NJP Dos | Alang sa bata nga gimolestiya

nanghinaot

ang batang babaye

nga misalimbong

ubos sa ipil-ipil—

kaning alibangbang

nga misubang

gikan niining kamot

molupad unta hangtod

sa hangtod

ug dili, dili motugpa apan

sa kawanangan, mao ray angay,

mobayang sa duruha ka mabulokong

kapay, dili mohuyang, dili mamatay

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NJP Dos is a fellow to the 2020 Iligan National Writers Workshop and the convener of the Pagadian Writers Workshop. He is a cultural worker and a published researcher at a young age, having presented his study on the Lakewood Subanen during the NCCA's Reading the Regions 2 conference in March 2021. He studies anthropology at Trinity College, University of Toronto, Canada.

About the piece

This poem was written by NJP Dos as a comment to a profile photo on Facebook that contained the painting. The painting is one of Maelinda Bayocot's early attempts into art.