A Filipino Fed Up In Chicago Poem by RIC BASTASA

AND so one day he got fed up
Worrying about his bills
Light, cell phones,
Apartment rents
Meals and what to eat
Next month
No money to
Send to the
Philippines

There is no work coming
And the old man he took care of
Died a month ago


Bad luck

He is vacant
He could not go to the malls
There is no money left for the week
And there is no work coming
No one is offering to help
And he worries

About his telephone bills
His credit card
His rent
His SSS
His unrenewed passport
His expiring visa
His debts

One day he goes outside
It is quite cold
Colder now
The snow is coming

He smokes his cigarette packs on the park
A middle-aged American woman stares and tells her

“Smoking is bad for your health
You are polluting the earth”

Just a little advice

But his head is hot and
Hot temper is what is steaming inside
He is fuming mad to that middle aged American woman
He is also fuming mad about
Himself to be honest
About it

“Shit shit shit, I smoke if I want to
I use my own money to kill myself
F###k YOU!
Mind your own American business
In this free country I can smoke anytime I want! ”.

He knows how to curse now
In the most American way
For just a year or two
he was a timid Filipino
he was the meek citizen
of this world

And he smokes all day in the park
his packs of cigarettes in the park
Puffing and puffing and breathing and breathing
Releasing all his dismays in cold air

He can see his bleeding heart
His cursing

“f##k you! ”
'f$$k you! '


in the freezing air
his cursing is a big bold font
in the atmosphere

His cell phone does not have any load
And he cannot call anybody

And he remembers well the latest old
Jewish rich man which he took care of
who died a month ago

One day the old man fell on the floor
The one who shitted him all day
he still could remember
fully well
all the old man's yell

spell: F$$K YOU! '

The old man could not stand
back
He was big, fat, and dying

He did not help him stand
He merely stood there askance
And the old man shouted and growled

“Shit shit you Filipino
Help me stand from here”

'F$$K YOU FILIPINO! '


And he said
WITH ALL STRICT COMPOSURE
SO SURE OF HIMSELF NOW
with a little authoritative
moral advice
like he was a wise man


“Rich American now is the time
for you to
Command all your mighty dollars

your mighty dollars
your mighty dollars
your mighty dollars

To help you rise and make
You, young and strong again! ”

The old Jewish rich man died
Due to cardiac arrest.

And now he is out of job
No money
No promises

And one day now
He finds himself smoking himself to death

On this cold dark wildlife park south of

Chicago.