By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo

 

EACH time I visit Dagupan, Gwen makes sure I stay in a room with a view of the Pantal River. I remember in the evening of 29 November 2023, I saw a beautiful moon dance in the water from Room 431, inspiring a poem, Descent.

you will forgive me, this
a constant desire to be
in the water …
to be in the torrent of the waves
inside, the turmoil
of your depth

In the early morning of 24 July 2024, when the moon hid itself among the fast-running clouds of Typhoon Carina, I witnessed the calm waters of the river early morning from Room 402, inspiring another poem, Pantal River.

quietly, slowly, it runs ove
a stream of thoughts
buried in the depths
layers of history, lived
unexamined
living fiercely, defiantly
in the calm

On both occasions, I took photos of Pantal River’s charm. Manuel Aoanan reminisced, “The Pantal River of my youth. Once when I was a child, I slipped into the water while playing. Nearly drowned but for a bystander who rescued me from the water”. Dong Malong expressed surprise: Dati rati maraming basura na lumulutang sa river na yan. Ngayon WOW!!! KUDOS.” Enoch Tan pointed out that the city empties itself of flood waters at Pantal River, which the river receives in quiet acceptance, along with the toxic bile emptied on it by its present public servants.

Pantal, with the other rivers and Lingayen Gulf became part of my existence sometime in 1995, at the height of the Bolinao’s Anti-Cement Plant Movement. It is a vital part of me to this day. It was on 08 October 2014, when I first wrote a poem about the Pantal River, “Insulat ed Danum” (Written in Water).

walad nguro’y dilak
su ngaran mo
pakanunotan
ya mantulintulin
kaiba na ampait
ya samit
na asin ya didilaan kod limak
pan-inom na tequila
tan pinespes ya limon
ed sangik

 natan say itawag ko’d sika
liket ya alinguanan
ya makalkalnan unlalangoy
pawil ed ilog na Pantal

Translation: Written in water: It is at the tip of my tongue/ your name/ a memory rolling/ with the bitter sweetness/ of licking salt on my hand/ shots of tequila/ and squeezed lemons/ in my mouth/ for now / I will call you/ happiness forgotten/ swimming gently/ back to the river of Pantal.

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