Remembering Papa When He Was Still Alive...... Poem by RIC BASTASA

i remember
riding a horse
with papa
for days
to visit his
land
five cents away
from heaven

mama did not like
it
worrying about boas
in the forest
or black birds that
eat monkeys
or big rats that kill
deer

we followed man's trail
behind us cliffs
and cliffs
we are high above sea
level
sometimes we only saw
fog
and lots of fog
but papa kept on whistling
for the sun

up there we arrive
a hut stood
with his native servants
and a young woman
whose name mama cannot
mention

for weeks we stayed there
with roots crops and
wild boar's meat
and bird's eggs
and chickens.

papa never liked the city
with all its guile
papa never loved grandpa
greedy as he was
not giving the fair share
to the servants

and grandma died early
and papa was happy and aunt
lived far away in the capital
city living with an
aristocratic man serving
the president

there were only two of them
and there were only two of us then
and he told me
never mind, never mind,
we always have enough
ok, no one dies in hunger
no one dies in humiliation
no one dies in loneliness
no one dies, no one dies,
keep knowing that.