James Miraflor – A Poem for EDSA I

Celebrating EDSA I …

A short J Miraflor rant, circa '07

Today, I wanted to write about SYNTHESiST as February 25, 2010 is its first year anniversary of publication.

Instead, to celebrate EDSA I, I give way as in a retweet of sorts and invite you to visit James Miraflor’s blog, Rantings, in free verse. Find the link below.

He posted the poem Imortal, in Filipino, that he dedicates:

“Isinulat sa ika-24 na anibersaryo ng EDSA I. Para sa isang di-namamatay na pakikipaglaban para sa demokrasya.”

I met James for the first and only time at last month’s session of the Manila Reading Group (Look MRG up in Facebook and become a member.). He is very young at 23 and was not yet born on EDSA I.

Yet that night, he spoke about The Prince by Machiavelli, the subject of that session’s discussion, with a depth of understanding that belied his age.

Still a student of computer science, he is active in civil society work and in writing poetry.

James’s blog, linked below, has more than 60 poems in English and Filipino from 2007. I learned more about him from his poems and his other blog.

For me, he bears watching. He seems a young Lion who can capture prey with his poetry (though he does much more).

I will never agree with him on many things. I will let his poems and his blog speak for him. But, paraphrasing Voltaire, I will work and make sure that no one will ever stifle his voice and of others like him.

Note: To read the poem, Imortal, and his other poems please visit James Miraflor’s blog, here, or click the image on top.

Photo Update, February 27, 2009:
On February 27, I met James Miraflor for the second time at a session of the Manila Reading Group in Quezon City. James is the jolly guy at right in the picture with Ronnel Lim, the MRG founder, Apolinario Mabini in Cesar Adib Majul’s book, and myself.

I formally asked permission to use the picture on top and to link to his blog which he accepted.

It turns out that James is also a brilliant organizer, according to Ronnel. He was also the most prepared to discuss the book, Majul’s Mabini and the Philippine Revolution.

Update: June, 2010 – Ronnel Lim, MRG founder, has been elected Mayor of a town in Sorsogon.: