Fhen M. became a staff member of the publication paper 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘨(𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵) at Eastern Samar National Comprehensive High School – a public secondary school in the Philippines. He received his first poetry award while a sophomore student at Leyte Institute of Technology. Fhen M. was a member of 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭, the official publication paper of LIT. Fhen M. studied the academic subjects Writing in the Discipline, 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, and The Literature of the World at Eastern Visayas State University. The Waray poem “Uyasan” (“Toy” in English”) written by Fhen M. was published in a collection of literary works entitled 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘪: 15 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘸. His English verses “Lighthouse,” “Seaport,” “Barbeque Stalls along Boulevard,” and “Tetrapod” appeared in 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢anthology series published by Clarendon House. In 2024, Red Penguin Books’ 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦: 𝘈 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘰𝘧-𝘈𝘨𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 will publish his piece “Outside the Block Universe”. One of his poems will also be included in 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢/𝘍𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 by Open Shutter Press. Fhen M. submitted verses in Waray for the 5th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop, including the 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 “Duha nga mga pagtug-an” (translated in English as “Two confessions”). David Genotiva, Merlie Alunan, and Victor Sugbo were some of the distinguished panelists of this writing workshop held from the 5th to the 7th of November 2008. 

The Decay of the City’s Gardenscape Without the Gardener

When I see along the roadside	

old trees, ash-like leaves

decaying trunks and roots

and the gardener cannot be seen

I stop and gaze

at the leaves of the trees about to fall.



When I see along the way

small, brown-color petals

falling from the trees

and the gardener cannot be heard

I stop and look

at a pile of these dead petals.



When I see along the paved road

flowers of this city

like things falling from the heavens

in the absence of the gardener

I stop and gaze

at the seemingly dying trees.



I don't know why I wonder at them

perhaps they remind me that

petals fall from the twigs

leaves lose their lush color

and the trees in the city

without the gardener

eventually die.

Vintage Coffee Grinder

The sun rises as darkness fades

I see clearly the small coconut fruits, 

morning dew on petals and leaves. 



Each morning, old, toothless Oriang 

poured coffee beans in her coffee grinder

cranked and cranked the wooden handle

until beans were pulverized to powder. 



I'm thinking of a thought like nostalgia:

a love letter or poem I wrote, 

a photo of a musing beautiful maiden, 

a question about why love's so powerful. 



Each thought or feeling

is a finely dispersed solid particle

as I sip my cupful of fine coffee. 

Messenger

My grandfather's a courier during the war

carried telegrams and letters from friend to ally

sometimes from a lover to a beloved

I would imagine a young lad from Guiuan

sent love letters to his future wife

wrote, for instance, the sun

rising from the east of Campuyong

kisses your brown skin and lips

probably pondering on love and liberty. 



Letters and poems are sent thru messenger

the war is now a distant past

I would write, for instance, the sun

before setting under the blue horizon

kisses your orange skin and lips

while you sit on white sandy beach

maybe musing on heartache and pain.