This beautiful essay by my mentor Eileen Tabios on the pioneering and legendary poet Nick Carbó echoes the broader trajectory of our Filipino history here in the U.S. (a historical and sociocultural arc that stretches from 1587 through the American colonial period to the more recent waves of immigration). Thank you, Eileen and Nick. Though a part of me feels that I’ll always fall short of repaying your kindnesses, the powerful example you’ve set will resonate for years to come.
Since English came to the Philippines through coercion, we thought transforming the language could be a way of exacting metaphorical revenge. Through linguistic innovations we could make English our own. Nick was willing, but counseled we wait a little longer for more of these innovative Filipino poets to come into themselves. I will always be sad we ran out of time for our last planned anthology as coeditors…
Many then-young Filipino poets blossomed under his lavish encomiums: Paolo Javier, Aileen Cassinetto, Ivy Alvarez, Barbara Jane Reyes, Michelle Bautista, Patrick Rosal, Oliver de la Paz … I could continue with many—so many!—more, among them leading contemporary Filipino and American poets.
From “Ang Tunay Na Lalaki (The Real Man): Remembering Nick Carbó” by Eileen R. Tabios
Read the full text here.
Aileen Cassinetto 