Third World Snow

third world snow

the tyranny of the sun
lasted for days,
bleeding the earth
dry
the trees rose up in revolt
arms flailing upward
in desperate prayer
to summon rain and
unleashing a madness
of cotton,
swarming like bees
the frail tufts of white
raining down

angry streaks of cotton,
leaves and dust
spur a frenzy to seek refuge
in concrete enclosures
shielding the eyes, nose and mouth
from the veritable blizzard
eclipsing the familiarity of rain

amid the gaggle of voices
a motorist plunges headlong
into the madness, gleefully shouts

snow! we have snow
in the philippines!

can we have our snow angels now?
our snow men with the crooked nose
and eyes for buttons?
would santa and his reindeer park their
sleigh this christmas?
and can we put nutmeg in apple cider,
sing chestnuts roasting on an open fire?

wanting the white picket fences and the small town quirks
wanting the small town quirks and a roast turkey on thanksgiving
wanting thanksgiving and the mayflower and the pilgrims
wanting the pilgrims and the natives feast like the pictures in the glossy books
wanting the glossy books where the dog’s name is spot and not bantay
wanting the pure-blood pride not the mongrel shame
wanting the blue-collar pride and the american dream
wanting the american dream with that genuwine twang and american slang
wanting the american slang not the call center twang

we can huddle together
for some warmth
pretend we're eskimos
building an igloo
and dream of spring..

the cotton puffs
defiant and white
descend quietly
to the earth,
fallen snow
angels
cradled by
the unseeing
streets