The Maria Magdalena | By Angela Gabrielle Fabunan
The Maria Magdalena
for Rayji de Guia
The procession of backs turned is a sea of red
anonymous in the enormous crowd.
Turn to face me, tell me is this all the change
we will ever see, these coins, scattered at Your feet,
for Your penitencia, in this march, on our way to
Your crucifixion. I drop the coin, know
Nothing now, not even the things I write about
that I have seen. The likes of Peter will never honor
What I’ve written. In this world, what is texto
but the persuading chronicle of the Papa, while
We progress down the streets, the signs we carry
las palmas scattering in careless winds.
It’s impractical to transcribe, what I scream—
words I copy from You. But I still do it:
There is no absolution in this world but the next,
We must love one another or suffer.
Underneath it all, I array myself in red,
as memento, as imagen, as woman.

About the Author:

Angela Gabrielle Fabunan is the author of The Sea That Beckoned (Platypus Press, 2019) and Young Enough to Play (UP Press, forthcoming 2021). Herwebsite is angelagabriellefabunan.com. She lives in Olongapo City, for now.