Mother babysits her infant. By the bank,
father is trying to catch eels. He throws
the line, worm dangling from the hook,
into the river. Children in do-re-mi’s.
Younger ones sleeping over mats
of milk cartons. No undies. Older ones
playing with rubber bands in the dusty yard.
No tops. The shanty under the Acacia
tree is roofless. On the stone stove nearby,
a kettle is whistling. Its steam signals
the water is now hot and ready for mix
with coffee to fill in their aching hearts.
Raul G. Moldez writes from Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. Author of two collections of poetry, A Day in a Poet’s Life and Other Poems and Mga Taho Gikan sa Akong Uniberso, his works have appeared in Philippines Free Press, Philippines Graphic, Philippine Panorama, Sunday Times Magazine, Crowns and Oranges, Kinaadman Journal, Bisaya, Sunstar Weekend, Homelife, Ani Literary Journal, Bituon, Dagmay, Tinubdan, Red River Review, and Sentinel Literary Quarterly, among other publications.