Who Am I? .....(2) Poem by RIC BASTASA

in the island of Mindanao
papa said it was raining when i
was born,

it was cold and so they wrap
me with a thick blanket

i became papa's guava's eye
sweet as it is ripe
and juicy to his liking,

the family was strict about
work, and so there was no play
and all are serious
towards earning the fruits of
our labors

i went on my own to the university
finishing my chemistry degree
and then proceeded to law school
where industry and intelligence
wit and logic are daily tools

the government is too kind
to appoint me as judge of a court
of law where the fate of other
people has become within the
tips of my fingers within the
maps of my own palm

got married then and loves life
more than ever and has always time
for a nature trip and communion

here i am, enslaved by the magic
of poetry, a therapy for our sorrows,
a cure for our madness,

i am what i am, for i am not my name,
i am not my own possession, i am not
a tool, i am human, and everything i am
is humanity's opening and closing.