Poetry

Sabong

Two cocks strut the dust,
scratching their marks in circles,
tied to short stakes.

Dual owners crouch,
clutching their birds
that dot, dot dash each other.
One, beak dipped in gold,
another’s wattle shivers.

From a red velvet lined case,
tari are polished with a white
cloth
as if laying royal cutlery.

Gaffs wound like a yo-yo
to the left leg—the reaper
our man Rogelio calls out.

Sa pula, sa puti
cry the Kristos
arms crucified
reeling off odds from memory.

They burst into flames
and behind the bars,
notes are counted out
like tossed feathers -
a winner fans himself.

Notes
Sabong—Filipino (Tagalog) term for Cockfight.
Tari—Blade tied to the cock’s spur.
Gaff—Binding for the tari.
Sa pula, sa puti—For the Red Rooster, For the White Rooster.
Kristo—The man who calls the bets, from memory. His name derives from the posture of extended arms resembling Christ nailed on the cross.

Karl Riordan