Issue 46: Summer 2019

The species is named

after its fragrance. The shrub is native to the islands even though it does not/ bear a proper name, thus letting everyone name it whatever they desire.

Nearly all lines in this poem are lifted from the translated Flora de Filipinas, a botanical guide to Filipino native flora published in several editions from 1837 to 1883. The Flora was written by Fr. Manuel Blanco, an Augustinian priest and botanist. All in all, the books contain information on over a thousand plants, each accompanied by meticulously illustrated watercolour plates. Scholars have hailed The Flora “the queen of Philippine books” and “the crowning glory of Philippine art and science in the colonial era.”


after its fragrance. The shrub is native to the islands even though it does not

bear a proper name, thus letting everyone name it whatever they desire. The indios then

convert them quickly into rosary beads.

Deer voraciously feast on its leaves. Its roots prove

efficacious when boiled or administered to those suffering. It is used in some places

for illumination, although not very bright. The seeds infused in wine cause

grogginess and numbness such that one becomes insensitive to blows. This herb calms all

hysterical attacks and restores memory. The male flowers are turned

into sweets. The incised mature stems’

juices cause hallucinations. This is a plant with white flowers that the indios do not

know. When not climbing, this plant creeps easily on

land. It is called such because of its

malodorous scent and the dirty name given to it. The indios have

named this plant as if a tear of milk had dropped on it from the Blessed Virgin. The flowers

open exactly at one o’clock in the afternoon. When

placed under a pillow it induces sleep. The hulls of galleons were fashioned from this lumber for its

quality of repelling bullets of any metal.

Rubbing hands with the small tree’s bark enables one to handle any

snakes, spiders, or scorpions without risk.

Termites cannot penetrate its wood. One has lost an eye simply

upon touching it. The indios, who wander as

vagabonds in the forests and abhor

work, sate themselves with this miserable food. Its dark-skinned

exterior bark is somewhat rough. The natives are addicted to anything sweet.

Young children eat its raw seeds while still tender. In certain dishes it imparts agreeable

zest.

About the author

Kabel Mishka Ligot was born and raised in and around Metro Manila in the Philippines. He holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he received the 2019 Jerome Stern Teaching Award. Mishka’s work has been published or is forthcoming in Waxwing, The Margins, TRACK//FOUR, and others. A recipient of the Don Belton scholarship at the Indiana University Writers’ Conference and a Tin House Summer Workshop fellow, Mishka currently lives in the Midwest.