Tinian Tasi Yan Langit ‘Sonneta’

My “sonneta” is written in sonata form: Exposition, Development, Recapitulation, and Coda. Tasi means ocean, langit is sky.

EXPOSITION:

“The sea can do craziness, it can do smooth,

…and so no doubt can you and you.”

—Mary Oliver (1935 – 2019)

DEVELOPMENT:

The Tinian Sea can be todu kaduku, crazy

yan lokkue tosta, low tide quiet and smooth

after weeks of calm it sometimes seems lazy

then it quickly becomes rough and uncouth.

Spitting sand and seaweed up on the shore

as it has done for countless centuries before

fish get caught in throw nets near the beach

some escape and swim quickly out of reach.

We too can be crazy, lazy, calm, and quiet

disrespectful, dishonest, rude, and uncouth

manifest gluttonous habits, need for a diet

in life’s ups and downs, old age back to youth.

As we live and love next to the Philippine Sea

the ocean can be rough and calm and so can we.

RECAPITULATION:

Home seems so far away so sad am I

the channel is wide I cannot get across

the ocean waves crash, break and toss

I’m longing to look up at stars in the sky.

CODA:

I look for steamy looking distant stars down

near the Scorpio constellation’s tail

coming out of the Teakettle constellation’s

spout with hope my eyes don’t fail.

N.B. The Milky Way galaxy can be seen with the naked eye between the tail of the Scorpio constellation and the spout of the Teakettle constellation. The galaxy looks like steam that is coming out of the spout.

Writing

Joey aka “Pepe Batbon” Connolly is a retired educator who taught in the CNMI, NOLA, and LVNV. He is the Poet Laureate of Tinian and enjoys stargazing.