B*Y*N*
Joseph Schwarzkopf Jr./Butchoy Following the poetic form, The Labra, created by Keana Aguila Labra.
My mother tells me of half recalled grandparents With possibility of tainted blood, of self destruction Of women who hid with their sisters from the lust of invaders Of men with mestizo features and possibility She doesn’t want to age My mother tells me of half recalled grandparents Ones she barely met and ones she carried with her With possibility of tainted blood, of self destruction Of women who hid with their sisters from the lust of invaders Shaking between unsolid structures, clutching hands Of men with mestizo features and possibility Wasted for the white man’s salvation We do not, we can not speak in other stories We only reminisce on the faint shadows of ancestors.
Joseph Schwarzkopf Jr./Butchoy (he/him) is a Western Sydney-
based poet and filmmaker. His practice explores the varied experiences of the Filipino diaspora. His written works have been published in the UTS Writers’ Anthology, the Australian Poetry Anthology, and the Mascara Literary Journal. Joseph’s favourite word is pie. 163
