it's kind of scary.

you can feel it too, can't you?

the words you see flashed as headlines
feel like they're already being written down
on our tombstones.

everyday feels like it's going to be jotted down
by students somewhere in the future-
a history class on dictatorships.

perhaps the reason history books are so heavy
is because they are thick with the weight of our sins.

they gave our rights a pittance because
they no longer pretend to care.
it's called human rights
as in human.
maybe it's cause they don't consider us human anymore.

i can see that.
it's hard to see a person
wrapped in garbage bags and duct tape.

this is why there are checks and balances-
protections against the state's monopoly on violence.
it's just sad that we were stripped of them as easily as
pulling a trigger.

how much are we worth to them, i wonder?
i suppose the math should be easy.

one thousand divided by one hundred three million.
that's how much our individual rights are worth.

around zero point zero zero zero nine seven pesos.

not even enough to buy a lottery ticket.

and certainly not enough to buy us liberty.

i'm hoping the last time i see you
is not on the other side of a history book.