From moment to moment : By Marra PL Lanot

It’s useless to whisper
Goodbye
or Adios
or Paalam*

Or how will the rain stop,
the flood subside
and the forgotten gardens
of healing herbs emerge?

It’s better to say
’Til we meet again
or Hasta la vista
or Hanggang sa muli*.

Then and only then
can shores be retraced
can the moon tell stories
can familiar places
be discovered as if for the first time
or rediscovered without sadness.

And a gaze
a touch
a clasp
a kiss

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*Filipino (Tagalog):

• Paalam — “Goodbye” or “Farewell.”
• Hanggang sa muli — “Until next time” or “Until we meet again

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Marra PL. Lanot was a highly acclaimed, Filipino poet, essayist, journalist, and editor who passed away at the age of 82 on August 16, 2026