By Joshua David M. Diamante

Hijo,

My withered wounds have finally come to rest:
Capital punishment? A farce system full of ignorant fools running.
I won’t forget the ticking clock amidst the cells—it must be fate!
The whisper of the bustling wind caressed my damp skin;
Am I truly free of these shackles? Where will the light take me, Hijo?

Screaming my lungs out in agony as the lightbulb switches on and off,
The only sound I could make was the words "please stop."
Oh dear God, I didn’t do anything. I know, there’s no blood on me.
My will shattered like fine glass as the scars run deep in my bones:
Sweaty palms turned cold, bright eyes blinded, and well-fed lips tasted dry.

Hijo, my words can’t reach the broken system that left me stranding.
Those police! Such filthy thirsty beast—such cruelty!
Screaming “innocence!” as my mouth becomes a desert coughing in blood.
How can I forget? These tied arms, famished stomach, and beaten legs.
Creased cheeks and blurry vision, vivid recollection still unforgotten.

In a time of despair, Hijo, my life's nothing but a false bravado.
My youth, freedom, and dignity were deprived of my bare self
yearning for a hand—there was nothing, but a suffocating air
Swallowed by the depths of lies—am I truly innocent?
Justice is all I ask for; all I hoped for, wrongfully accused.

The revival of a flawed machine killing hopes and dreams;
One day the flocks of doves will reign through the beclouded days,
A sky of blue and the rays of prosperity, and peace through our sovereignty. 
The seamless river bound in time—a question remains engraved:
Will the horrors I experienced be forgotten?

(Illustration by Mary Vel Custodio/FEU Advocate)