Jonel Abellanosa

The Unwanted Child

More maidens are scared of the light
From my light-violet eyes. 
It’s probably not my fault.

More mermen are aghast at my scaled
Tail. I’ve severed it dozens of times,
But I regenerate faster than the axolotl.

There may be more stardust in my breath,
There may be more winds in my words,
But it’s not my fault. It’s not my fault.

Since the time my entire village
Escorted me to the adoption center,
The storm has been whistling,

It’s not my fault. It’s not my fault
I know the future. It’s not my fault
I’ve to foretell the midsummer lake

Echoing a blue moon.

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Jonel Abellanosa resides in Cebu City, The Philippines. His poetry has appeared in almost two hundred journals, including Rattle, Poetry Kanto, The McNeese Review, Star*Line, Pedestal Magazine and Danse Macabre, and been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, the Dwarf Stars and the Best of the Net awards. His fourth chapbook, “Songs from My Mind’s Tree,” and his full-length collection, “Multiverse” are forthcoming from Clare Songbirds Publishing House, New York.