You were as lanky as a higante
looming over my head
as we danced through our phones
I was
with my man –
You-
with your multiple others
We danced a hybrid dance,
the hybrid couple
I hip-hopped my way
through your minefield of a chest,
Tracing the faded pathways to your heart
I cupped my ears to your faint dour beats
Cracking lines and lines on my forehead
birthing streams on my skin at every step
profusely cautious of the unknown next
-shaking
my hips
they stuttered a rap
of body language
And you swayed,
Like the latin voices of your soundtrack,
A champion of this sport of splits and turns
you struck a smile that seemed as taut
as the strings of your guitars
Lead by a whole ensemble of dance partners-
One extravagant production number
A tease-
your words
a choreographed
musical commercial
You were as lanky as a higante that sinulog,
But you danced like the festival queen
And you will never dance with me again,
Like that tango we did three long years ago
for nine short months
No.
not even through phones
You will dance on,
with other perpetual boys
ones you can hold with your two hands
clasping their arms
raising their harmless
and hollow
wooden bodies
in praise.
