Galerie Francesca on Jef Cablog “Liquescent”

Manila on my Skin

I want to wear Manila today

like a shirt

bright, tattered and frayed.

Fashionably ripped

embroidered, printed, plain.

Studded with colors

of maniacally insane designs.

Criss-crossed patterns of lines.

I want to wear Manila today

like pants

stretched, new and faded.

Acid washed, hand-painted

faux-leather, dignified slacks,

sprouting skulls and flowers

skinny, tired-looking trousers.

Pastel-hue, soft and lovely

elegant, shimmering, so different

from attitude-filled Divisoria jeans.

I want to wear Manila today

old and new

young and forward

stately, refined — undefined.

I want to feel it

seeping into

my skin, my soul

beating and searing

its sacred sins

screaming

its vibrant art

pulsating

around me, on me

its psyche

its spirit

echoing, haunting

my tattooed fickle heart.