Katawan Ko
(homeland | draft 1)
sampung mga daliri
fingers tracing back generations
pointing to a story untold
blank pages of unwritten histories in textbooks
we must write truth of our ancestors into existence
kamay at paa
weathered hands and tired feet remind us of lolo and lola
their sacrifices
their pain
their love
their decision to bring us here
away from sanded beaches and humidity
they held mommy’s hand as she learned to stand for us
dalawang tenga
ears that listen to words of wisdom and strength
of discrimination and prejudice
mommy was told to never speak Tagalog again
lola says that’s why Jun and I can’t speak it now
we can’t exchange words of wisdom and strength
we can only listen passively
as we stand unable to affirm our tongues
dalawang mata
lolo’s eyes have seen the pain and suffering of our people
colonized by both east and west
Filipino faces becoming less familiar
Less Filipino
His cataracts make it even more difficult to separate the Filipinos from
The Spanish
The Japanese
And the Americans
leaving him with only snapshots of what Filipinos used to look like
preserving our cultured faces in his mind
ilong na maganda
flat Filipino noses, usually distinguishable from the rest
scents of poverty and economic strife pollute the air
a common aroma of conquered countries
mommy makes leche flan in the kitchen
we inhale temporary happiness and indulge in sweet selfish goodness
my body is more than just my body
it is my people
my history
my culture
my language
my lolo
and my lola
sampung mga daliri
kamay at paa
dalawang tenga
dalawang mata, ilong na maganda
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