A rendition of a stanza, a poem
I wrote this poem by starting off with a stanza I wrote for another poem, entitled “Coloring My Tongue Tagalog.” Enjoy.
My lola knew I would sound like a bastard child
when I tried to color my tongue Tagalog
These words fill my ears like water overflowing a cup
I am in the middle, in muddy water, I stay there and listen
I cannot get out, the water keeps coming, and the words stay
I am drowning in these words and I repeat them
My lola knew I would sound like a bastard child
when I tried to color my tongue Tagalog
I drown, I drown, like a child tongue tied
I color like a child in school, I color the walls
and the water becomes green, blue, yellow, red
All the colors of the sky, all the colors of Tagalog
I repeat the words like a song stuck in my head, my ears
And I forget that I am drowning in this cup of water
So filled with anger, so filled with heat, my tongue now dry
