The Cicadas Are Really Loud

By EUGENE GLORIA

I ask the river if he were Rizal what he would be.
A boat on a river or a river in a boat.
Would Rizal rather be in the belly of a whale
or have a whale in his belly. I ask Rizal
as if he were a river and he never blinks
or makes smacking sounds to register his disapproval.


I ask Rizal where it runs to, the water,
and why they built the strand so close to the sea.
I ask Rizal why broken mirrors turn into icicles
or when dusk turns into dark. I ask Rizal
what he saw when he sailed round the globe
and where time went when he learned new words.
I ask him why rust tastes like time and time smells like blood
and if he had a choice, would he rather be a lake
instead of a river. A fox instead of a rabbit.
I ask and Rizal doesn’t mind my asking, because Rizal
is a boat with a hole the size of a bullet wound. I ask
because there are only so many hours
and the cicadas are really loud.
I ask Rizal all the time where he aims to go next
or how he plans to carry the river.

 

Eugene Gloria is the author of four books of poems. His most recent collection is Sightseer in This Killing City.

[Purchase Issue 25 here]

The Cicadas Are Really Loud

Related Posts

a bookshelf with books!

Translation: Sindhu Library

GEET CHATURVEDI
When for the first time I entered Sindhu Library, I felt intimidated by its dark, damp interiors, mustiness, and its mystery. In the compound outside, a woman sat with balloons in her hand. Balloons in every colour, restless in the breeze, waiting for their release.

never be a punching bag movie poster

Review: Never Be A Punching Bag For Nobody

HANNAH GERSEN
70 acres of rolling hills, playing fields, trees, and waterfront vistas—a shared community space for playing, picnicking, relaxing, and celebrating—was razed and leveled in one weekend. In its place is a long, flat, fenced-off runway.

Hall of Mirrors

November 2023 Poetry Feature: Virginia Konchan and Gabriel Spera

GABRIEL SPERA
Gracefully we hold each other / architects and optimists / always at arm’s length like / congenital dreamers / tango masters slinkily coiled / bright candles in a hall of mirrors / whatever I propose you propose / to conquer repeating and repeating / the opposite.