In prismatic poetic vision this collection explores the early encounters between European and native peoples in the Philippines. This distant era is brought urgently, and at times surprisingly, to life through vivid verse and arresting lyricism. Here we bear witness to village shamans, Chinese craftsmen, Muslim chiefs, priests and conquerors, lovers and tricksters, as they navigate bloodshed and war, and determine the intimate contours of betrayal and belonging. There's also a passionate argument for hope and connection here: that despite loss, trespass, and violence, a redeeming and reinvigorating revelation comes from the miraculous survival of indigenous Asia and America and all the vibrant textures that reinforce that bond. Haunting, searching, filled with innovative metaphors and musicality, the poems converge to establish a rich territory of memory, and a provocative re-imagining of our collective past.

Author: Dorian S. Merina
ISBN/ISSN: 9786210900958
Category: Literary; Poetry; History
Copyright: 2025
Pages: 90pp
Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 in.
Type: PB/BP