Growing up, I watched your hands
build things—
tables and benches
for the kitchen,
and even the abohan
when it looked like it was falling apart.
Such things a father should have done.
But instead you
did all the work. Silently
you sawed dusty planks and hammered rusty nails
so that we had somewhere
to place our plates and our asses.
How did you manage
to make something sturdy
out of wood scraps?
I will never understand why
you chose this life,
only that you did what you could for us,
for me. Ma,
I watched you build things.
And if anyone asked someday
how I made myself,
I would tell them about your hands.
Domar Batucan Recopelacion is a graduate of Bachelor of Secondary Education (English) from the University of Mindanao Digos College. He lives in Matanao, Davao del Sur.