people tell me i’m
lucky because at least i lost
him knowing that he
loved me, at least it wasn’t as painful as a
breakup. if this isn’t
pain then please tell me words for this swallowing
wound in the middle of my
chest, explain how i can’t find my own
hands even in broad
daylight and every time i think i
see him around our
house i know to take it as a
sign that i need to call my shrink back up, tell her
about the ghost at the core of my
life.

i can still feel his
hands in mine, long pianist man
fingers and encompassing
palms, wide open like a
map soaked in
blood.

he was so long
gone by the time that they
found him, his own fragile
mother couldn’t identify the
body, i was the only
one who knew how my hands were supposed to fit his
hips, the only good part of him
left.

my doctor tells me that i’ve passed the threshold for
grief, this isn’t healthy, she
tells me. how am i expected to know the meaning of that
word when the only thing i can
explain is the incessant ringing in my
ear, the sound of the
bullet that went farther than i ever
dared.

we were supposed to get
married, he just didn’t have the
money, but he gave me everything else off his very own
back. at night i stay up repeating the names of the
children we were going to
have, all three of
them. now they seem like more of an
insult to the holy
trinity.

god, how did you feel when satan
fell? i demand you on your
knees, begging me to
believe in you again. do you know how it feels to be in love with a
ghost?

let me be your laugh when you thought you could only scream

Ilang taon ko inipon ang lakas ng loob
Para sabihin sa’yo lahat ng nakakulob—
Sa puso kong patay na patay sa’yo.
At ang masakit dun parang wala lang sa’yo.

Masakit ang mga sugat na dulot mo,
Tila libong pana ang tumusok sa puso ko.
Wala ba talaga akong puwang sa buhay mo,
At ganun mo nalang itinaboy ang pag-ibig ko?

Ang hirap tanggapin na may mahal ka na,
At ang sakit isipin ako’y itsapwera na.
Isang tyansa lang ang hinihingi ko,
Bakit pati ‘yon ay ipinagkait mo?

Sabagay, bakit kasi ang kupad-kupad ko?
Kung noon pa sana ako nagsabi,
Eh ‘di sana ngayong gabi ikaw ang katabi.
Ang tanga ko rin naman kasi, sana noon pa ako nag-sabi.

Next time you make an empty promise
Shatter it against the concrete
And rip open my flesh with the sharpest point,
Pour salt in my wounds
And leave me to rust.
And then tell me again
How it pains you to see me suffer.
Darling, all this time you were killing two birds
With one stone,
But since when can I fly?