APO ON THE WALL
by Bj Patino
- There’s this man’s photo on the wall
- Of my father’s office at home, you
- Know, where father brings his work,
- Where he doesn’t look strange
- Still wearing his green uniform
- And colored breast plates, where,
- To prove that he works hard, he
- Also brought a photo of his boss
- Whom he calls Apo, so Apo could
- You know, hang around on the wall
- Behind him and look over his shoulders
- To make sure he’s snappy and all.
- Father snapped at me once, caught me
- Sneaking around his office at home
- Looking at the stuff on his wall- handguns,
- Plaques, a sword, medals a rifle-
- Told me that was no place for a boy
- Only men, when he didn’t really
- Have to tell me because, you know,
- That photo of Apo on the wall was already
- Looking at me around,
- His eyes following me like he was
- That scary Jesus in the hallway, saying
- I know what you’re doing.
Reference: 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World by Marikit Tara Uychoco
For us, the poem clearly takes us back to the time when the Martial Law still exists. It reflects the fear of the people because of their dictator. It is a poem which talks about a certain situation that depicts the experiences of people during that time – particularly a child. The poem was written in the point of view of a child. It is kind of strange compared to other write-ups I have read. I like the poem because it gives me an understanding of one of the many sides of Martial Law. This side refers to a child’s perspective about Martial Law. A child’s perspective is way different from the adult’s. The child’s perspective on Martial Law is that, people are disciplined. Another one is that, Martial Law is a scary time because of Marcos himself and the people who are in authority.
The poem has reminded us the importance of looking at the past and applying what the lessons of the past in the present. The past is in the past but it must be looked back in order to have a better present – to avoid another mistakes and to repeat the victories in the past.
As I’ve read the poem, I like the perspective of the persona’s father because it shows that the father is proving to Apo even when he’s not around that he respects and fears him.
When you reflect it into reality among the situations of teenagers nowadays, we can observe that when our fathers look at us eye to eye, we easily get scared for some reason, and we tend to follow them to avoid being reprimanded. And this poem also has a relation to the Martial Law.
--- Hannah Bebs Aloot ---
