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Dear Site Visitors,
The September, 2001 featured poet is Marylene ("Maieh") Bauza, from Manila in the Philippines. Maieh is a third year Mass Communications student at The City College of Manila, where she holds the position of Secretary of the Supreme Student Government. Writing poetry is her hobby as well as sketching portraits.
Maieh began submitting her poetry in early May, 2001 after finding my website while searching for a Pablo Neruda poem. She perused the website, read some of the poetry and decided to submit her own. She is a regular visitor to poetheart.com and has become a part of it with her submissions of passionate, insightful and often sad poetry (my favorite kind), her regular visitation and the response from other visitors this site receives about her poetry. Her poetry is soulful and reaches out to touch the heart - and many readers love her work. Since I have received so many responses to her work and because many people wanted to know more about her, she was the most logical of choices to be featured at this time.
Maieh has chosen her poem "Once and Again" as her featured poem. Her favorite poem by a renowned poet is a love sonnet by Pablo Neruda (Love Sonnet - Manana XVII).Ever since she saw the movie "Patch Adams" and heard the Pablo Neruda poem, she has really liked it and naturally selected it as her favorite poem by a renowned poet. Maieh says she loves Neruda's passionate expression of the meaning of "unconditional" love in this poem and claims it is her all-time favorite poem.
In my interview with Maieh, she talks about herself and her poetry. We get a glimpse of this wonderful poet and what she is about. During the entire month of September, Maieh will answer your specific questions from you in the Q&A. Your questions and Maieh's answers to them will be posted after the interview. When sending questions, please write "Maieh" in the subject header and include your name and where you are from.
I am very pleased to present my site's featured poet for September, 2001 - Marylene Bauza ("Maieh"). The following interview with Maieh was conducted via e-mail between August 27, 2001 and September 4, 2001.
Thank you, Poetheart
Other poetry by Maieh The Interview
Poetheart: Maieh, your real name is Marylene. So how did you get the name "Maieh"?
Maieh: Wow, I'm not really sure - and there's really nothing much to it...All I can remember is that when I was in first year college, I had this habit of adding 'e' to my friends' nicknames, like Jack, I'll call her 'Jacke' and stuffs like that. Back then, they were just calling me by my first syllable 'Ma' because Marylene is too long. Then this friend of mine added 'e' to my name until it became Maieh (ma-ye). I guess they just got used to it. No biggie, really.
Poetheart: Visitors to my website and those who are familiar with your poetry know you as "Maieh" so during this interview, I will call you Maieh. Okay?
Maieh: Yes. Sure. Everybody calls me that.
Poetheart: You are a student studying Mass Communications. What college or University do you attend?
Maieh: It's a newly founded college, The City College of Manila, all of the students there are on full scholarship provided they maintain a 2.5 GPA which I think is B- in the States.Poetheart: Are you a good student?
Maieh: Am I a good student?...at least now I am. What I mean is that, I didn't used to be. I used to be a reckless one during my high school years. When I first entered college, I still didn't change, and, well, I got kicked out from one of the country's best universities. I stopped for a semester, and during these times, it kind of hit me that if I didn't do anything, I'll have no future to look forward to. So I enrolled again, and made the best of it.
Poetheart: What are your career plans, Maieh?Maieh: If I'm able to manage the pressure, I'll pursue my career to law. Right now, I still have a year to go before I graduate from Mass Communication. Actually, I'm thinking whether to take up another course which is I.T. or just go straight to law school. I also plan to set up a bar, maybe somewhere in Malate, or Quezon Avenue.
Poetheart: Besides going to school and writing poetry, what else do you do? What are your other activities and interests?
Maieh: Well, I also sketch - I draw portraits. I haven't though, for a while, but whenever I have the patience to finish it, I do it all out. At school, I'm currently the secretary of the Supreme Student Government. It keeps me busy. I also like reading fiction - works by Sheldon, Clancy and Garwood.
Poetheart: Tell us about Maieh. Who is Maieh the woman?
Maieh: The woman...hmmm, am I even one? (joke!) Well, I'm nice, most of the time, generous to friends, and very ambitious. I have my future planned ahead of me, and I also planned the contingencies in case plan A doesnt work out. But if none of them still doesn't go into plan, well, what can we do? What can I do? C'est La Vie! I'm not the elegant type. I don't think I have sophistication running in my blood. I'm also not simple. I'm the kind of gal who goes by this adage, 'Express Yourself'. If you want to say something, say it. be direct. I'm a very straight-forward kind of gal.(Just as I don't like when people beat around the bush). I'm kind of boyish too I guess. I never did like girly stuff. I like to experiment and if anyhing goes wrong, swallow your pride and face and deal with it like a...WOMAN!
Poetheart: Now, what about Maieh the poet? Who is she?
Maieh: Maieh, the poet, is almost the same as Maieh, the woman. There's not much difference I guess. And as a poet, I'm very emotional. I let my emotions be the designated driver.
Poetheart: How long have you been writing poetry?
Maieh: Well, I started writing poetry...uhm...about 6 years ago. Back then, I felt as though I had no purpose in life. I was the rebel kid, and my grades were falling apart and I basically had no achievements. One time, my sister came home so excited because she won first place in the poetry contest held in her school. Of course, all of us were proud of her, but at the same time too, I saw my dad looking at me in a way that somehow says "Why can't you be more like your sister?" I hated poetry then (for as long as I can remember) but I also got curious of my sister's piece. So the next day at school, I looked at her poem which was posted on the bulletin board and... I dunno - it just hit me that I could do better than thay. So I tried writing. It didn't have as much impact as my sister's poetry had but I kept on writing. Sometimes just to let out all the frustrations I had - although there were times I wanted to stop because it was not getting me anywhere. Opportunity came when the school paper (The L'etincelle) was looking for a Literary Staffer. I thought then, 'why not?' They gave me a topic and it was about the liberation of Hong Kong from Britain after a hundred years. They liked what I wrote and I guess I started from there. It never occurred to me again to stop writing.
Poetheart: Is writing poetry a hobby for you, Maieh?
Maieh: Yes, it is now. I love doing it.
Poetheart: How important is writing poetry to you?
Maieh: I won't say I can't live without it, but I definitely will have this empty feeling. Most of the time, I feel like it's my only solace.
Poetheart: What inspires you to write poetry, Maieh?
Maieh: People. The things I see...I don't know...It really depends on the mood I'm in. Mostly, I write whenever I lack inspiration (ironic, huh?) and when I'm really depressed.
Poetheart: Does the poetry of any poet inspire you?
Maieh: My sister Michelle...and Pablo Neruda. Both of them really speak out in their poetry what they feel and neither of them ever (not once) sound pathetic. I can get to sound pathetic sometimes. :-)
Poetheart: What do you mean by "pathetic"?
Maieh: Well, there are times when I would really really get emotional, and I can't cry about it or even scream, so I just write...and once I'm done with it, I'll reread it and end up throwing away what I wrote. I haven't seen my sister write anything that turned out to be pathetic.
Poetheart: How did you find poetheart.com?
Maieh: I found poetheart.com while searching for Pablo Neruda's Poem, Twenty Love Poems and A Song of Despair. Your site appeared in googles.com and I got a little bit curious when I saw more poetry posted in the site. Then I started reading them all - and loved almost all of them.
Poetheart: I've received a number of e-mails from you and you sometimes compliment me and tell me how much you like my site. What do you like about the site, Maieh?
Maieh: Poetry. You have quite a collection. I hope you won't stop writing and I hope you won't stop accepting our work either.
Poetheart: What made you submit your poems to my site?
Maieh: Well, I saw your user submission page, so I thought, why not?
Poetheart: Were you surprised when your first poems were accepted and posted on my site?
Maieh: Oh yeah! And again, Jay, thank you for that. So much.
Poetheart: You are very welcome, Maieh. I posted your poetry I like it and because I think you are a telented and passionate poet.
Poetheart: Have you read the works of the other poets posted on poetheart.com?
Maieh: Yep. I liked the ones done by you, of course, and Matthew D. Ward.
Poetheart: Thank you for reading and liking my poems, Maieh and I am sure that Matthew will be happy to hear that you like his work also.
Poetheart: So, Maieh...what is your favorite of Matthew's poems?
Maieh: His poem "What goes on in the mind of a dark poet?"
Poetheart: You were ask to select a favorite poem by a renowned poet. You selected one Pablo Neruda love sonnet from the "Manana" section of his sonnets (XVII). What do you like about this poem? Why did you choose this particular poem?
Maieh: In the movie, when Patch read it to Corrine, I don't know...the lines were just so perfect...and I guess that's how I love a person. You just don't love the great things about this person but also the flaws and shortcomings. I love his passionate expression of the meaning of unconditional love in this poem. It is my all time favorite.
Poetheart: For own featured poem you chose "Once and Again"...Why this poem?
Maieh: I picked 'Once and Again' because it's the exact position I'm in right now. I love this person so much and for so long, and unfortunately, the feeling is not mutual. I don't know, I just find it hard to let it go (the feeling, that is).
Poetheart: Let's talk about your poetry, Maieh. Who is the audience for Maieh's poetry?
Maieh: I have no intended audience. Although, I don't specifically write for myself alone, it'll be nice to know if other people can relate to what I write. Because, basically, what I write is my life written in different verses. I like it when people are touched by my poetry.
Poetheart: Do you remember the first poem you sent me that was accepted?
Maieh: Yes. It was "In My Eyes".
Poetheart: What made you send me that poem?
Maieh: I'm not really sure...I guess this poem is also one of my favorites.
Poetheart: Was this poem written about someone in particular or were you just expressing a feeling or some experience in general?
Maieh: Yes, it was written for someone. That's what I see in her.
Poetheart: Tell us about how "In My Eyes" came to be a poem.
Maieh: Wow, that's a long story with a lot of complications. Are you sure you want to know?
Poetheart: Okay, Maieh. It sounds very personal... What about "Leaving"? This is a very sad poem. Is this also about something which happened to you?
Maieh: Yes. It was also my fault, I guess. I took it all for granted and it just fell apart. The relationship just fell apart.
Poetheart: One of personal favorites of your poetry is "Fear". It is brief and says so much more the words. Tell us about this poem.
Maieh: Wow, my friends also had the same reaction. Oh gosh, how do I start? Uhm... well, it was not meant for a guy, but for a girl. I made the mistake of falling in love with one.
Poetheart: Another favorite (mine and many readers) of your poems is "You". It sticks in my mind because of how it expresses something I can relate to in an economy of words. Could you elaborate on this poem?
Maieh: I wrote it after I wrote "Fear". Also for the same person. I don't know. I guess, I just have this misfortune, because the person is a close friend, and most of the time, when I get hurt, I can't talk about it without being totally discreet or using another person's name.
Poetheart: "Let You Go" is very passionate. I like the contrast of "then" and "now" and can really feel what you are expressing. Was this also written from a personal circumstance?
Maieh: No. I was just done watching Dawson's Creek then. The part where Dawson is having a hard time of letting Joey go. Especially the fact that he will lose her to his best friend, who happened to love Joey in the very same way Dawson loves her. I was just so taken when Dawson fell apart when he let Joey walk away. And I really believe that regardless of how much you love the person, if he/she is no longer happy with you, you have to let them go. As I once said in a poem, Love is never selfish. Never.
Poetheart: Lets talk about your poem "In Slumber and Wake" - This is a very moving and passionate poem. The style is very reminiscent of your admired Pablo Neruda. I like this poem very much and so do many of the readers who wrote to me about this particular poem. Maieh, do you think there is any similarity to Pablo Neruda's work in this poem? Was it intentional?
Maieh: Yes, somehow I patterned it after Pablo Neruda (I hope I didnt make any violation of any sort)...Yes, I think that I patterned it after "I like for you to be still".
Poetheart: Your poem "The Smile" which you told me was selected to be published is a very memorable poem. I find it says so much in an economy of words. Do you think that is the reason it will be published?
Maieh: Maybe because of those same things you see in it - that I said a lot in such a short poem. My sister said maybe it's because I used simple words but was able to give it a profound meaning.
Poetheart: In your poem "Heart and Soul" you make use of the device of rhyme, which you rarely employ in the poems you have published on my site. You usually use a more free verse style. Why do you make so little use of rhyme in your poetry? What made you use rhyme in this poem?
Maieh: I wanted a change...I just thought it would be fun to write it that way. There are times I use this style a lot - especially when I have so many things to say.
Poetheart: Your poem "Beyond Dreams" appears to be a simple poem, but it is a very enigmatic poem. What is this poem about, Maieh?
Maieh: I wrote that after I surpassed this certain obstacle, which had caused me to feel very helpless then. I didn't know if I would be able to overcome it and when I did, everything also worked out the way I had planned. It was definitely something. I wished to express in this poem that however big a certain ordeal is, never lose hope, because you never know - it might actually bring out the best in you, or bring out things you never expected you had.
Poetheart: In your poem "Survival" you say in one part: "And though the blood continually drips,/the steps fall into a slumbered falter,/he walks, head up high,/lost not of hope, until he sees the very end;/The finality, the end of line." What are you referring to?
Maieh: Though there are instances where what I write does happen, I express it in a hyperbolic manner. But what I'm trying to say here is that even if you're badly bruised and deeply wounded sometimes and you think that your world just ended, it's the one time that you should not lose hope. It's the time that you should not let defeat conquer you. Instead, strive hard to stand up, recuperate from the traumatic fall and once you're able to do it, there's nothing in this world you can't do.
Poetheart: "Death of a Dream", "Once and Again", "Leaving" are all poems about being left or leaving - things not working out...What makes you write about this theme so often?
Maieh: Some pain will simply not just go away. It fills you and consumes you until it seems to be physical pain, but you can't do anything about it. You can't talk to anyone about it because the situation is very complicated. So instead of being a total wreck, I seek solace, and this is it: poetry.
Poetheart: Is Maieh writing about her sad experiences?
Maieh: Most often than not, yes.
Poetheart: Thank you, Maieh. Let's turn this interview over to the site visitors now with the Q&A. I know they will have some questions which will fill in anything I have left out.
Maieh: Wow...Can I say thank you first? To all those who like and relate to my poetry, to everybody, to you, Jay, most especially...thank you so much.