(in English and Tagalog)

The Twitter poetry tradition goes back to when the then-Twitter (now X) platform posed a challenge to poets to write within its restrictive 140 characters, to when the character count expanded to 280, and to now, when the longer form is allowed for premium subscribers.

I continue to write in the restrictive form of 280 characters or less, being used to delivering poetic thoughts in bursts of Tweets, albeit they are no longer called that.

As a Tagalog translator, I (human) also translate my English tweets to this Philippine language, constantly comparing it to the renditions of Google Translate or Bing Translate, which are readily available on The X platform, itself. The evolution of AI in translation is part of my self-study as a translator and as a poet.

“Rose Gardens” (mixed media on watercolor paper) by ThompsonNFT on Twitter / X with the author’s permission https://twitter.com/thompsonNFT/status/1713194138869387659/photo/1

The Roses Bleed 

onto the page of autumn
where bleeding is allowed
with abandon
in grief, in passion, in remorse --
or to let stand still
what briefly was or what could've been
in a tiny light --
that it may perchance, shine --
another time. Again.

~ Su Layug

Nagdurugo Ang Mga Rosas

sa pahina ng taglagas
kung saan hinahayaan ang pagdugo
nang walang pakundangan
nang dahil sa dalamhati, pusok, pagtitika --
o upang patirikin lamang
ang isang saglit, o ang isa sanang saglit --
nang harinawa'y, 
isang araw
ito'y muling magningning.

~ Su Layug