Twilight Child
Doorways open
in the gradient hour
when light’s long fingers bend
and the encantos slip
from one realm to another
dancing in the shadows
and steal the young ones
the bright ones
with glittering laughter.
A mother weeps
calling out her son’s name
come back, hijo. come back to me.
But he has gone to colder arms in the dark.
She rolls her beads and prays at the child-king’s shrine.
She calls on the town witch to beg for a charm.
She pleads her case to the hill and those that dwells there—
and he comes back to her
arms wet with mud
mouth full of thorns.
And she holds him close
fingers pressing into his flesh
until blue flowers bloom
not noticing his eyes are light
and his laughter cuts
like glass.
Christine Fojas (she/her) is a Filipino-Canadian hailing from Las Piñas City and currently living in Metro Vancouver. She has a BA in Comparative Literature from University of the Philippines and works as a library technician at Douglas College. A list of her publications can be found at her website. She is also on Twitter as @chrisfojas. Fojas is a regular contributor for Marías at Sampaguitas.