The ‘Small’ Have No Names
Poetry by Paul Randy Gumanao | Sunday, January 24th, 2010
As long as they have names
they are not small
I could easily point to Kitty
among the group of cats
or turn to Mr. Paw among the dogs
and stroke its furry back
I know of a lion named Torr
whose only pride is its misfortune
of having a coarse, roaring voice
and a terrifying looks
enough to startle the herons at poise
But how about a termite?
How about an ant?
Try to pick one
and baptize it with a name
Maybe Mitee or Antee
then place it back to its colony
of hundreds and thousands
of termites and ants
Now, where is Mitee?
Where is Antee?
It is so small, but not lost;
Only its name.
It has no name now to call itself
and has no name to deny
when humans call them pests
no ant or termite
celebrates an exemption
For the name of one
is the fate of the group
They have no names
because they are small
—-
Paul is in his second year of BS Chemistry at Ateneo de Davao. He writes poetry to detoxify his mind from dangerous chemicals.
such a keen poem to notice the Small. ^___^
erratum:
I’d like to make a correction po sa spelling. the word “baptist” is supposed to be “baptize.”
thanks…
Corrected.