Tula. Chris Santiago

      

      © 2016, Text by Chris Santiago

      © 2016, Cover art by Mary Austin Speaker

      All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher: Milkweed Editions, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415.

      [phone]

       www.milkweed.org

      Published 2016 by Milkweed Editions

      Printed in Canada

      Cover design and art by Mary Austin Speaker

      Frontispiece art by Yuri Santiago

      Author photo by Joanna Demkiewicz

      16 17 18 19 20 5 4 3 2 1

       First Edition

      Milkweed Editions, an independent nonprofit publisher, gratefully acknowledges sustaining support from the Jerome Foundation; the Lindquist & Vennum Foundation; the McKnight Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Target Foundation; and other generous contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Also, this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, and a grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota. For a full listing of Milkweed Editions supporters, please visit www.milkweed.org.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Names: Santiago, Chris, author.

      Title: Tula : poems / Chris Santiago.

      Description: First edition. | Minneapolis, Minnesota : Milkweed Editions, 2016.

      Identifiers: LCCN 2016030738 (print) | LCCN 2016038345 (ebook) | ISBN 9781571314888 (paperback) | ISBN 9781571319548 (e-book)

      Subjects: | BISAC: POETRY / American / General.

      Classification: LCC PS3619.A573 A6 2016 (print) | LCC PS3619.A573 (ebook) | DDC 811/.6--dc23

      LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016030738

      Milkweed Editions is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book production practices with this principle, and to reduce the impact of our operations in the environment. We are a member of the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources. Tula was printed on acid-free 100% postconsumer-waste paper by Friesens Corporation.

      For Yuri

      for our mothers & fathers

      for their mothers & fathers

      & for our sons

       Contents

        Title Page

        Copyright

        Dedication

      1  Audiometry

      1  Tula

      2  The Poet’s Mother at Eleven, Killing a Chicken

      3  Tula

      4  Notation

      5  Tula

      6  Tula

      1  Counting in Tagalog

      1  Tula

      2  [Island of the Shy Mynah Bird]

      3  McKinley Praying

      4  The Silverest Tongue in the Philippines

      5  [Island in the Infinitive]

      6  Unfinished Poem

      7  [Island of the Little Mouthfuls]

      1  [Island of Fault Lines]

      1  Tula

      2  Virginity

      3  Tula

      4  Tula

      5  Photograph: Loggers at Kuala Tahan

      6  [Island En Passant]

      7  Tula

      1  Transpacific