A Boy Named Lugi

By Justine C. Tajonera

I asked him twice for his name
and he confirmed it is Lugi,
in Tagalog, shortchanged. 
Not the most auspicious
word to begin with,
not the best of introductions.

But that is his name.

And I look beyond the name
to his eyes, how they are hurt
when I imply that he is not
telling the truth.

I offer him food,
a sausage in a bun,
and he talks about his
brothers and sisters,
the life of a child
in the street.

I think of how his whole life
he will resist his name,
the struggle, the uphill climb.

Or how he might transform
his life and redefine the terms,
creating something new
out of what he has been
dealt with.

I say goodbye to this child,
wishing him abundance,
his stomach filled
and his mind with no thoughts yet
of self-fulfilling
prophecies.

(Jan. 29. 2010)
Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/bthomas1/206929136/