N I N O Y  A Q U I N O

Kyle Seamus Brosnihan

where filipinos depart fly
to america austria abu
dhabi nurses teachers clerks
laborers make money send
through western union care
packages stuffed with letters
sweets pants blouses books
postcards photos of work at
boston city hospital return thirty
years later with american son asks
what tisoy means says it is from
the spanish mestizo half pinoy
asks what ninoy
aquino means it’s a name of a
politician who opposed the
dictator ferdinand marcos had
aquino assassinated in daylight
on tarmac right over there out
taxi window palm trees clouds
billboards in english guards
sunglasses guns outside of
skyscrapers jeepneys scooters pull
up to departure take mom’s
trunk find cart walk to automatic
doors where she says wait i say
what she says
take care of tita julie
please quit smoking
i love you
say nothing but
take her hand
place my forehead
against the doors
close planes fly
depart pinoy city
without her alone