They tell you that histories belong in textbooks,
Penned by men who only know my country
By wars.
The Spanish-American war,
The Philippine-American war,
World War I & II,
Pilipinos were there. They fought. They lost.
I possess a body that is a warring ground,
For men to stare,
For women to envy,
For people to consume.
“I shall return,” said MacArthur.
But when you say this,
You mean you took something
That was not yours,
Knowingly.
//
Pilipinas have been taken—
Our bodies are not souvenirs or war trophies.
I am my grandmother, my mother, my tita, my ate, & my niece.
I belong to a lineage of small, yet immovable womxn.
I have made a home in my body.
Loved. I have the power to love.
Protected. I have the power to protect.
My hxstory is nonlinear, adaptive, co-created
But most of all,
It’s fucking mine.
Oni J (they/them) originally submitted this for the collective’s October theme. It is a forceful reclamation of Pilipinx identity and history. Oni manages to encapsulate the anger many Pinoys have towards colonization and the mistreatment of Filipino womxn. Oni takes back what is theirs, their creed ringing through this piece. Yes, your body, your hxstories; all of it is yours. Always.
Oni's Contact Info:
Insta: @oh_teal_yah
Twitter: @0niJuma
Podcast: (Re)Building Dreams
Originally published in April 2020. Written for the October theme.