Developed a habit
of curling up in a ball
as I release the unneeded.
Bare it all out, because I’m tired
of getting scared when I see your name.
I need to man up.
The style of mum is old, so I’ll
just let the oxygen play inside
as the tower crumbles and falls on me,
because maybe, I thought,
it’ll feel a little better than keeping
all of the thorns in.
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
