Banaue Chills

Beneath the Banaue sun, sweat beads on brow,
Hands carve rice terraces, whispers from the plow.
Echoes of Hudhud chant through mountain air,
Sunlight paints the valley, emerald everywhere.

But as the sun dips low, shadows stretch and creep,
Whispers turn to moans, secrets mountains keep.
Kabunian's breath descends, a chilling wave,
Whispering through bamboo, secrets in a grave.

Elder's tales unfold, of spirits in the mist,
Of rice turned to ice, a harvest never kissed.
Frost paints the taro fields, bakes the carabao's hide,
Children huddle close, by flickering fireside.

Bamboo flute trembles, a mournful, ancient song,
Of warmth lost to the mountains, where winters linger long.
Aching bones remember sun-kissed days,
Dreams of summer's embrace, lost in haze.

Even fire's embers dwindle, yielding to the night,
Stars like diamonds shimmer, casting pale, cold light.
Blankets woven tight, cannot chase the sting,
Of Kabunian's touch, a winter that will cling.

In the hush of dawn, breath turns into mist,
Icicles on eyelashes, a world that's sadly kissed
By the mountain's freezing hand, a whispered, icy vow,
There was no escaping the cold, not here, not now.


LINE COUNT: 24 lines
WRITTEN FOR: "The Writer's Cramp"  | "WINNER AND NEW PROMPT - DUE MON JAN 15"  
PROMPT:
Write a story or poem that includes the following line somewhere in your entry - bolded:
There was no escaping the cold.
Choose Regional as one of your genres.


Points of Information:

Banaue - a 4th class municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. It is widely known as the site of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Batad Rice Terraces and Bangaan Rice Terraces.

Hudhud - consist of narrative chants traditionally performed by the Ifugao community, which is well known for its rice terraces extending over the highlands of the northern island of the Philippine archipelago. It is practised during the rice sowing season, at harvest time and at funeral wakes and rituals.

Kabunian - the traditional deity (or prime deity) of the peoples of the Cordillera mountains of northern Luzon Island (Philippines).