Miniatures

My nightmares about betrayal have all come true, if possible, I would like to understand the nature of your room, I wish to place something inside the wardrobe closet. A small gift, as small as a jam jar of poison, as small as a loaded makeshift pistol that a toddler once used as a toy and resulted in many unforgettable lessons and one long funeral. I do not know how to defend you. I only want to talk about small things (about a bunch of keys, bullets, infants’ socks, about chicks allowed to grow into chickens for the slaughter) and then to wake up to a good morning.

Translated from the Filipino by Kristine Ong Muslim