“Self Portrait as Bukit Timah Monkey Man”, Rodrigo Dela Peña, Jr.
Homo bukittamahrus:
I am half-man half
-ape, immortal
as a taxi driver’s
story. Look for me.
I’ve been captured
on a domestic
helper’s shaky
camera, a blur
of local myth
running wild, growing
hirsute. Your childhood
is my birthplace;
your restless mind,
my habitat.
Unseen, I leave
behind the over
-ripe stench of urine.
I’ve lost in touch
with my cousins, orang
pendek and bigfoot.
Imagine my face, almost
human. My breath barely
felt behind your ears.