Variations on a Theme: Larceny
1
The first thought
That comes to mind
When you wake up
And find your things
Gone
Is, “This can’t be–”
Uttered silently like
A prayer to a deity
Full of cruel humor.
Then
The feeling sinks in
Like knife into flesh
And you bleed inside
But nobody else can
Tell
Because your grief
Is kept well in check
And all you can do
Is smile like you’re
Fine
When all you want
To do is scream and
Wish a painful death
On those bastards.
2
I cringe
When I think of how
The safety of my home
Was shattered to bits
By this invasion.
I blame
Myself for being so
Confident that my home
Was not vulnerable
To this intrusion.
3
Swallow hard, hide your feelings.
Stare ahead, don’t say anything.
Smile as needed, stop fidgeting.
Say you’re okay and need nothing.
Shout if you must, away from their ilk;
There’s no use crying over spilled milk.
4
When one is robbed
One loses more than the things
That one might have cherished,
Or have worked so hard to get.
After all, many things
Can be replaced: mobile phones,
Wallets and bags, even money
Spent on buying these things.
Some things, however,
Are irreplaceable: a sound sleep,
Feeling safe and secure at home,
And trust between neighbors.
When one is robbed
One loses more than the things
That have been taken away:
These losses are not negligible.
Phnom Penh, 2009
Copyright Michael P. De Guzman