The Filipino Politician

Nick Carbo is a Filipino-American poet who was born in the Philippines but migrated to America with his Spanish and Greek parents. Basically, he wrote poems which were mostly influenced by his experiences and struggles in assimilating to the American culture.

“The Filipino Politican” reminds me of the diverse kinds of politicians we have in the country. Moreover, the second stanza is reminiscent to a scandal in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), where a homosexual lieutenant was caught red-handed “making love” with a another gay officer. All in all, the poem gives us 3 main incidents or imageries where we can envisage and contrast the conservative, liberal, and communist politicians and how they have been known to act given a situation.

Ralph Mendoza

The Filipino Politician
Nick Carbo

When he finds his wife in bed with another man--

The conservative politician feels an ache in his stomach,
remembers the longanisa and the tapa he had for breakfast.
He doesn't know whether to get the doctor or Cardinal Sin
on the phone. He calls one of his bodyguards, tells him
to shoot the man and then, his wife. He takes his .38 magnum
from his brief case, shoots his bodyguard in the back.

The liberal politician pours himself a glass of Courvoisier,
remembers a passage from an Anais Nin story.
He is suddenly the one they call the Basque. He removes
his Dior tie, his Armani shirt, his Calvin Klein boxer shorts.
He puts on a black beret, whispers, tres jolie, tres jolie,
que bonito, muy grande my petite amore. He joins them
in bed, begins his caresses on the man's calves,
kisses his way up the man's thighs.

The communist politician does not call his wife a puta,
nor does he challenge the man to a duel with balisong knives.
He stays calm, takes out a book of poems by Mao Tse Tung.
Inspired, he decides to advance the Revolution.
He takes a taxi to Roxas Boulevard, he begins to curse
and throw rocks at the American Embassy.


Source: http://www.poemhunter.com/p/m/poem.asp?poem=549886