I was seven
a war marred my hometown
Tíyo and the fishermen
soldiers
the deep sea
battlefield
a compound
of the sea’s little bones
of sable sands
in a wicked bottle
their arsenal made
the Earth mumbled
in tremulous waves
the heavens bled
scales
of shattered souls
to the flesh of my innocence.
Mark Alden Arcenal
Mark Alden Arcenal is a poet, fictionist, and essayist based in Daanbantayan, Cebu. He writes in Cebuano, Filipino, and English. His works have received several awards. They have also been published in magazines, journals, and online.
