Sunday blessed peace from nothing—
and nothing was a woman reduced
to a child’s love running after drunken anger
letting go of nothing,
again nothing—
nothing was napping in the rainy afternoon,
a hand held by nothing—
like a bladder scar that said no puedo,
estoy bien cos esto, esta bien para mi
o lo muero, nothing was the heart
feeling a husk, nothing was laughter
while grieving a lost son, nothing was speaking
the mother’s tongue to a widow, nothing was the call
of Kidapawan, nothing was vibrant and light
from a blown electric tower— it is then a very quiet Monday
as if someone died, spoke too soon, something died:
crippled, longing, whimpering nothing
from the other end of a slow hello
that serenades it—
Nothing lives.
Mia Tijam
Mia Tijam is a Bicolana who’s published poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, and has been acknowledged as one of the writers and editors who have advanced Philippine Speculative Fiction. Among her recent endeavors are co-editing “UGBOS: Mga Rawitdawit sa Rinconada” for the Parwa Bikolnon series of Aklat Ulagad; and serving as lecturer-panelist in the 12th Saringsing National Writers Workshop in Camarines Sur. Her English translation of Anna T. Calixto’s “Kuminalpos an Silaod” for The Margins was nominated by the Asian American Writers Workshop for the Best of Literary Translations. Her book “The And That Was” is forthcoming from Rosarium Publishing in 2026.
