you have the habit of breaking my heart each Christmas,
a tradition repeated through the years,
and yet, each time, it still catches me by surprise
when you do it again, this time.
now i wonder what Christmas has done to you,
for you seem the only one i know
whose custom is to shatter Christmas joy,
starting by breaking my heart in two.
we don’t have winter, yet it feels as cold as that,
your heart like a lifeless snowman, frozen,
standing on the porch of someone else’s house—
empty, unmoving, not even warmed by thought.
carols fill the air, and the scent of bibingka and puto bumbong lingers,
simbang gabi whispers through the night,
and i thought, perhaps you’ve missed all this
in your life,
for i cannot fathom how you could break my heart on Christmas.
Note:
- Puto Bumbong – a Filipino purple rice cake steamed in bamboo tubes. It is traditionally sold during the Christmas season.
- Bibingka – a Philippine cake made with rice flour, water, and sometimes other ingredients (such as butter, sugar, cheese, or coconut), and is traditionally cooked between banana leaves.
- Simbang gabi – a devotional, nine-day series of Masses attended by Filipino Catholics in anticipation of Christmas.
Copyright © 2025 Michelle Navajas
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