Poem | Childhood Sweetheart

By Eddlynn Jennifer Mangaoang

Please do not repost or copy to another site. Thank you. Enjoy reading.

We climbed the not-so-high walls of the

Old elementary school back

In our little barrio

Where you spent your childhood

Staring outside the window

Observing a teacher with meet brows,

Mean eyes, and stiff mouth

Grinding her teeth like a lioness

Ready to pounce at her trembling victim

She shouted at a nine-year-old who has

Nimble feet trying to get

To the empty, odorous restroom full of

Disparaging drawings and crazy shit talks 

Written using a black Pentel marker

Dirty, wet toilet paper on the tiled floor

He was unable to keep his pee inside

His little peewee, ready to

Sprinkle like a fountain at any moment

"Get back to your classroom, stupid kid!"

Was what she said unkindly

Which made the scared boy tremble

And fall on his knees scraping the tender skin 

On the rough pavement of uneven asphalt

Lemonade-colored lake wetting his brown pants

Forming a Mount Fuji all over his crotch area

His eyes watered from the embarrassment

Wailing, "I had permission to go out!

I'll tell my ma! I'll tell my ma, you see!"

We scurried towards the back of the open 

Assembly Hall where a photograph of

My three-year-old self with chubby cheeks

And doe-like eyes taking each moment with innocence

And without judgments my twelve one definitely does

Facing the stage where Rachelle sang 

Celine Dion's "To Love You More"

And ultimately not win - just because she looked skywards

Rather than look at the yawning old ladies

Or chattering kids playing with teks and jolens

Young lovers of eighteen took flight

To the rusting roof of the short, worn,

And narrow equipment room

Climbing the tall guava tree

Barks looking like those of the soldier's

Uniform of camouflage from judgmental eyes

Offering your callous right hand to me

Pulling me swiftly with a jerk onto the roof deck

We sat down silently gazing at each other's 

Eyes, secret flowery messages conveyed

The tree obscuring us from across the barbed wire fence

Where Auntie Lorie pumped water into the basin and

Washed the colored garments of the wealthy neighbor

By rough black hands and pruney from all-day soak

At this moment, the ludicrous chatter of

Manong Danny who called us worsts and 

Deny our union was at the back of our hazy minds

Only this true love keeping us sane

Shy hands reaching out to touch the  crew-cut hair 

Weaving through it and to the back of your neck

Pulling you closer towards my smiling lips

Our eyes laughing with so much joy

Giggling about being free, for once,

From unreasonable society's archetype

Of clichéd love stories