I wrote this poem in 2017 after I had met a Filipina serving me at A&W during Christmas time. I had said Maligayang Pasko ( Merry Christmas) in tagalog, but she started crying. She was happy I had greeted her with the words, but she missed her children who were still living in the Philippines. We usually are always warmly greeted with a smile when we meet someone from the Philippines, but we forget that they are holding a lot of sadness inside of them sometimes.
I am a Filipina.
I wipe away my tears.
I put on a beautiful smile,
to hide my constant fears.
I am a Filipina.
Can you hear my cries?
Can you feel my anguish,
through my smiling eyes?
I left my beautiful country,
to travel over seas.
"Please, God protect my family,"
so I will feel at ease.
I left my loving family,
thousands of miles behind,
because in the Philippines,
there is no employment I could find.
Grandma's caring for my children,
until I can return.
I'm working very hard,
sending almost all I earn.
Before I even know it,
three years pass quickly by.
I miss my family terribly,
but, in public I don't cry.
YOU ARE READING
If Only Love
PoetryI wrote this poem in 1987 during the time of the Ethiopian famine. Last year I changed a couple lines, and this is my updated version. When I first wrote this poem I was only 18 years old and hadn't had children yet. Now after nursing 7 children, I...
