Perfect
by Karlo Sevilla

There’ll be a hypothetically perfect
children’s birthday party one day.

There’ll be a hypothetically perfect
child’s birthday party somewhere soon.

Or hypothetically…always.

I spent the years
with neither time nor money
to spend for such birthday party.

(And there were even years
without any party at all.)

Now all I have is this,
something that will never be his:

My fault, my fault, my most grievous
default.

And he, a child no more.

 

 

About the Poet: Karlo Sevilla writes from Quezon City, Philippines. His poems have appeared in Philippines Graphic, Indiana Voice Journal, Radius, Matter, Bombinate, an Origami Poems Project microchap, in the respective first anthologies of Riverfeet Press, Peacock Journal, and Eternal Remedy, and elsewhere. He is active in the online poetry workshop of Rat’s Ass Review. He also coaches wrestling and Brazilian Luta Livre, and does volunteer work for the labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (Solidarity of Filipino Workers).

His twitter account is @KarloSevilla, Instagram’s @karlosilveriolagmansevilla, and Facebook name is Karlo Silverio Lagman Sevilla III.