Tolent(Filip)ino

My favorite cousin was turning 18

Her party was very bright and flamboyant

My drunk uncles and aunties take over

the karaoke machine.

My dad is still sober but I can hear his infectious laugh

I stayed with the other 8 year olds at the party

Seeing the festivities that unraveled in front of me

Liquor spilled, oily pork eaten, and every slow dance that occurred

I saw my cousin

The little flower that was pure and ripe finally blossomed to an adult

She looked very beautiful in her pink dress

Reppin Tolentino as best she can

She is slowly hatching from her cocoon

Heading into the real world as a Filipino

But most importantly as a Tolentino

I saw the difference between us 8 year olds and our family

We were their innocence

Every shot they took

Every time they got louder

Every mistake they had that night

The next day we would be there for them

To remind the innocence we carry because we were still young and pure

Like an unbloomed flower.