Names:
MAYON
By: Kristian Sendon Cordero
Camarines Sur
Ayon sa alamat, lason ng pana ni Pagtuga,
Ang lumikha sa bulkan – libingan ito
Ng dalagang namatay sa isang digmaan.
Ngayon, ano ang tutubo sa paanan ng
Mayon Gayong nagiging malawak na itong sementeryo
Ng abo, ng tao. Manganganak na kaya ito?
Tinitigan ko ang nakangangang bulkan – binabalot
Ng ulap at ng sariling usok ang tuktok, gatas sa labi,
Baka sakali, magpakita, nang may silbi ang kamera.
Sa ilang retrato na ibenebenta ng mga bata sa
Cagsawa Lusaw na tae ang nagliliyab na lava, dumadaloy pababa.
Matandang nag-nganganga ayon naman sa isang makata.
Sa isang lumang postcard na nakita ko sa isang antigong Merkado-
Kapag sa malayo, isa siyang magandang sekyung nakatanod,
Handa sa pagkapkap, naghihintay sa iyong pagpasok.
Activity: Respond critically to the following questions.
1. According to the poem, what led to the creation of the volcano?
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2. In the second stanza, how is the area around the foot of Mayon being described?
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3. What is the persona in the poem waiting for in the third stanza?
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4. List at least three images found in the poem. Cite the lines where they appear.
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5. State the dominant physical sense being used by the poem to create images you listed
in the previous question.
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6. Examine the images in the poem and determine whether the impression being
conveyed by the image is positive or negative.
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7. The first stanza of the poem showcases the death of Magayon as the cause of the birth
of the volcano. Carrying this reasoning through to the second stanza, what is the
persona implying with his use of the image of a graveyard?
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8. The fourth stanza presents an image of the poem which was viewed differently by two
different people – the persona and the unnamed poet, or makata – who gave a very
different interpretation of the image. Defend the choices of both poets in light of how
Mount Mayon is seen in the poem. Discuss why the author used a security guard as the
final image of the poem. What does this seem to imply about how security personnel
are viewed?
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