The Guilds

[𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐘]

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞,
𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰, 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐭𝐰𝐨.

Once there was a woman who boiled water loud enough
to drown the landlord knocking.

One who spoke softly
to cracked plates in the sink
as if broken things
deserved tenderness.

Some mornings,
another woman would move through the kitchen
with a cigarette voice—
asking humbly without looking back
if we are already hungry.

Other days in front of the television,
there was a woman laughing too brightly
as if sunrise came near us,
slowly painting our faces with gold.

Near the laundry room,
One counted coins
while her tired hands wear detergent water—
until the skin forgets
the texture of everything it touches.

At nine years old,
I believed our home was crowded with women.

Women with the same faces.

Women who wore each other’s voices
like borrowed clothing in one closet.

It was years before I understand
why none of them stayed long,

why every room introduced me to someone new.

Hunger does that to a mother.

There were five of us in that house,

but the strangest thing about hunger
is how it multiplies a mother.

She kept dividing herself quietly,
like bread at the table—
her every sacrifice leaves
behind a smaller woman.

And there,
I finally understood:
there was never another woman
inside my mother.

Only the same woman
abandoning herself repeatedly
so the rest of us could remain whole.

Now the house is quieter.

The plates no longer apologize to themselves.
The television sleeps early at night.

But sometimes, near midnight,
I hear the sink running,
and for one terrible second,

I still believe—

my mother is in the kitchen
becoming someone else
for us
again.




___

Poem by John Carl Marquez
Artwork by Harold Basa
Design by Rogel Jean Gerald Vitangcol

Taong 1978 nang nawala ang imahe ni Saint Peter of Verona o Apo Antin ng Brgy. Salian, Abucay, Bataan. Sa kabila ng pagkalumbay sa imahe ng kanilang simbahan, ang mga deboto, hindi nawalan ng pag-asa na isang araw uuwi rin si Apo Antin.

At sa halos limang dekadang paghahanap at pagkalumbay, tila milagrong muling magbabalik ang minamahal nilang patron sa barrio ng Salian.

Abangan ang dokumentaryo ng The Guilds, ‘Uuwi na si Apo,’ ngayong Sabado, mamayang 7:00 PM.

𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦

Figuring out the society’s harsh situations through expressing sentiments over unfair practices and calling out unjust political issues is more impactful if everyone works up and not just the laborers, especially in a holiday shed for them.

Many let go of effort, strength, and time to afford living and pay taxes only to land at the hands of filthy officials—considered public servants, but living a million-peso worth of lifestyle away from the situation of the general people.

Plunging into debts and even seeking the best opportunity thousands of miles away from home is not worth a break even while there are some who spend the best times of their lives and earn salaries without making any presence.

Apart from a Philippine Constitution principle that says “public office is a public trust,” mass protests, rallies, and public forums may only be a few options to restore a little more hope to the underprivileged—victims of the harsh system often seen as a threat.

The Guilds stand as one with the crowd to commemorate this Labor Day along with a steadfast commitment to fight for the workers’ right towards a more sustainable work environment and equitable employment for the marginalized.





___

Words by Dominic De Jesus
Design by Rogel Jean Gerald Vitangcol
Photo by John Michael Pascubillo