did you know,

‘te, that my brother

isn’t himself when he is…

swimming upwards On all fours

to reach shavasana

through cotton-mouth

introductions

in the surging sea?

floating by the hungry

who beg and beg for more,

i was in Denial facing the needle

swallowing the water to say

as we trudged through the procession

waiting for the half-life to continue

amidst purple floating flowers 

she read: ang daya mo naman, 

kuya, 

i didn’t even graduate yet…

you left us shivering 

in a monster’s wake embrace