my first memory of you:
i was three
we were on the phone the
night before our birthdays.
i asked, tatay, ano po’ng regalo ninyo sa’kin?
you laughed. you teased me.
chocolate cake from the carabao, noy.
***
it was seven in the morning
i was in my favorite overalls
just after i poo-poo and showered cuz
mamo told me i had to
downstairs, there was a mini tricycle
with a blue and red paint job
and a yellow button for poot-poot
you were outside,
smoking a cigarette
my last memory of you
i don’t even recall
©2018, Quiyet Brul
*this is for my uncle who stood as my father figure all his life.
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