Jose Luis Pablo or "Nico" is a poet and a communications manager for a non-profit. Their poetry has been published in Likhaan: The Journal of Contemporary Philippine Literature, Cordite Poetry Review, My Gay Eye, Busilak: New LGBTQ+ poetry from the Philippines, and Breakwater Review. They were awarded by the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 2018 and were a finalist for the 2020 Peseroff Poetry Prize. More of their work can be found at joseluisbpablo.wordpress.com.
“A resident of a private subdivision in Quezon City caught
the moment an ostrich ran down their street, causing a stir in
their Tuesday morning.” —GMA News Online (August 4, 2020)
“Former Philippine Health Insurance Corp. anti-fraud legal
officer Thorrsson Keith on Tuesday alleged that executives of
the state-run agency have stolen P15 billion from its funds.”
—PhilStar.com (August 4, 2020)
What gilded cage
Opened in momentary neglect
For your escape,
Plumed harbinger,
Whose legs stretched
Into our headlines
& a world
As confused
As it is empty?
The savannah remains a dormant
Memory in your cells while
Your view is bordered by sprawling
Houses & the occasional green
Of manicured lawns.
You, a mascot
For an absurdity of a year,
For all that we have lost &
For all that has been squandered
Without our consent. Bird
Orphaned of a continent
& an expanse of freedom,
Augury outrunning
Heaven & hell to warn earthbound
Beasts that our misery
Is neither God’s design
Nor of His enemy’s, but worse,
By the hands of His own children
that grope, grab, & grasp
For more that they can hold,
Claws that pluck, no, seize & tear
Off our wings & leave us stranded
In the land of our birth,
Captivity, & death.
We should be running with you.