KOPI BREAK ORDER #021 — Eneida P. Alcalde: “Urqupiña, 2002”
"I didn't know we could emerge / teeth bared, // squealing"
(in memory of Lee)
Other plans were breached
that morning
by a newborn foal thrust out
by its mother,
flushed and lubricated,
teetering on all fours—
raw new life I witnessed.
Back then
I didn’t know we could emerge
teeth bared,
squealing: Here I am,
hungry to bite,
hungry to fight. At twenty-three
post 9/11,
the yearling charged
onto the open field
hooves pounding,
forging her path
like the holy shepherdess
emerging from ash,
overturning stones,
her calloused hands
returning blessings
to the hills,
reaching for miracles.
Her lips splinter from song.
Also born on a mission,
hungry to rage
against the promise of loss
and blistering storm.Hello reader,
One of poetry’s superpowers is the ability to mine the world out of a moment. Whether the moment is mundane or dramatic, the poem can bare its chest, show us readers why the moment matters not just to the poem’s speaker but to us all. Eneida P. Alcalde’s “Urqupiña, 2002” is exactly like this: a poem that charges a quiet moment into one about fight, resistance and the energy we’d need to face a world that’s hostile to us.
The poem opens with a witnessing of a birth, a foal birthed by a mother. Births, as we know it, are moments of stillness for the mother and shock for the child. It’s tender and special because it marks a new relationship for the two. And yet, we are never fully grounded in this moment. Our attention turns quickly from the birth of the foal to the speaker, how they see the new life representing a fight that motivates them forward.
Even though this birth was never part of the speaker’s “plans”, it connects the speaker and the foal spiritually. This poem is intentional in blurring the two: “At twenty-three / post 9/11, // the yearling charged / onto the open field // hooves pounding, / forging her path” The yearling, a creature marked by its newness to the world, is simultaneously 23 and raring to face life head on. I love when poems defy the rational logic of prose, when clashing images turn the expected on its head.
The poem ends soon after, almost as fleeting as the moment of birth itself. But the last few lines linger with me: “born on a mission, / hungry to rage // against the promise of loss / and a blistering storm.” We’re never certain what life will bring us, and yet the foal reminds the speaker to remain hungry, to be ready to rage. This poem is an incantation, a mantra for us to continue the lives we live now, and a reminder that a moment of reprieve is also a moment to recharge… to be ready for the battles we might face in the future.
As the world remains tumultuous, I am so grateful for poetry.
All clinks,
Max
The Next Brew…
Grabbing another cup and settling in for a longer break? Our Kopi Break poets have been brewing new things you can check out…
In April, Cheng Him launched his debut Boh Beh Zhao, published by afterimage press! This explosive poetry collection is a narrative-in-poems exploring the inner psyche of the mythical Singaporean Ah Seng, made prismatic through the lens of Buddhism and mid-2010s clubbing fervour. The collection also includes his poem “Froggy Froggy Jump Like Hell”, previously published in Kopi Break #009.
Read more or purchase the book here.In May, Kimberley Chia was a featured poet at Outspoken’s Out and Up showcase of up-and-coming spoken word artists, where she performed a 30-minute set of poems orbiting the theme of mother-daughter relationships. Blending poetry with dance, this performance was tender, visceral and moving. Her set opened with her Kopi Break poem “Requiem for Leaving”, previously published in Kopi Break #008. Check out this recap post of her performance here.
A number of our Kopi Break contributors have recently had their works long-listed for afterimage press’s Manuscript Bootcamp! A huge congratulations to Jack Xi, noonherd, Ruo Wei Lim, Pamela Seong Koon (whose Kopi Break poems are linked) and co-editor Max Pasakorn for this incredible accomplishment! From the 13 long-listed manuscripts, six will be selected to undergo extensive workshopping with industry professionals. Fingers crossed for the announcement in June!
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