What My Mama Utters In Her Deathbed Poem by RIC BASTASA

She is dying of diabetes, all her organs
Malfunctioning
On sugared complications,
Except some portions of her brain
Still asking questions,

Where is Leonora?
She is in the office mama still working
And where is Betty?
She is on your bedside mama and she is crying
Why? Is she sad? Did she pay her debts to the china man?
And where is Marcelino? Mama he is in Nigeria working
On a foreign ship and he has no way of coming,
his company is
Not allowing him to take his leave,
But his wife is here.
I don’t want her here

Who are you? Mama, I am Ric your son,
I am your favorite, don’t you
Remember me anymore?
Hold my hand; I am seeing some ghosts of your grandpa and grandma
And they hated me, hold my hand and hug me, I am cold, get me a blanket
And where is your papa? Mama, papa will be coming in a minute, but he
Is still drunk, but he loves you mama,

Who are you?
I do not know you; I was never a part of your dreams,
Leave me.

Mama, I am holding you, you are not cold you are warm,
Mama, just sleep

And she goes away just like that, sleeping on a travel, just like that,
And Betty cries,

Did she love her? Did he also love her?

when she died, some of us were there,
but i know she would have been happier left alone
to figure out
death herself