Not pamilya enough to be

April 25, 2025

Donkey Kong, kumusta ka?
I miss you whenever I happen to
think of you. How can I not?
Our childhoods were spun together:

ako; looking after you
ikaw; looking after your baby brother,
changing his nappies
in lola’s red brick apartment.
No one else in sight.

Then, I think what if
I only think of you
because you’re the safest to think about?
What if you’re just a distraction
to my kettle hissing; pot of emotions;
a distraction from our pamilya.

Donkey Kong, you’re
one click away.

Between you and I
gusto mo nang meet
sa swing set
katabi yung old bahay mo?
maupo tayo sa black rubber seats
and listen to the sound of metal clinking
as we spin round
only for the other to
release the coil.

J. Marahuyo

J. Marahuyo is a Filipino-Australian emerging poet currently residing on Dharug country. She explores themes of identity, mental health and the power of vulnerability. Her debut collection 4:37am; crying gorgeously will launch in early 2025, WestWords Books. Her work can be found in Cordite Poetry Review, in ZineWest and features in numerous anthologies. When she’s not writing she is pspsp-ing cats, or getting on the wrong train.

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