I am
what you find inside
the calloused hands
chiseled by the briny
kiss of nature
I am
coy, white recluse
my luster feel refuse
to be captured by the
texture of envious sands
and mocking corals
I am
rare purity, drop of ivory
my placid chambers
protect me from the unfathomable
blue blanket oblivion in
which I am found
I am
white opulence, milk of essence
spilled on the Orient floor
away from the jealous shore
now find me in this aquatic void
—
Nina was born and raised in the sunny city of Davao.