Si mama, madaling-araw
Gone and away,
Nagluluto, naglilinis–
With ink hair leaving
Nangangaligkig ang mga
Marks on the bed, and
Kamay, buto, karne;
Clogging the drain.
Baboy daw ang ulam!
She drips her whole
Dugo, atay, puso;
Body, mind, and soul–
Paborito ko yun!
Until she falls
Ang sarap talaga ng lutong
home…
bahay
ni mama!
My mother is gone
faster than the sun.
Filipino writer Ann De Leon debuts with “Mama”— an experimental poem combining both English and Tagalog into a piece centered around their grief and experience with mother figures. They can be found on Twitter @nagakda.