By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo

 

A good friend, art curator Bina Sarkar Elias, requested me to participate with a short 6-8 lines poem on women’s empowerment for an art show she will be curating entitled “Free, Fearless & Fantastical!” scheduled for the Pen + Brush Gallery in New York (Jan. 23-March 22, 2025).

I met Bina in 2019, when she requested me to contribute to a special edition on the art and culture of the Philippines for the International Gallery (India). We met again on the occasion of its official release in commemoration of the 70th year of Philippine-Indian relations hosted by the Indian Embassy and during her presentation on Creative Tensions and Art Forces during the 85th PEN International Congress held at the National Museum of the Philippines. Bina is a poet, editor/publisher of International Gallerie.

Because of her request, I went over the poems I posted on Facebook and searched for women empowerment. No poems with those words. Curious, I searched for love. I was surprised that the search replied, “We didn’t find any results.” I know I have posted on these two subjects often, so why is that?

I realized that in expressing these concepts, I didn’t use the words women empowerment and love. In fact, I refrained from using the words, “I love you”, whenever I can because these words have been used carelessly, on most occasions. I find these words spoken as an ending to most conversations, often in a rush, without serious thought or meaning.

“Bye, hon. Just bought myself S & R Sea Salt Caramel Latte. Luv you!”

 Oh, I have friends coming over. They’re requesting your specialty, chicken adobo. We’re there in an hour. Luv yah!

At best, the words could indicate a certain familiarity, and also utility, but love? I can’t fathom that kind of love. Instead, I searched for other words: courage, hope, moon, stars, river, forest, you. I have so many posts on those words that I could not choose one. Then, out of the blue, I typed crazy. There, I found the essence of both words, indicative of its meaning, without specifically mentioning them.

Beyond

 Let’s fly, unafraid
in between the thickness of clouds
to explore the heart of mountains
to feel our crazy heartbeats rise
or fall, and dive to the deepest abyss
of fire, fully consumed by the heat
bold and pure and transformed
brave little ashes dancing
with big, unfathomable things

Why didn’t I think of crazy before? To pursue a cause like women empowerment and to love deeply entails a certain kind of madness, a dedication beyond reason, concepts so huge that could never be contained in a group of words, spoken often, as an ending to a sentence.

As a result of Bina’s request, I found some deeper truths, truths beyond my own comprehension, expanding in meaning in the process of self-examination.

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