where sinforoso prowls
the streets in his cab
under monsoon skies
breaks his neck falling
down flight of stairs drunk
after smoking one last cig
isadora’s knees go out lays
bedridden decades prays
to god jesus mary joseph
santa ana dies before i get to
reintroduce myself a third time
not a child not a teenager a poet
bum graduate quit jimmy johns fly
to the country of my dead my
ancestors to connect with family
past present the people my history
my six months of waste
bored by my identity no
knack for tagalog addicted
to english melting manila
homesick souring reading
beckett pinter annie baker
writing crashing burning
through dozen dead end plays
sleeping in sweat waking in endless
summer hawaiian shirts for breezes
cool body smoking eleven cigs per
day rolling cold san miguel
cans across my head
watching clouds
clouds dusks
dawns through palm trees
screech of pigs slaughtered around
corner lying to tita julie skipping
church haven’t believed since i quit
catholic school couldn’t stand the dogma
the pedophilia corruption the idea
of hell walking beside traffic
jam to mall rereading war
and peace under a giant
fan writing poems crossing
them out to tita julie’s where dinner
is ready but I don’t like the look of it too
messy too many banana blossoms bok choy
egg plant string beans too filipino
make sandwich with peanut butter
from a care package hold
hands of my cousin his wife
tagalog grace nod head eat retreat
to room to write to paul describe
my days writing reading rereading
missing my friends in nebraska a play
called world without end in two
acts three friends on separate journeys
each discover no matter where they go
they bring their world with them
hit send drink mountain dew stream
motorcycle diaries on laptop another
peanut butter sandwich kiss tita
julie mahal kita magandang gabi
under starless sky without
end brush teeth close
eyes in the dark
dream of lola
isadora
on her bed
praying
holding out
her wrinkled
hand begging
take it whispering
tagalog a language i
don’t understand wake
up shaken by tita julie
saying it happened the
baby is born jeff drives to
hospital room jasper julie
julie introduce me to riley
ask to be her ninong month
later dress in barong santa
anna church where mom was
baptized and her mother and
hers now riley in julie’s arms
the priest asks in tagalog if
i am ready to help shepherd this
child through the catholic faith
say oo holy water pours over
riley’s forehead congregants
saints stained windows watching for
a moment remember what god feels like
relations family their friends come home
celebrate the child’s salvation
on balcony with pork
rice ice cream
cake prayer
karaoke