coming soon this december

KULALAGBAW

Kasubanggi, tolong beses akong luminaog
sa kasilyasan asin tinalaka ako nin dakulang lawa,
kulalagbaw—an apod digdi kan mga gurang,
may walo ining bugaybuhon na kamot
garo pugita sa daga na nakadukot
sa lanob na piglulumot.

Kun dai lang kuta ako pigbubusiaw
dai na ako malaog sa kasilyasan.
Alagad masakit an sabay na mamatian an apri
kan iihihi asin an takot sa nakadukot na hayop.
An pangangaipuhan na namamatian
kaipuhan sunudon, itao.
An takot na nagpapakurad-kutad sa daghan
kaipuhan na sarayon, itago.

Nganing malagbuw an kulalagbaw
pigparikas ko na si bulos kan gripo
pigpaturutipsik ko si ihi sa inidoro
pigrabag ko nang sagin si tabo
Alagad, dai ini naghihiro,
toninong, na garo pigtuturuhukan
ako kan saiyang sadit na mga mata.

Malipwas na an takot ko kaya
pigpasipara ko na lang an dakulang lawa
sa laog kan kubeta.

Kinaagahan si ikaapat kong balik ta husto
na si namamatian na i-udo,
yaon pa giraray si kulalagbaw, sa may tangod
na kan kahoy na pirtahan nakadukot,
toninong kaining pighihilomloman
an saiyang mga bagong sugok.

Kulalagbaw
Translation by Marne Kilates

Last night, I went to the toilet thrice
and was startled by a huge spider,
kulalagbaw—the old ones call it,
with its eight hairy arms—
an octopus on dry land stuck
on the wall covered with moss.

If I didn’t have this sickness of the piss
I wouldn’t have to repeat these visits
to the toilet. But the sting of held urine
and the fear of this arachnid is just too much.
What nature asks, you give.
The fear that makes your heart
palpitate, you keep.

To scare the kulalagbaw off
I turn the faucet up, make the water rush
I shake my prick to scatter the piss on the bowl
I pretend to fling the dipper, make a noise
But, it wouldn’t budge on its spot on the wall,
serenely, it stares at me
with its tiny eyes.

My fear has settled down so I try
to ignore the huge spider
in the toilet.

The next morning, on my fourth trip
because I had to take a shit,
there it was still, the kulalagbaw,
this time stuck on the door jamb,
serenely hatching
its new eggs.