Sweet Memory of Cebu
by Madison Macalintal
seed those memorialized mangoes in my organs
grab my Lola’s hand covered in recycled skin
pour archipelagoes into her arms
scrape her tongue of that Tagalog trash
soak in suman from small garbage bags
douse her body in the bathtub with a tabo
if this were an exchange, why did you erase the outlines of our islands?
fingers to forehead, blessing to body
mano po, iuwi mo ako,
my dad calls it stateside
mom gets angry
wrap me in banana leaves
call me anak
package me
for painted oceans stretch my spine
add vinegar to my vertebrae
press pandan into my palms
tell me what a homeland is.