One night, a cat went to a poetry reading. Sadly, no other cat was there, only humans, about twenty of them. The cat was to read a poem he wrote, one in his dialect and he was listed in the programme among the humans. Patiently, he waited for his turn. He'd get nervous in between the waiting, shaking. He'd smoke a couple of sticks to relax or drink a glass of water. When it was his turn, he went up to the microphone and adjusted its height. After all, he was a cat and everyone else who read were not of the same stature as him. He then started reading:
TAGULILONG
Ingon sila,
mura daw ko'g tagulilong,
tagulilong nga taas ug ilong
Daw si Pinocchio
ig tukar sa iyang pagkabakakon
Mukalit lang daw ko'g kawala
Sa tunga-tunga sa programa,
sa tunga-tunga sa istorya
Magbasa man ug balak,
magsayawsayaw o mukanta
Bantayan nalang daw kuno ko,
kung ako mu-ingon na ug-
Taymsa Ha
***
And the cat left the moment he finished reading the poem, out the back door, before catching any reaction from the humans. He ran the moment he got out of the cafe where the reading was held. He ran as fast as he could, faster than he ever ran since that day he beat a top cat in his kitten years- black and swift, disappearing into the night.
TAGULILONG
Ingon sila,
mura daw ko'g tagulilong,
tagulilong nga taas ug ilong
Daw si Pinocchio
ig tukar sa iyang pagkabakakon
Mukalit lang daw ko'g kawala
Sa tunga-tunga sa programa,
sa tunga-tunga sa istorya
Magbasa man ug balak,
magsayawsayaw o mukanta
Bantayan nalang daw kuno ko,
kung ako mu-ingon na ug-
Taymsa Ha
***
And the cat left the moment he finished reading the poem, out the back door, before catching any reaction from the humans. He ran the moment he got out of the cafe where the reading was held. He ran as fast as he could, faster than he ever ran since that day he beat a top cat in his kitten years- black and swift, disappearing into the night.
