these poems not only captivate but also enchant readers, and offer a lens through which to appreciate nature, childhood, work, and life in a world that remains beautiful.

My Poetic Journey

I lack formal training in poetry, yet I persist in crafting poems. Maybe because the blood of an artist flows through my veins. A relative informed me that my mother’s father or my grandfather had dabbled in wood sculpture.

My fascination with poetry ignited when I got a copy of Ateneo de Naga’s literary magazine during my college years in the 1970s. Campus bards such as Rudy Alano (+), Val Fajardo(+), Romy Cruz, and Tito Valente inspired me to create my own verses. It wasn’t until I returned to college that my poem “Storm” found its way into “The Knight,” coinciding with my second and third prizes in the school’s annual poetry contest. The absence of a first prize spurred me to aspire to be published in national magazines with literary sections. In the late 70s, this aspiration became a reality. But as a member of the so-called sandwich generation, I had to put my poetic pursuits on the back burner to make a living. Poetry took a back seat. Now retired, I find more time for poetry than mundane matters.

I do not punctuate my poems for a reason not rooted in literary concerns, which might seem absurd to purists. It’s not an attempt to conceal inadequacy. Instead, I see it as an opportunity to make poetry participatory like development work or social development. It’s up to the reader to punctuate, even if it poses a challenge. Misplaced punctuation can alter the tone, turning humor into horror and vice versa.

While I don’t idolize many famous poets, the names of Robert Frost, Billy Collins, Rod McKuen, and Luis Cabalquinto come to mind when my muse leans towards the romantic. I feel on cloud nine once I discover rhyming words singing a song of wonder because of serendipity. Sometimes I make a clarion call for improved ways of making and measuring social change, like aspiring for a just world for the disadvantaged.

I don’t encrypt messages to perplex the reader. Though my vocabulary is not extensive, and I fear not adhering to poetic norms, I choose not to domesticate my stray poems. I appreciate the positive reception many of them have received on Facebook in their raw form. For me this is how poetry comes to life:

“Poetry is like flowing water navigating its course from the mountain spring to the estuary, undeterred by distance, terrain, or the shifts brought by climate change. It meanders slowly or steadily even in the face of obstacles such as river dams. It mirrors the dedication of schoolchildren working their way to higher education.”

Award winning poems in the Philippines Graphic

A recent highlight was the publication of my poem “Hometown” in the maiden issue of the Philippines Graphic Reader, the country’s first nationally published literary magazine. Seeing my name on a billboard along EDSA for a month, advertising the inaugural issue, was more exhilarating than hitting a jackpot in Bingo.

Following this, my nomination as a finalist for Poetry at the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards 2023, accompanied by the Philippines Graphic Salute Award, was a great honor. Subsequently, the August 2023 issue of the Philippines Graphic Reader featured my poem “Boyhood.”

Anthology of recent poems

The header image is the seashore along Pulang Daga, Paracale, Camarines Norte (credit: Jojo De Jesus)