Need, Not Want
Photo by Erica Nicole Jabel My parents asked me: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Everyone expects from everyone. That is why, even as children, we were asked this certain question, and...
Category: Literary
Death by Drowning: a prayer
Photo by Kae Catalan Photo Manipulation by Erica Nicole Jabel I run my fingers through the coarseness of his scars, skin thickened after a softening by blood, by metal, by rust, by the narrow...
Under the Banilad Bridge
Photo by Dorothy Lee “Joell! Ali! Nakuyapan si Marisse! ‘Wa na siya nagginhawa!” Another one. But most of us here, dwelling in this well of filth, knew it was bound to happen. Marisse was...
The Visitor
Illustration by Charlene Grace Tan It was too quiet. The kids didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly for fear of attracting their oldest brother’s attention away from his glaring match with their older...
There is a Mocha Uson in Each of Us
Illustration by Jon Ahmed Durano “There is a Mocha Uson in each of us,” Lola always tells me this as she sits on her rocking chair while telling the stories of early 2017 through...
You Are Not Who You Think You Are
Illustration by Zach Borromeo Dear Reader, I would want to start off by mentioning a disclaimer. This letter is neither a rant nor a public appeal, but an ordinary musing of your run-of-the-mill kind...
Shades of Gray
Photo by Keith Ayuman Photo Manipulation by Zach Borromeo This piece is dedicated to Francis Ian Palanca, who helped me see that there are colors within me that I ignored. Dark on...
My Life is a Joke
Photo by Wednesday Dawn Abelgas Before you start reading this, know that I’m not as depressed as I sound. I’m actually a very happy person. I laugh a lot, I have my own hobbies,...
