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Mother goes out
with a mask on
buys fruit
comes home
says it is alright
see, we have santol
we eat the bitter lining
with salt
every night before bed
my son prays
for the quarantine to end
he asks if he can play
with the boy next door
I say no – that little boy
runs around
without a mask
an old man
rummages through garbage
paano na si Manong
a friend asks
but I cannot stop
thinking about
my father
sweetheart
I have lung cancer
he did not live
to wheeze
through a mask
this is a parable
this must be a parable
there must be something
somewhere
an old man
rummages through garbage
he finds a used surgical mask
he wears it
this is a parable
do you still not understand
Jesus said to the disciples
their faces
all
blank
all
masked
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