Francisco Baltazar [Balagtas] the Soul of my Desire

The pen is the tongue of the mind (Horace). 

The message drawn in that quote is that our minds cannot speak, but we can write with a pen in our hands and start expressing the things that run in our minds. Certainly, we are capable of being heard as we are capable of creating ideas in our minds. The same way how Francisco Baltazar used his pen in expressing his thoughts and emotion during his imprisonment, which leads to the creation of his best poem, “Florante at Laura.”

Do you still remember him? The “King of Tagalog Poems.” He is probably one of the best in Philippine Literature. Well, what amazed me most is that he’s not only good at organizing his thoughts using the Filipino language, but he also made sure that his works are not just ordinary write-ups that a reader can relate to. Florante at Laura depicted the Filipino history wherein injustices Filipinos suffered at the hands of the Spaniards and the evils that beset them during the Spanish regime (King, J.). Indeed, he integrates history into poetry. 

That is why Balagtas is one of the famous historical figures who inspire me to be a good poet. He indirectly taught me to not only rely on the meters, figurative languages, and forms. Yet, I should also consider the subject, the message, and the intention of my writings. He indeed inspired me to read more, explore more about anything worth remembering, and worth spreading to the public to give them the value and honor that they deserved through poetry. He became one of the reasons I started writing poetry reflecting history, government system, societal issues, and even the impact of religion on humanity.  

Therefore, I consider Francisco Baltazar [Balagtas] the Soul of my Desire, because he gives hope to my dream of being an influential poet someday that no matter how difficult life can be, our capability to write is never limited with time. We can write wherever we are and whenever we wanted to, as long as we stand on our belief and we know where we stand on every thought we would express.   

Reference:

King, J. (2001). Heroes of the Philippine Revolution. Great and Famous Filipinos.  Worldlink Books.

Horace Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved August 7, 2021, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/horace_118837