My photo
ALBERT B. CASUGA, a Philippine-born writer, lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, where he continues to write poetry, fiction, and criticism after his retirement from teaching and serving as an elected member of his region's school board. He was nominated to the Mississauga Arts Council Literary Awards in 2007. A graduate of the Royal and Pontifical University of St. Thomas (now University of Santo Tomas, Manila. Literature and English, magna cum laude), he taught English and Literature (Criticism, Theory, and Creative Writing) at the Philippines' De La Salle University and San Beda College. He has authored books of poetry, short stories, literary theory and criticism. He has won awards for his works in Canada, the U.S.A., and the Philippines. His latest work, A Theory of Echoes and Other Poems was published February 2009 by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House. His fiction and poetry were published by online literary journals Asia Writes and Coastal Poems recently. He was a Fellow at the 1972 Silliman University Writers Workshop, Philippines. As a journalist, he worked with the United Press International and wrote an art column for the defunct Philippines Herald.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

THE BIG QUESTIONS, 17: STAYING ALIVE EVEN IF WE DID NOT PLAN TO BE BORN---A JOIE D'VIVRE

This is Poem #17 in my series of poem-responses to the Big Questions to celebrate National Poetry Month (NaPoMo aAril 2013).

What does it mean to Stay Alive? Even if one did not plan to be born, why is it preferable to make a go of living it up with elan and joie d'vivre?

 
 
 
STAYING ALIVE---A JOIE D'VIVRE



Because what we now have is a life
we will never have again, something
as unrepeatable as living or dying,
we drink to it as often as we turn down
an empty cup, and learn to forgive
what was given or not, noblese oblige,
coming as we do to this strange place
without as much as a warning or even
our consent. We did not know.

Because we did not plan to be born,
is it too vexing to learn--perhaps
to revel in--the myriad acts of loving,
of living, and in return be grateful
to perform the surprisingly magical art
of shaping life, nurturing it, finding it
where no one would lead us, blind
as we are to this fire in our weak loins?

Was that left behind by a rushed maker,
like a spare screw, and we had to find
where it would fit snugly, divinely apt
and delicately, deliciously, our manner
of staying alive when dying is better?
 
--- ALBERT B. CASUGA
 
The Big Questions, Philosophy by Simon Blackburn, 2009, Quercus Publishing Plc, London, UK. Prof. Blackburn teaches philosophy at the University of Cambridge in England.

2 comments:

Hannah Stephenson said...

It continues to blow my mind to see a picture of a friend of mine here in Columbus, taken by a friend of mine (who used to live in Columbus), here on your blog. Art makes the world TINY.

And I like the poem :).

ALBERT B. CASUGA said...

Salamat,Hannah. (That's Filipino for Thanks, H.) Yes, the world has become our oyster, after all. Your art, mine, they will outlive us yet. Merci, beau coup. mon ami.