*Note this poem is in Tagalog
KORO
KOROKOTO
Kutíng maingay
KORO
KOROKOTO
Nakahanap ng pilyong bata
KORO
KOROKOTO
Nagmistulang tao
KORO
KOROKOTO
May masamang plano
KORO
KOROKOTO
Nag antay sa mga puno
KORO
KOROKOTO
Hinablot siya sa tuhod
KORO
KOROKOTO
Hiniwa siya ng pirapiraso
KORO
KOROKOTO
Kinain ang kumakabog niyang puso
KORO
KOROKOTO
Kutíng maingay
KORO
KOROKOTO
Nakahanap ng pilyong bata
=————————————————=
English Version
KORO
KOROKOTO
Noisy little cat
KORO
KOROKOTO
Found a little brat
KORO
KOROKOTO
Turned into a man
KORO
KOROKOTO
Had an evil plan
KORO
KOROKOTO
Waited in the trees
KORO
KOROKOTO
Grabbed him by the knees
KORO
KOROKOTO
Cut him into parts
KORO
KOROKOTO
Ate his beating heart
KORO
KOROKOTO
Noisy little cat
KORO
KOROKOTO
Found a little brat
=—————————————————————=
*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.
*Korokoto is onomatopeic, it is the sound the creature makes as well as its name.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Raven
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Raven
Inspired by the Korokoto myths from Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao.
Korokoto Illustration by Rai Hamid
FB: Wombatrai