Saturday, October 18, 2025

𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬: “The Longings of a Shooting Star” by Lara Marie De Leon

Published by: Zenie Lynn Caguing 

Date Published: October 18, 2025 

Time Published: 10:36 am 
 

Category: Prose

Theme: One’s longing for calmness and peace.


I have been thinking of a place that resides between sorrow and contentment. It is a city without a map, quiet, threaded through the loud machinery of living. I want to go there. I want to dance at its invisible border and take the slow, gentle step that separates wanting from being.


I imagine it to exist in the silence between heartbeats, the glorious quiet where clocks forget to tick and grief loosens its grip. In the silence where life unhooks its claws from my ribs and spares my flesh, pain becomes nothing more than just a rumor. Breath is nothing heavier than a piece of paper, drifting and graceful. Time is soft and forgiving, like a linen sweater folded neatly in a closet.


Perhaps I shall find it in a dream: a landscape constructed from half-remembered lullabies, where air tastes of light rain. Perhaps it will appear as a doorway at the edge of a worn path—the kind of door that needs no grandeur, only a small willingness to step through. There, the sky will not demand of me explanations; clouds will not ask of me anything. They will pass with the nonchalance of strangers.


In that place, if it ever exists, the world is generous in small ways. Meadows lay open; flowers will be thrown at my wake, not in mourning but in reckless celebration. Regrets are polite things that step aside, and resentment fades into the pale hue of afternoons. Even my longings feel less like hunger and more like a delicate scene I can wander without a fear of getting lost.


And if the calm I crave is, quietly, the calm that comes after the last ledger is closed—if the city between sorrow and contentment is the narrow city beyond our maps—let it be gentle. Let it be like the feeling of unbuttoning a coat after a busy day, the last exhale without duties following.


If such a place does not exist in any sense other than my head invents, then let me drift towards that seam and live there. If it only resides between longing and fantasy, let me make a home out of it. Let me dwell in the poetry of it, and in that dwelling learn that sometimes the most sincere refuge is the one we imagine to soften the thought of leaving.

Friday, October 17, 2025

𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬: "There Was Once a Time" by Jasmine Louise A. Bacud

 

Published by: Keshia Gwyneth Esposa

Date Published: October 17, 2025

Time Published: 6:15 PM


Category: Poetry

Subject: Lost innocence and the struggle to accept affection after trauma


There was once a time

when your arms were a harbor,

and I docked there without question,

letting the tides rock me to sleep.


Back then,

the water spoke in lullabies,

and I believed storms

were only stories told by the wind.


But the years came with rusted anchors,

sinking holes into the vessel of my trust.

From that broken tide a fortress rose,

stones lifting out of salt and foam.

I grew like a wall,

brick by jagged brick,

mortar made of fear.

I wandered onto roads I never wished to walk,

and what they revealed

still lingers in the hollows of me.


Now even your touch

feels like salt in a wound,

and I hate that I flinch

at the hands that once held me steady.

I want to return to your shore,

but the map has burned,

and I am lost at sea.


But there was once a time...

𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗞𝗔𝗡: “Si Juan Pinagsasamantalahan” ni Lara Marie De Leon

 


Inilathala ni: Iana Henson
Petsang Inilathala: Oktubre 17, 2025
Oras na Inilathala: 2:12 PM

Kategorya: Prosa

Tema: Pagsasamantala ng gahaman sa mamamayang lumalaban ng patas.


Noon pa man, hindi na ako naniniwalang tamad si Juan.


Si Juan na tila nakatanim na ang mga paa sa pilapil ng palayan? Si Juan na maghapong kumakayod sa tubuhan para sa sahod na barya lamang para sa iba? Si Juan ba na dose oras kung magtrabaho sa pabrika, kahit ang kapalit ay kulang pa para sa araw-araw?


Kung tunay ngang tamad si Juan, bakit pa siya bumabangon bawat umaga kahit wala pang araw sa kalangitan? Kung tamad si Juan bakit patuloy pa rin siya sa pagsasaka sa lupang hindi naman sa kaniya at nagbubungkal ng butil na hindi naman siya ang makikinabang? Hindi tamad si Juan.


Higit pa akong naniniwala na si Juan ay pinagsasamantalahan.


Sapagkat ang katamaran ay hindi matatagpuan sa lalim ng putik sa palayan o sa usok at ingay ng pabrika. Ang katamaran ay naroroon sa malamig na opisina, kung saan ang mga kamay na dapat ay niyayakap ng posas ay nakahawak sa mamahaling pluma.  Ang katamaran ay matatagpuan sa loob ng palasyong bato, kung saan ang katahimikan ay ginagawang panakip upang hindi marinig ang galit ng mamamayan. 


At sa mga panahon na ang bayan ay humihiyaw para sa katarungan, ang katahimikan ay hindi pananatili ng kapayapaan—ito’y pagprotekta sa may sala. Sa bawat hindi pag-imik, sa bawat pag-iling, nagiging kasabwat ng sakim ang pagsasawalang-bahala sa nangangailangan. Wala ring pinagkaiba ang tahimik sa mga gahaman—nakaririnig, ngunit walang ginagawa. 


Mahiya naman kayo kay Juan. Mahiya kayo sa libo-libong Pilipinong kayod-kalabaw sa araw at gabi, handang isakripisyo ang dugo at pawis para lamang sa kaning tutong na ihahain sa hapag. Mahiya kayo sa mga Pilipinong nalulubog na sa utang, at sa parehong panahon ay lubog din sa baha. Ano ang dangal na mayroon ang pamahalaan kung ang mamamayan nito ay alipin ng kahirapan? Ano ang halaga ng pag-unlad kung ang nagtatanim at nagbubungkal ng palay ay kahit katiting, hindi nakatitikim ng ginhawa?


Si Juan ay hindi tamad, Si Juan ay larawan ng isang bayang pinagsasamantalahan ng sakim at gahaman, ngunit kailanman ay hindi sumuko sa laban.

𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬: "Beauty in everything" by Samantha Denise L. Juson

 


Published by: Iana Henson

Date Published: October 17, 2025

Time Published: 2:06 PM


CATEGORY: Poetry

THEME: A love so beautiful, it compares to the beauty in the surroundings


The flowers they bloom each step taken

Each breath that flows is a wisp in a storm

You've captivated me in the ways you perform

Like a mellow in my heart, it is almost a crime but not mistaken. 


The sun doesnt think to compare, for in your eyes holds my existence

I see you as what you are, and not what you could be

For if i ever, i might doubt that which what holds you and me

A hope of a possible union, shall be in my insistence 


Under a willow tree, i wish for us to meet

The sunlight seeping through the leaves, tickling your face

You grace me as you are, with your figurative embrace 

If only you'd see all thats happening beneath


I go still at the sight of you

Your beauty, it humbles me, i may swoon

You vex my poor little heart, that wont leave any time soon

For with each admiration, i could never get over you.

𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬: “Eyes Hold Archives” by Micaella Villanueva


Published by: Francen Anne Perez

Date Published: October 17, 2025

Time Published: 11:02 AM 


Category: Prose

Theme: The Eyes’ Resistance to Change and Masking, The Eyes’ Honesty


People dye their hair, change their clothes, cover their skin in fabric and ink. They shift their posture, rehearse new laughs, speak in tones that sound nothing like the child they once were. Survival teaches us to become someone else, someone shinier, someone softer or harder, depending on what the world demands. But no matter how well the transformation is worn, the eyes never quite follow.


Eyes don’t learn how to lie the way everything else does. The mouth can twist into polite smiles, lips wrapping around rehearsed sentences. The voice can sound stable. The hands can learn to stop trembling. But the eyes betray all of it. They are the windows we try to shut, the ones no amount of layers can fully shield. They remain untouched by the performance, stubbornly honest, heartbreakingly true.


Every pair of eyes tells a story the mouth couldn’t bear to speak. A flicker of hesitation, a glaze of grief, the ghost of someone they used to love—they live there. The laughter that didn’t reach the soul, the trust that was shattered too young, the apology that was never received. You can find them all in a glance, if you know how to look. It’s in the way someone avoids your gaze when they're breaking inside, or the way their eyes light up for a second too long when someone mentions a name they swore they forgot.


Eyes hold archives. They carry the heaviness of moments lost in silence: the time they sat on the bathroom floor, shaking but quiet, or the memory of a goodbye that felt more like being erased. They remember the innocence that once looked out at the world with wonder before it was dimmed by disappointment. They hold the dreams that still burn quietly, long after they’ve stopped being spoken aloud.


Sometimes, eye contact feels like reading a journal with missing pages. You don’t get the whole story, but you get enough to know something happened—something tender, something sharp. And in those moments, when someone lets you really see them, even for a flicker of time, it feels like the loudest kind of honesty. Because even if their words say they’re fine, their eyes confess something else entirely.


So people may change everything else. They’ll dye their hair, trade their laugh for one that fits the room, cover the skin in ink or long sleeves. But the eyes? The eyes remain. And if you look close enough, you'll see every truth they never dared to say out loud, blinking back at you like a story begging to be heard.

Thursday, October 16, 2025

𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: “Paper Rex Ends Team Heretics' Champions Run in 2-1 Thriller” by Dennise Ubalde

 


Published by: Iana Henson

Date Published: October 16, 2025

Time Published: 10:08 AM


Paris, France – Paper Rex (PRX) successfully advanced to the next stage of the Lower Bracket, decisively eliminating Team Heretics (TH) from VALORANT Champions Paris 2025 after a grueling three-map thriller that ended in a 2-1 victory. 


The high-stakes elimination match took place on September 29, 2025, with the Pacific League representative showing amazing strength and aggressive play to maintain their title chances against the European squad.


The tone for the entire series was set early on Ascent, the map chosen by Team Heretics, despite their early aggression. It was here that PRX's star player, Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto, delivered a key highlight that would foreshadow PRX’s eventual win: a stunning ace (eliminating all five opponents in a single round), which helped Paper Rex take the narrow 13-11 victory on the first map.


Nonetheless, on Paper Rex's map selection, Bind, Team Heretics recovered. With aggressive site takes, TH maintained the lead and won 13-9, securing Bind and ensuring a decisive third map.


The final map was held on Lotus. Here, Paper Rex dominated. Utilizing PRX's signature aggressive style, Heretics were barely allowed to recover on defense. f0rsakeN and the entire team led a decisive push that resulted in a swift 13-4 victory for PRX, sealing the series 2-1.


With this crucial win, Paper Rex advances and is scheduled to face fellow Pacific representative DRX in the Lower Bracket Semifinals. Meanwhile, Team Heretics' campaign at VALORANT Champions Paris has come to an end.


References:


[1] ABS-CBN Sports. (2025, September 30). Paper Rex takes out Team Heretics in VALORANT Champions Paris in first lower bracket hurdle. ABS-CBN. https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/esports/2025/9/30/paper-rex-takes-out-team-heretics-in-valorant-champions-paris-in-first-lower-bracket-hurdle-1528https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/esports/2025/9/30/paper-rex-takes-out-team-heretics-in-valorant-champions-paris-in-first-lower-bracket-hurdle-1528


[2] EGamersWorld. (2025, September 29). Paper Rex Defeat Team Heretics at VALORANT Champions 2025: Heretics Eliminated from Tournament. https://egamersworld.com/valorant/news/29829/paper-rex-defeat-team-heretics-at-valorant-champio-4fQNcYT8Phttps://egamersworld.com/valorant/news/29829/paper-rex-defeat-team-heretics-at-valorant-champio-4fQNcYT8P


[3] VALORANT Mundi. (2025, September 29). LOSER OUT! Paper Rex vs Team Heretics - HIGHLIGHTS - VCT Champions Paris 2025 | PRX vs TH [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8izJHK5fgQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8izJHK5fgQ



𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: “Italy's Bottolo on Back-to-Back FIVB Worlds Glory” by Dennise Ubalde

 

 

Published by: Iana Henson

Date Published: October 16, 2025

Time Published: 10:02 AM

Mattia Bottolo, Italy's star outside hitter, exclaimed, "It's a dream come true," as Italy reasserted their stranglehold on the world of men's volleyball after securing consecutive FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) Men's World Championship titles. 


The Azzurri capped their 2025 season in style by crushing Poland, their longtime rivals, in Manila, the Philippines to win their second consecutive world crown following victory at home in 2022.


In such a momentum-based and resilient sport, Italy had displayed both. Bottolo, reflecting on the team's success, highlighted the pivotal role the Filipino crowd played.


"Thank you,” the star told the Pinoys, acknowledging the overwhelming support that created an electrifying atmosphere for the games.


Bottolo, who played a crucial role in the Italian team’s championship run, noted that the title win in the Philippines felt particularly special because of the connection formed with the local audience. 


He explained that the experience of winning in front of such passionate fans was a memory the team would cherish.


The Filipino spectators, known for their fervent support of volleyball, showed up in force to witness the world-class competition. This atmosphere, Bottolo indicated, elevated the entire experience for the champions.


 REFERENCES: 


[1] ABS-CBN Sports. (2025, September 29). Italy's Mattia Bottolo reflects on back-to-back FIVB Worlds titles. ABS-CBN.

https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/volleyball/2025/9/29/italy-s-mattia-bottolo-reflects-on-back-to-back-fivb-worlds-titles-1320https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/volleyball/2025/9/29/italy-s-mattia-bottolo-reflects-on-back-to-back-fivb-worlds-titles-1320


[2] Inquirer Sports. (2025, September 30). Italy leaves PH with more than just a trophy; ‘thank you,’ star Bottolo tells Pinoys. Inquirer.net. https://sports.inquirer.net/642353/italy-leaves-ph-with-more-than-just-a-trophy-thank-you-star-bottolo-tells-pinoyshttps://sports.inquirer.net/642353/italy-leaves-ph-with-more-than-just-a-trophy-thank-you-star-bottolo-tells-pinoys


[3] Rappler. (n.d.). Volleyball. Retrieved September 30, 2025, from https://www.rappler.com/sports/volleyball/https://www.rappler.com/sports/volleyball/