anak like a sigh born every day
ilong lead by scent and knowhow
tanong asking questions about the world
sayaw like how dance that comes from joy
sayang can sway so close to sorrow
bayan how shame could be an entire country
pinto or an open-doored question
kailangan needing, needful and needless
ilaw illuminating a path
ikaw to you, little bit of me, almost
dito will you appear here
doon. are you still there, maybe
dahon I hear you in the leaves
darating rippling in the wind, always arriving
Copyright © 2023 Michelle Peñaloza. Originally published in Poetry, July/August 2023. Reprinted with permission of the poet.