Online Journal 4: Analysis of Acosta’s ‘Walang Kalabaw sa Cubao’ ang Santos’ ‘The God We Worship Live Next Door’.
Human nature is both elusive and obvious. As something all people share, it provides a certain context and understanding that helps us intimately look into other peoples’ lives. An equalizer. In the opposite corner, there are also many things that serve to differentiate and alienate people from one another: social class, money, political power and agenda. Even so, by intimately knowing oneself we also get to know others. We begin by lightly observing and then lightly thinking about their actions, then gradually we start creating explanations about why they're doing it. Whether it be ugly things such as greed or envy, or beautiful things such as kindness and benevolence, we understand on some level what these emotions stem from and why they are present. “Walang Kalabaw sa Cubao” as well as “The Gods We Worship Live Next Door” are poems that present human nature in candid light.
“Walang kalabaw sa Cubao: Ang Cubao mismo ang kalabaw At sila ang nakadapong langaw.”
The imagery presented by the word “kalabaw” eluded me until this last line: the stark comparison between “kalabaw” and “langaw”. The carabao as one of the hardest working animals in our country, more so, our national animal. A steady and strong figure, responsible and hard at work in the fields. On the other hand, a fly, buzzing around and feeding on trash and manure, often seen as a pest or symbol of stank and dirty places. Most of the meaning of the animals was lost to me, and as someone who has been to Cubao, I didn’t believe the imagery was literal. Only as the poem continued to say “At paghiyaw sa mga litanya,” did I manage to confirm that the animals must pertain to humans, and this poem was about the people who lived there. There were many mentioned animals however I knew too little about them to begin trying to contextualize them; kabayong baby-blue, Tyrannosaurus Rex at Tamaraw. Kabayong baby-blue, inside a videoke Fiesta Carnival. What came to mind was the many showhorses in places like Baguio, meant to be kept as attractions and purposely made eye-catching. “Kubang Tyrannosaurus Rex” with the common imagery being fierce with short reach, the “kubang” could maybe pertain to this fierce animal being bowed down, spine cowed from the weight of whatever burden. Tamaraw, as shameful as it is to admit, I was quite unfamiliar with, but what comes to mind is someone brash and insensitive. These images would fit humans quite well, and most likely pertain to the types of people found in Cubao.
Aside from the animals, there is very insistent imagery on landmarks, places found in Cubao. Unlike the animals which were only present at the beginning and ending, the landmarks appear at very stanza: from commonly found places such as Goldilocks, to more specific places such as Big Dome. These really help build up the imagery of the poem, especially the mention of MRT-2 as these places often come with poorly maintained areas where many homeless would dwell. It even brings mention to the church, likely an allusion to the many people that lack faith but reap benefits from churches. These churches are also known to be a places where homeless people can stay, temporarily or otherwise. It even makes use of well-known stigmas such as “Ang inalmusal na rugby sa may 7–11,”. This was a term I heard often when I was young, “nainom ng rugby” often pertaining to street kids and used as warning to be careful of them and to not make contact. “At idlip sa gilid ng Tiririt”, was what gave me the strongest impression that the poem was not only pertaining to generally dishonest and jobless people. but also the homeless street dwellers.
Overall, the poem creates a very strong image using both figurative symbols such as animals, and literal and tangible symbols such as 7/11 and Ali Mall to send a very vivid image to readers: Cubao as a place filled with dishonest, negligent, and “dirty” people, further strengthened by the statement “walang kalabaw sa Cubao” and driven home by “Ang Cubao mismo ang kalabaw At sila ang nakadapong langaw.” The poem candidly creates this image and is not afraid to add in “unsightly” details, such as the allusion to the church, and the description of one’s day, which was the part that gave a strongest impression to myself. I will probably live with the phrase “hinapunang jakol Sa CR ng Ali-Mall” at the back of my head, no Ali-Mall will ever be the same.
The poem “Walang Kalabaw sa Cubao” viewed human nature from an omniscient perspective, and on the other hand, “The Gods We Worship Live Next Door” presents it from a first person point of view. Similarly, they discuss observations on human beings, both pointing out flaws in humans. The former even denouncing them as flies. The latter poem, although referring to these humans as “gods” does the opposite of worship and instead describes how these “gods” are more human than they appear. From the get-go “They’re brown and how easily they catch cold,” the poem pulls down these mighty “gods” and presents them as someone alike in color, and vulnerable all the same to colds. The next line reveals “Fear grips us when they frown as they walk past our grim deformities,” while they are similar, they are different and hold themselves high, disdaining the persona. There is also undeniable power, something that separates the “gods” from the persona to the point of being feared. What alleviates these people to the height of being “gods” is simply money. Described as a “secret scent of love bought by the ounce from gilded shops, above the rotunda of the bright cities” there is a feel of exclusivity and distance to the words, strengthened by the term secret, as if this scent was unavailable to the persona, who is unable to enter those bright cities. To the very end, “gods” remain as gods and they are buried in honor and fame, with “roads named after them” alluding that perhaps these gods are made immortal even after death, even when there are new “gods” on the rise. In the line “we outlive them all, but there are junior gods fast growing tall,” the persona can finally be defined as the not just a single person, but all the common folk, viewing the lofty “gods” with fear.
These two poems present the inescapable human nature we are all subject to. While there are beautiful things such as kindness and benevolence, the ugly things such as greed and envy are highlighted. In “Walang Kalabaw sa Cubao” we are shown sloth, leading to derelict places and people. In “The Gods We Worship Live Next Door” it is pride that takes to the front, expressing itself in these “gods” and subsequently pressing down on the rest who are “lower”. These two poems discuss the uglier side of humans, and how this is inevitable. Even in proving that “gods” are similar to us in color and vulnerability, the gods remained gods until death, and even after. There is no redemption for it is ingrained in our very nature. There are many ugly things, but there is comfort in the fact that these things, no matter how scorned, are present in us all.
