THE UNNAMED ENEMY

Satur Sulit

August 21, 2007

twenty-four years

since the gundown

a coward’s doing

begets a hero.

we imagine a hero

against all odds

facing a dreaded enemy

and dying or prevailing

in the instance.

but there on the tarmac

that sunday noon

the enemy was invisible

is unnamed even now

the one who could not face him

who wanted him dead.

ninoy knew it

knew his enemies that way

he said if they wanted to

it wouldn’t take long

twenty seconds max

and it was.

he went to a not unscheduled death

not to slay but to expose

the heart of his enemy.

ninoy did not rush into battle

he knelt to his death

to free us

and freed us

from an enemy

unnamed even now.

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