The car window isn’t enough,
its transparent body holds no candle
to the rush of ghosts that would wrap themselves on me
whenever I’d pass by
the old houses
that once belonged to my
second/third/fourth family.
It all comes gushing back,
feelings I cannot contain with tightly cupped hands,
as I struggle a thought pops in
an epiphany I tried hard not to shine light on:
I am no longer sixteen and
lost
Troy Cabida (he/him) is a Filipino poet and producer based in south west London. His recent poems have appeared in TAYO Literary Magazine, harana poetry, MacMillan and bath magg. He is a producer for London open mic night Poetry and Shaah and co-founder of Liwayway Kolektibo, an arts and culture network providing space for UK-based Filipino/a/x creatives. His debut pamphlet, War Dove, was published by Bad Betty Press in 2020. Photo taken by Ray Roberts. View more posts
