Cover your ears Caleb

Cover your ears, Caleb
by Kamil Coo
 

The wet pavement knocked you off balance, you whimpered and started to cry

 “Caleb, get up and walk,” said Mama, “Caleb, get up and try.”

“Mama, I’m  tired,” you said, “Mama, please, enough.”

“Remember what Papa said,” she answered, “big boys should be tough.”

These words slithered into your ears, as you heard a deafening sound

You looked up to plead one last time, and was perplexed with what you found

Mama’s eyes were naked with fear, she wasn’t as tough as she always was

“Caleb run!” Mama shouted, “Please Caleb do it for us!”

You ran until your knees buckled, you ran but didn’t stop anyway

You looked back and was relieved to see Mama, catching up a few yards away

You rounded up in one corner, and luckily found an abandoned shop

When Mama saw that it was safe there, she halted to a stop.

A family used to own that shop, you were friends with their only daughter

But you didn’t know where they were anymore, your friend, nor the mother nor father

It was like that since the war with the ABUSAYAF, MNLF, MILF, whatever that is

You're just eight years old, you think, you’re not so good with mnemonics.

You huddled close to Mama, and noticed that she’s having a hard time breathing

Her eyes were wet but she’s not crying, and you hear her deeply wheezing

You remember her stagger a while ago, when you looked back and saw her catching up

You saw something ooze on the floor, she sadly smiled and told you, “It’s just ketchup.”

As you were stroking her hair, a man came with a brisk, soldier-like pace

You looked at Mama's pale face and saw that tears were trickling down her face

She begged the man not to harm you, to let you live through the rest of your years

And as the man aimed something at Mama, she said, “Caleb, cover your ears.”