To Frank, My Student Poem by Sherwin Balbuena

My memory tells
about your happy school days
as seen in your smile

I heard recently
you bought a dress for your mom
with your own money

I saw you lately
at the center of the crowd
beside the right lane

An old man asked
'He is your student, isn't he? '
I could not answer

You went to Sog-ong
last night in a barayle*
it was fiesta** there

Our eyes were not there
to see the knife reach your lungs
and mar your future

Your friends could not serve
as a thick metallic shield
to face the sharp blade

All that they could do
was to carry your body
home by the hammock

Goodbye, my student
whose life was taken swiftly
like a lost bubble

* Barayle is a local term for 'night party'
** Fiesta is a tradition in the Philippines where people celebrate a feast in honor of a saint