In a rush

I set the alarm last night at 9am. Still, I woke up three hours late at my desired waking time. After buying Spanish bread and milo sachet, I went upstairs to do my reading for our Poetry Workshop class. I finished my reading an hour ago. Whether I like it or not, I have to finish it. Otherwise, I won't have time to write in my blog.

I just want to share my reading in one of the collections I've read. From Mookie Katigbak's Proxy Eros, I find the 16-line poem "Here Is the Chisel and Here Is the Mallet" striking. It gave me clear images of the things utilized in the poem—Chisel and Mallet. I didn’t only see the images but I heard the pounding of the mallet as well through the arrangement of the texts. The poet left counted spaces or tabs between some words (likes up against, hand a mallet, and so on.)

In addition to this, I find Chisel and Mallet symbolical. Chisel and Mallet complement each other. Their use is more effective with the presence of each other. There was a molding or shaping involved in the poem and as far as my own interpretation is concerned it is between a man and a woman. It could be a molding in their love relationship or shaping each other’s character. The Chisel could be the woman who points out the necessary parts to be molded or reshaped and the Mallet could be the man who would do the action. The Chisel thus caters to the intellectual and emotional part while the Mallet is to the physical aspect.