PALWA by tea solon

palwa a collection of poetry by tea solon

contents

Palwa

as quill. Artist KCII explores the palm as nature’s giant quill in the book division and transition designs.

Dedication Acknowledgment FOREWORD by Gabriela Marie Milton INTRODUCTION by Manuela Timofte

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

sentire his eyes my stares stir earworm do you hear that? you don’t scare me experts advice warcraft heated kettle DESTA at the eye of the storm frozen tears communion and her purple ngers neath the shell echoes of scylla and charybdis sonrisa’s aria your dominion maternal armor & shield a funeral for the quill

181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200

artisan lens love is a fungus talismans & amulets raindrops and kalpas soulless orison untainted adjuration deep listening widom of wang wei ice cream for warmth silken elegy you gave me white tulips today kerly sits and knits the music stopped playing aren’t there enough angels let me be your cello tonight for Maui ecdysis ark of noah Ode to Madagascar Almond

AFTERWORD by Terveen Gill BIONOTES

palwa | tea solon

sentire one sniff of your scent and the pack of wolves inside her heart howls your name

May 17, 2023 | Cebu City, Philippines

1

palwa | tea solon

his eyes harbor a library of unwritten books

November 16, 2022 | Cebu City, Philippines

2

palwa | tea solon

solo parenting undeniable fortitude but also a fusion of the insecurity of a provider and the guilt of a mother

October 11, 2022 | Cebu City, Philippines

35

palwa | tea solon

the color of water is not red like the blood of fallen men not black like the ship leaking oil not green like her eyes you can’t forget blue like your heart when she left

September 8, 2022 | Mandaue City, Philippines

65

palwa | tea solon

WOMANBEING when another’s touch moved him her blue tears burn the forests

August 13, 2022 | Cebu City, Philippines

111

palwa | tea solon

butanding i swim closely to you without touching you sensitive gentle giant divine beast of the water galaxy you are terrifyingly immense i love you in all your largeness and skin of constellations krill zooplankton sh roe however did you put up on this strict diet, my lovely? benevolent lter feeder you kindly sieve six thousand liters of water each hour that i and my descendants can continue swimming in your world befriending you

July 25, 2022 | Cebu City, Philippines

144

palwa | tea solon

ice cream for warmth today i am making ice cream because i miss you and the warmth you brought to this home i remember how you used to strum the classical guitar and sing your songs while i work in the kitchen. how i snapped whenever you litter and leave stuffs lying around as your own global positioning system because i miss you and the warmth you brought to my heart today i am making ice cream

Sept 12, 2021| Kitchen, Philippines

190

Tea Solon's poetry book, Palwa, is a miraculous collection that delves into the depths of human emotions with a voice I have never heard before. It is as if Tea has tapped into a rich human heritage that spans generations, breathing life into her words. The palm, the conuence of human ngers becomes under Tea’s pen the primordial nest of human emotions. From this nest Tea’s poetry blossoms. Virtues and weaknesses converge in her words like rivers into oceans. — Gabriela Marie Milton, bestselling and award-winning poet, author, editor, and publisher

© 2023 by tea solon cover art by KC II Made in the Philippines All Rights Reserved.

butungislayp.com

Reading Tea's poetry is like being there when she enjoys "gulping butung on any given day". The reader awakens to a woman who is not afraid to translate her own experiences from her lens and her mind. One wants to read more, to learn more about her experiences that easily lead one to the understanding of ancestral wisdom coming from learning the life lessons. — Manuela Timofte, author and editor PALWA – A COLLECTION OF POETRY is the passionate and intense world of Tea Solon’s making. Though the poems are the creations of this brave poetess, their essence, beauty, and significance belong to each reader, the words gradually transforming into deep emotions that tantalize the human spirit. — Terveen Gill, author, editor, and indie lmmaker