“Chicharon” by Salud Mora Carriedo
Bisaya
Chicharon
(Kilab Nga Sugilanon)
“Chicharon! Chicharon! Tag-baynte ang pak!”
“Tagai ko’g usa, Day,” matud sa babayeng miduol.
“Hutda na lang ni, Nang, para makauli na ko. Tulo singkwenta na lang.”
Gibayran sa babaye ang dalagita. Nagsuot kini’g pug-awg asul nga sayal. Ang iyang puting blaws nagdag na, may nektay nga pareho’g kolor sa sayal ug pug-aw na sab.
“Imo na ‘nang usa, Day! Sakto na ‘ning duha namo!” matud sa ningpalit.
“Salamat, Nang!”
Gisundan sa mga mata sa dalagita ang babaye nga nagpalayo, mitipon sa nagpunsisok nga katawhan sa palengke, hangtud nahanaw siya sa panan-aw.
“Chicharon! Chicharon! Magtiwas! Kinse na lang!”
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Filipino
Chicharon
(Dagli)
“Chicharon! Chicharon! Biente isang pak!”
“Bigyan mo ako ng isa, Ne,” sabi ng babaeng lumapit.
“Ubusin nyo na lang po ito, Ate, nang makauwi na po ako. Tatlo singkwenta na lang po.”
Binayaran ng babae ang dalagita. Suot nito’y kupas-asul na palda. Ang kanyang blaws na puti ay nanilaw-nilaw na, may nektay na kasing-kulay ng palda at kupas na rin.
“Sa iyo na yang isa, Ne! Tama na ‘tong dalawa para sa amin!” sabi ng bumili.
“Salamat po, Ate!”
Sinundan ng mga mata ng dalagita ang papalayong ale, nakipagsabayan sa mga taong nagsisiksikan sa palengke, hanggang sa siya’y nawala sa paningin.
“Chicharon! Chicharon! Paubos na po! Kinse na lang!”
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English
Chicharon
(Flash Fiction)
“Chicharon! Chicharon! Twenty [pesos] per pack!”
“Give me one, Girl,” says the woman who comes to her.
“Do buy them all, Ma’am, so that I can go home now. Three packs for just fifty!”
The woman pays the teenage girl. The latter is wearing a faded blue skirt. Her white blouse is yellowish, with necktie that has the same color as the skirt’s and is faded, too.*
“Take one pack for yourself, Girl! Two is enough for us!” the buyer offers.
“Thank you, Ma’am!”
The teenage girl’s eyes follow the woman as she leaves, dissolves into the market crowd, until she vanishes from sight.
“Chicharon! Chicharon! Just one pack remaining! Only fifteen [pesos] now!”
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Chicharon – crackling pork rind
*Uniform for girls in some public high schools in the Philippines
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Salud Mora Carriedo’s Artist Statement: SALUD MORA CARRIEDO was born and raised in Davao, Philippines. Her travels and schooling abroad have been instrumental in her journey back to her Visayan roots. During her stay in foreign lands, she observed how non-English natives take pride in their own languages and in the richness of their literatures.
Discovering that most of the great literary pieces she adores were originally written in languages other than English became a turning point for Salud. She now writes mostly in Bisaya, her mother tongue, and self-translates into English and Filipino. This way, her Visayan people and the world can have access to her writings.
