you are still in the philippines
by a dock inhaling sea salt
enjoying the dance of the palms
your ancestral home
of your nieces and nephews
sisters and brothers
mother and father
above and below the ground
where the taste of milkfish
is clean and pure
where you are full
of mangoes and youth
in a time that eclipses all meaning
you are still in the philippines
but you’re buried in snow
an ocean away
at your request
