what is kapwa?

In putting together my answer to this question, reading definitions & listening to talks, an essay, miles long, began to formulate in my mind.

And then in going to write said essay, it felt heavy and like something I would easily procrastinate & never write or, if I did start writing it, I’d never finish.

So I’m not going to write an essay. Instead, in celebration of my era of “good enough,” I am going to share a not-even-half-finished poem that started to come to me when I stopped reading & listening to outside sources and started to listen within:

In kapwa,
we bring you food.
we send you money.
we say:
I’ll take the baby while you go lay down for a while.

In kapwa,
we create from the well of abundance within
because we are the flowers, too,
the leaves, the soil that holds living beings and they call us home.

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there’s more to this poem, but then I had another idea…

Once upon a time, back when this was Agballa Writers, we wrote a community poem on the topic “ritual.”

Today, I invite you into the conversation & question “what is kapwa” and finish writing this poem with me, together, in kapwa. That’s the prompt.

Reply to this email or catch this prompt on my stories this week if you’d like to put in your line(s)/stanza(s).

I’ll compile them & publish next week 🥰

If you’d like further reading, and perhaps a glimpse into what would have gone into the essay that maybe someday I will write, here’s a quick button point list:

🌳Carl Lorenz Cervantes is a psychologist who talks about kapwa and indigenous Filipino psychology. Carl says,

​Here is the the original post​

💚So then Carl’s definition makes me think of kapwa as love in action, which is the bell hooks definition of love:

🌈So if Love and Kapwa are both intention and action & we carry this sense of responsibility to each other, then for me, the idea of community and what that means comes up. And not the virtual “community” that many creators will sell as a product, but an actual, in-person, I-will-show-up-for-you-when you-need-it most community.
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I think of Mia Birdsong’s book, How We Show Up. Here’s an interview of Mia talking about the book (back during lockdown times).

👩🏾‍❤️‍👩🏿When I show up in kapwa (or not), what happens within my relationships? All of them. The ones with my Loved Ones, the one with my Self, my Ancestors, my business, my creative projects, money?

🌸Finally, the day before lockdown, I was in a used bookstore & the Ancestors dropped this book into my hands:

On sale on Amazon for over $500….👀

I bought it for $8.95.

Written by a German woman who married a Filipino man (interpret that how you will lol), she writes:

🧚‍♂️I consider kapwa as I look out the window. And as I watch the leaves dancing & listen to the wind & see the bees pollinating, I feel my skin awaken & my heart open.

🍉As a last point, kapwa is the reason why I care about Palestine, about the Congo, about Sudan, about Haiti, about Yemen, about Puerto Rico, about Hawai’i. I am/We are all these Places, all these People. Solidarity? I denno, sometimes the English language cannot describe things in a way where it's felt in heart & Spirit, so I'll just leave this at that.
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One day, I'll thread the thoughts together more coherently in that essay and share it with you all😅
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​What are your thoughts? Feel free to share or put them in your poetry.

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so, let's create, in kapwa

Our monthly *free* virtual gathering for women & non-binary creators, writers, entrepreneurs, makers of culture/color, Creating in Kapwa, is Monday, April 15, 2pm Hawai'i / 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern. Sign up here to get the reminders.​
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I realize that's a day where organizers are calling for action for Palestine, so if you’re gonna be on the streets, this is kapwa, too, & you are definitely creating from this place. If you’d like to create art or call/email reps in action & solidarity virtually with us, come through 😊

last thing!

As I am coming to the end of writing this email, I’m realizing that the upcoming workshop I’m hosting, The Poetry of Place Names, is also very much rooted in kapwa. In how we are one with the Lands that Nourish Us, all of them, and how we can cultivate right relationship with them & the indigenous Guardians who care for them. So, you’re invited to come check that out, too.

Don’t forget to reply to this email with your line(s) and stanza(s)! You’ll be tagged on IG when you contribute. Please let me know if you’d like to submit a line and would rather not be tagged.

Loving you, kapwa-tao. Can’t wait see what we co-create!
Teresa

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I live, work, and mother as a settler on kānaka maoli land, the island of O'ahu. In support of landback initiatives and the community here, I want to amplify the work of Oʻahu Water Protectors, The Hawai'i People's Fund, and The Hawai'i Community Bail Fund. Our support of these organizations is to support the kānaka community in defending their land and waters.

If you ever feel the need to unsubscribe, I respect that. The button is below. Thank you for reading this far.

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