Joaquin, Nick. “Six PM.”

 

Trouvère at night, grammarian in the morning, ruefully architecting syllables-

but in the afternoon my ivory tower falls.

I take a place in the bus among people returning to

love (domesticated) and the smell of onions burning

and women reaping the washlines as the Angelus tolls.

But I — where am I bound?

My garden, my four walls

and you project strange shores upon my yearning:

Atlantis? the Caribbeans? or Cathay?

Conductor, do I get off at Sinai?

Apocalypse awaits me: urgent my sorrow towards the undiscovered world that I

from warm responding flesh for a while shall borrow:

conquistador tonight, clock-puncher tomorrow.

- Nick Joaquin 

Nick Joaquin 

Nicomedes "Nick" Marquez Joaquin (Tagalog: [hwaˈkin]; May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) was a Filipino writer and journalist best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaquin was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature. He has been considered one of the most important Filipino writers, along with José Rizal and Claro M. Recto. Unlike Rizal and Recto, whose works were written in Spanish, Joaquin's major works were written in English despite being literate in Spanish.