The Light during BLACKOUT 

Dominique Portia T. Maglangit

 

                        

                                                                      https://www.google.com/search?q=blackout&source

         Blackout is a poem by Jeffrey Javier. He is a graduate of the Creative Writing program of the University of the Philippines Mindanao. He lives in Davao City and works from home for an online company according to Cha: An Asian Literary Journal. A poem is known to be a creative literary piece in which it delivers particular message. In this case, Javier used a very timely and relatable social issue which is the power crisis so that he can call the attention of prospect readers. In addition, Javier made this poem especially for Mindanaoans because at that time, Mindanao greatly suffered from everyday rotational brownout. It even went to the point that the brownout lasted for 24 hours. With this, Mindanaoans will really read and agree with Jeffrey Javier’s blackout. Appreciating the twinkling light from the stars is one of the good points in the poem. It is because one must appreciate nature and not neglect it because of valuing technology way more than nature. However, the poem lack of explanation in why such power crisis happened. This message was created to open the minds of the people to see nature in a different way, to go out of the four-cornered abode and explore the wonders of the world often. Moreover, as most media materials, this poem was created and produced for profit and fame.

 Blackout

by Jeffrey Javier

In the city of lights
they turned the power off
and the citizens went out

of their dim hiding
looking for the visions
they lost in the dark.

They gathered confused
in street corners
unwilling to accept

that the intense humidity
was now part of the order
of the new evenings.

They knew from then on
meals would be shared
groping for cutleries,

matchsticks, flashlights,
and for the patience
they did not know exists.

They hoped that this veiling
was only as temporary
as an eclipse

that brightness would return soon
the minute they stopped talking
and started listening.

The void stretched out
like cold rumors
broke slowly like glaciers

and spread like oil spill
seeking the warmth
of the hollows of the heart.

The city stores glowed eerily
as strangers stood outside
like plastic mannequins

contemplating
their displacement
and loss.

This was now a city
of electric generators
where hot gas fumes

gusted from the exhaust vents
and the turbines hummed
within their metal casings.

Anthemic, the people sang
a prayer for illumination
as they looked up

seeing for the first time
the primeval glows of gods
breeding in the night sky.

They had to admit
that this greasy blackness
was the one sweeping gesture

of retribution
for their blindness
for their excess of light.