The Man Who Wished He were Lego
From “How to Make a Salagubang Helicopter & other poems” (San Anselmo Publications, Inc., 2018) Winner Gabo Prize, Winter/Spring 2017.
His hands would be yellow
and forever curved
into a semi-square “C.”
Designed only for quick
and easy snapping
of pieces meant
to fit. His shoes
would be the same color
as his pants with no zips.
or buttons, no pockets.
for slipping in notes
that could be shredded
in the wash. He would need
not worry about the shape
of his head, or haircuts
and thoughts for that matter.
And, best of all, his chest
would be stiff and hollow,
far too small
for a heart.
Jim Pascual Agustin writes and translates in Filipino and English. He grew up in the Philippines and moved to South Africa in 1994. His work has appeared extensively in journals and anthologies in his country of birth as well as overseas, including New Coin, New Contrast, Aerodrome, Rhino Poetry, Burnt Bridge, GUD Magazine, and Modern Poetry in Translation.
The Oxford-based The Onslaught Press published in 2017 his eighth poetry collection, Wings of Smoke. A new expanded edition of the Philippine edition of the book is forthcoming from San Anselmo Publications, Inc. In South Africa, where he now resides, Agustin Received the DALRO Award (2nd Prize) and the Sol Plaatje EU Poetry Award (3rd place in 2014, and again in 2017). Email him at jim@voxpopuliph.com
Visit San Anselmo Publication, Inc.’s official website and Facebook page.
