Earlier than the sun
For my lola
My lola is the kind of person to rise earlier than the sun
she loves heavy jewelry, garage sales,
pouring coffee over her rice and her mga apo
Lola has a Bible twice as long as the rest
where every verse is written in English and Tagalog
she prays fiercely just to bless the food
thank you for this day daw, and for Your blessings
we once took family photos at the mall and
posed together in front of a big white canvas
I stood at the front, maybe I was seven or eight, but
I remember holding her hand behind me
and wondering if everyone’s lola had rough palms
like hers
Sarah Mae Dizon (she/her) is a Filipino writer from Charlottesville, Virginia. She is the founder of here-after, an online zine for Filipinx art and writing. She loves peach sorbet, Studio Ghibli movies, and the warm relief of finding home. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @smaezon.