Denver Ejem Torres: The actual attempt at production of poems can be traced back to High School A.D. But I believe that the act of writing starts necessarily with desire. And this desire to produce poetry started way back when I was in Grade One. As I have mentioned elsewhere, in my Grade One classroom at Ateneo (XUGS), I stumbled upon a world of beauty when I recited the poem Who Am I by Felice Holman. Since then, looking in hindsight, I have dreamt, wished, desired to produce something as lovely, captivating and beautiful. I wanted to become a poet. Therefore, this desire of aesthetics is the starting point, the Point A of my writing.
Roger B Rueda: Why do you write poetry?
Denver Ejem Torres: I write (poetry or otherwise) for two reasons: aesthetics and nostalgia. I am an aesthete, and nostalgic too. I like everything that is beautiful. Poetry is the first beautiful thing to show up in my doorsteps. I fell in love with him, Poetry, at first sight. And because all things, even beautiful ones pass by and fade away, I make certain that they will be memorialized, remembered through words, through poetry.
Roger B Rueda: How long does it take you to write a poem?
Denver Ejem Torres: The actual jotting down of a poem for me is a fast as finishing a cup of cappuccino. It usually takes few minutes – it has to be quick, the harvesting of the wild words must be done quickly, lest if it is delayed, I will feel that I have lost something. And if that feeling sets in, I am certain that I will lose the appetite to pursue the piece. The taming, though, of these wild words (editing and polishing) to become a respectable work, a poem is what takes time. Sometimes, it can take up to one whole day to one week to one month to one year even. Mostly, it takes less than a week. Or at least, when the poem does not nudge me anymore – then it means that it’s finished - it’s already a poem.
Denver Ejem Torres: I write my poems first by staring at the ceiling; if my eyes do not see the actual ceiling then, I know I am ready to write. I give it some few minutes and when the story, the central image or the working idea or theme are clear in my head, I then proceed to write the draft in my notebook. It has to be written there first. Then, while encoding the words to Word, I edit and add some words and rarely delete words. I read, read and read the piece until it bleeds. I wipe away the blood and if it is still alive after the violence applied, then it’s done, it’s a poem. This is how I write my poems, almost invariably at least in this manner.
Roger B Rueda: Where do you write your poems?
Denver Ejem Torres: In this age of e, it is quite peculiar to find someone writing on paper, in the manner you will find it funny and weird for someone to be using a hand-me-down Olympia typewriter. Here I confess, while I do not use the typewriter, I still have to write it down on my notebook first then migrate the words to Word. So first, my poems are usually born in my notebook. This practice however has been flouted at one point - when I wrote the poem where my Barbie was safe, lest, if it came out in the open.
Roger B Rueda: What part does music play in your poetry?
Denver Ejem Torres: I have not given this much thought before really. But I think that the sentimentality found in music/songs is also prevalent in my poems or at least in the images or stories they try to show.
Denver Ejem Torres: I like to paint whenever I have free time. Mostly, I like to sleep or sit by the verandah with a hot coffee (with or without a hot guy beside me). I like to eat pasta and everything else (posh dish or not) and I blog about them, among others. With the knowledge that this skill, este, habit (indiscriminate eating) is not good for the health and well being, I sometimes allow Jogging to drag me up the well manicured roads of Beverly Hills or Ma Luisa Village or Abellana Sports Complex (all in Cebu City). And when I don't feel like doing all these things I get some massage and sauna somewhere I should not share to you. I shall share however that I like talking, and I talk a lot when my friends are around.
DENVER EJEM TORRES
[Denver Ejem Torres is a poet from Cebu City. He has been anthologised in Under the Storm: An Anthology of Contemporary Philippine Poetry and has poems in The Asia Writes Project, Red River Review, and Bisaya. He holds a BA in English Language and Literature Studies from Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan. He is also a recipient of a Literary Fellowship from Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology; too, from Faigao.]
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