Counterpoint

By Sarah Raymundo

Posted by Bulatlat

"they should have not let his brain spattered

on the floor like that;

or his eyes dismembered from his face

it's the kids, it's too painful for them

to have seen him so horribly lifeless

or worse, remember him that way!"

this widow's work of mourning is as habitual

as the enemy's ritual of bullets

at the time of the killing

she was learning about fractions:

this much for their tuition fee

this much for roof repair

this much for new slippers

this much for food

this much for toiletries 

one farmworker proposed

a toast for the union's gain

suddenly the glasses broke

as they were lifted

was it the might of their hands

or the force of gunfire?

and then the weeping

followed by the

sight of a scatheless body

surrounded by intense lighting

and flowers that stink and terrify

jam-packed and humid

is the worst kind of living room   

this is the strangest way to be home

with Ric, she mutters

and then her thoughts shift

to the rest of her life

as if to struggle

for a counterpoint to misery

Oct. 29, 2005

The writer, a professor at the University of the Philippines, wrote this poem after she saw a television interview of the widow of Hacienda Luisita martyr Ric Ramos.

Posted by Bulatlat 

© 2005 Bulatlat ■  Alipato Publications

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