With loyalty and might,
the couch did not give up
on what love and forgiveness
had given up on him.
Upholstered with the stench of worn clothes, sweaty socks,
cigarette butts, empty bottles, and misery,
her memories sweep all the happiness and love
that once sat and slept there, naked and warmed
for many cold and stupor nights.
Electrocution of pain shoots in his head
as he squeezes his soul on the sink,
vomiting nothing but acid,
as another evening’s drinks
leave him another lingering taste
of cheap gin and unpleasant things
in his mind and in his mouth.
As he stares at his dwellings,
he wipes his lips
and swallows back his soul,
gets up from his knees.
Backed up by his only will to live,
he reminds himself once again
how many times he has told himself
to give up and yet still makes it through.
By Mikhail Enver Requilman
Si Mikhail Enver Requilman ay isang mangingibig, manunulat, at tagamulat sa pahayagang The Warden ng Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa. Sa kanyang mga ordinaryong araw, siya ay isang Mass Communication student sa nasabing pamantasan. At sa kanyang mga di-ordinaryong araw naman, bukod sa pagiging mamamahayag pangkampus, siya rin ay kasalukuyang Secretary-General ng College Editors Guild of the Philippines – Metro Manila.
