Ranee Henderson, If you're Adalia Dawn 2, 2015. Oil on canvas, 24" x 36." Courtesy of the artist.
Pagasa
by Allison Albino
No one thought my father would be
______anything more than a momma’s boy
who smoked Salems and played mahjong
______with buddies. Before we were born,
he could make the kill shot at pool,
______deal the seven card stud, burn
three cards before turning over the river,
______loved a good bluff almost as much
as the pot in the middle. Even now, he still scolds me
______if I fold too soon, don’t see the possibilities
of the Ace and King in my hands.
______No one thought my father would leave
the Philippines for America, deliver babies
______or heal third degree burns, make up lullabies
so baby me could sleep, or schlep tanks of oxygen
______in the trunk of his car to soothe my mother’s
bleeding lungs. He is my only parent left
______and each time another hair grows gray,
or he walks a few steps slower, his tired eyes
______asking for an afternoon nap he never admits
to needing, I shudder. But then I see him venture beyond
______the beach into ocean. Earnest, curious,
he calls my name, Allison. He wants to show me
______the dark blue starfish spread out in his hand.
Published May 17th, 2020
Allison Albino is a Filipina-American poet and French teacher who lives and writes in Harlem. Her work has either appeared or is forthcoming with The Rumpus, The Lantern Review, Pigeon Pages, Poetry Northwest and elsewhere. She has received fellowships from The Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, The Fine Arts Work Center and Tin House. Her chapbook, “My Mother’s Prufrock", was a finalist for YesYes Books’ 2019 Vinyl 25 Chapbook Contest. She studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and has an M.A. in French literature from NYU.
Ranee Henderson is a Nebraska-born artist currently based in Los Angeles. Henderson received a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art & Design in Canada, and a second BFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. She also attended the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College and the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture. For the last ten years, Henderson has exhibited widely in California, New York and Canada. Henderson’s work is currently on show as part of the Future Fair Online with Rubber Factory and as part of group shows at Rubber Factory and Callicoon Fine Arts online.