Poetry by Sarah Mae Dizon

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.