now the MT Princess Empress puked her guts

swathes of ink

sand oil-slick

and fish belly-up

all over the Mangyan people’s waters, today

the twenty-third of February

year of our lord twenty twenty-three

oil tanker owned by

RDC Reield Marine Services

while the kids are out playing, barefoot on the shore

little plastic buckets

scoop, scoop, scoop

tabò, tabò, tabò

while we’re playing a new game

Finders Keepers 900,000 Liters of Industrial Fuel Oil

so very fun! skin irritation eye inflammation and cardio respiratory diseases galore

while we’re looking for this girl

neither Princess nor Empress, out in the bleeding ocean

our precious Ligaya

dearest Ligaya

sinking deep, swallowed by wisping wraiths

we’ll point to You

with hands blackened

skin flaying

soul rotting

You’ve lost her again.

* Ligáya. From Tagalog n. happiness; joy. /liˈɡaja/, [lɪˈɣa.jɐ] ,  ■■■■■■