The literal word in English for Lo-ob
is Inside*. Edge in a prefix and Inside
is Character, wedded to Will. Collapse
the literal, the ordinary, by splitting,

affixing letters to the root, Inside
metamorphoses to spirit, or space—
a place inside. Or trade in a syllable,
Inside is a verb “to place a thing inside”.

By the simple act of focus—or its arrest,
the subterfuges of Inside settle into
their trajectories. At one moment,
Inside gives, in the next, steals.

Inside may intercept to split the self
to great indebtedness. Upon the weight
of a phrase, peace disintegrates
to a state of war.

Inside is a blind point, an island
where my gaze fades from myself
at the instance of looking. It is where
I live, camouflaged in this scrap of skin.

Inside me is the shallows, resistant to halting
sea voyages. In here lives a shipwrecked
ghost, still wooing the swell-shock
from somewhere, bone-deep.

*Linguistic studies have identified 700 affixes used in Pilipino. Derived from the root word Lo-ob (Inside/ or Kalo-oban for Will) are such words as Nilo-ob (inner state), salo-obin (sentiment), ipagkalo-ob (to give), manglo-ob (to steal), sukal ng lo-ob (inner turmoil), kusang lo-ob (initiative), utang na lo-ob(indebtedness), ipalo-ob (to put something inside).

© Rhodora Peñaranda