Tankas About The Garden Of Life

By Jocell Maranan

I had written this poem way back 1998 when I was in fourth year high school for our school paper. I was awestruck by the fact that I’m going to finish high school and pursue college in another school. I had written this for the purpose of imparting a legacy to the juniors before I graduate, after all, the poem is about leaving and cherishing what you have before you leave. Of course, to a deeper sense, death is the topic of the poem. I sort of, sugarcoated the topic by using the word, life, in the title, and not the other way around, so as not to disappoint the readers. I compared life to a garden, and connected the actual everyday garden activities to death.


This poem is poems within a poem. It is a trilogy of poems actually, by which, each has its own separate meanings but unified message. I employed one of the Japanese’ way of writing poems which is the tanka technique. It is very strict when it comes to syllabication. A poem should be composed of five lines only, in which, the first line is composed of 5 syllables, the second line with 7 syllables, the third line with 5 syllables, the fourth line with 7 syllables and the last line with 7 syllables.

This is published in our school paper only. Also, I have not yet entered it in any contests.



Tankas About the Garden of Life

by Jocell Siyangbigay Maranan





I

Everytime I pull

Those stubborn and growing weeds

They keep coming back

Whenever skies cry too hard

So everyday’s a workday.



II

If you come to pass

Seeing an orchid yonder

Smell now its fragrance

As long as humans can breath

Because it blooms once a year.



III

Prune those large branches

If you please, Sir Gardener?

So I can pass through

And pick those roses over there

Where are you, Sir Gardener?



About the Author: Jocell Maranan's Short Biography: Jocell Siyangbigay Maranan was born on February 9, 1982 in Batangas City. He is the third of the five children of Mr. Juan A. Maranan (deceased), a public school teacher, and Mrs. Cecilia S. Maranan, a registered midwife. His father died at the age of 62 when he was 14 years old. Because of this, his mother struggled in raising him and his siblings solely. At an early age, he showed signs of eagerness to go to school. He spent his kindergarten days in Bauan East Central School, elementary in St. Theresa’s Academy and high school in Sta. Teresa College.



Source: www.isnare.com