""Imagine a half-note about to drop from its stem. Imagine this departure from the possibility of song. This is how to fall out of love before it has even been declared. And then we leave, knowing we will never be called back.""-from "Colours""The prose in this volume] is fashioned with poetic expertise; Bobis's style in these pieces is both economic and lyrical. In the worlds that she creates, fish become ciphers for desire, a woman's belly swallows a philanderer and an American fighter plane is mistaken for a flying cross. Bobis has the rare ability to make poetry out of politics. In her work, the graceful use of metaphor becomes a formidable weapon, blasting escape routes out of stories of poverty and oppression."-Rachel Cunneen, "Amida Magazine"Originally published in Australia under the title "White Turtle," this collection of short stories by established Filipina writer Merlinda Bobis offers bold and lyrical explorations of postcolonial Filipino experience, at once epic in scope and intimate in detail. Shortlisted for the Steele Rudd Award 2000 Winner of the National Book Award (Fiction category) from the Manila Critics Circle (September 2000)."Merlinda Bobis writes like an angel. Her characters whisper to you long after they've told their bittersweet tales."-Alene J. ChaiMerlinda Bobis is the author of four poetry books and four plays. Her play, "Rita's Lullaby," won the prestigious international award, Prix Italia, for radio fiction in 1998. Her collection of poems, "Summer Was A Fast Train Without Terminals," was shortlisted for "The Age" Poetry Book Award. She has also received the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award and the Cultural Centre of the Philippines Gawad Award for her poetry in Filipino and English. She lectures in creative writing at the University of Wollongong, Australia.