Bookselling (The Worthy/Unworthy)

 

He used to hang around with them,
sharing his jokes and pretending
to be one of them, but they bored
him, he had to get on for knowledge
& today when they see him typing

by the window, they, women/men,
begin to pout their mouths like
pigs raring for wisdom, and say:
"that kid’s probably going crazy.
He never comes out and join

with us"—in their market of gossip
and calumny—"maybe the rumor
about him is true. Why hasn’t
he married up till now? What's
he typing? Maybe he’s a commun-

ist. A waste. He’s good-looking
but he doesn’t come out to meet girls,
our happy faces, drink with us,
sing with us"—contented though poor—
"is it true he’s writing a book? He
is intelligent, I heard. Well, he does
come from U.P."—University of the
Philippines—"maybe he is a com-
munist, because he comes from there.
They say he’s a homosexual. He
is into this painting, and poems ha
hahaha! His paintings are all

abstract, I think he’s all of these:
he’s a homosexual, he’s a communist,
and I think he’s going crazy not com-

ing out, pretending to write a book
hahaha, a poet? You understand him"

And the unemployed poet typed on,
wondering why he had to be born here,

why his privilege had to know these
people, suffer unworthyworthy discontent.

 

 

—1 Sept./92

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 1999, 2004 Vicente-Ignacio Soria de Veyra. All rights reserved. Readers are welcome to view, save, file and print out single copies of this webpage for their personal use. No reproduction, display, performance, multiple copy, transmission, or distribution of the work herein, or any excerpt, adaptation, abridgment or translation of same, may be made without written permission from the author. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this work will be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

CLOSE WINDOW