15/03/2026
“To write poetry is to implant memory into the universe. We write poetry so that these memories live on even without us,” says Professor Jiang Xueqin.
I’ve been writing poetry since I was seventeen—a malleable age that allowed me to watch the universe unfold with an open heart. Poetry gave me a way to process memory and grief, both mine and others’, without breaking. In many ways, it has saved me over and over again. I suspect many who are devoted to the craft will understand what I mean.
I have more to say, but I’ll save it for the book launch in April. For now, I’m simply excited to finally place this work into the world. I thank the Ateneo University Press for this. My first book, damn.
See you later at the Philippine Book Festival at the Megatrade Hall in SM Megamall. I’ll be at the Ateneo booth from 2–3 PM signing copies. Come by and say hello.
