So long I have been from

So long I have been far from
Mom and Dad
Apo Mary, Amang Juan
Apo Aning, Amang Everisto
Manong, Snowball, Choco and Moco.
Because my head was in the books
Thinking
Who we may have been
Who we might be in the present
Who may be in the future.
I pretend there’s someone else
like you
out there
That I can live with
Because you were a part of me
That will never change
Static
Past

And I thought I was on this flow
Moving forward
Somewhere
For us all
For everyone left behind
For the children to be

Little do I know
That you
Were moving too
Living,
Making ends meet
Sweeping the back patio
Feeding the dog and cat
And praying.
Going to work
Making music
Dreaming.

That you were with me all along
In the books
In the words
In the people
I meet in these lands
These new worlds I have been

You are the stories I tell them
You are the memories that rupture
Linear time
So that moving forward
Is weighted by the past
Of where I am from
Your stories have gone
Many miles.