Illustration by Katya Roxas
I knew my Lola only from second-hand tales;
by the time she had wifi in her village,
I was a stranger on facetime.
By then, she could not recognize her own
daughter, let alone my diluted version
in a heavy sweater. Still, my mother
refused to mourn; she has a good life,
many pleasures remain.
Cousins regaled how deftly Lola wandered
through sugarcane fields, making tracks in the
shadows of mountains, chewing on the sweet
phloem with her few remaining teeth—
neighbours taking her elbow
to lead her home at dusk.
When my aunt rearranged the pantry,
how bitterly Lola cried on finding the
rice lalagyan empty, but how greatly she
rejoiced when a malaking plato heaped with
soft, white grains appeared from thin air.
And when we called her on her birthday, tilting
the camera to showcase the feast of lumpia and
pancit made in her honour—a world away—
although she did not know me, oh,
how she met my eye, and smiled.
Lori-Anne Noyahr is a physician and poet of Filipino and Sri Lankan heritage. She grew up in Scarborough—one of Canada’s most diverse communities—where she now practices anesthesiology and narrative medicine. Her work explores themes of family, community and health. Her poetry has appeared in various media including Ars Medica, Auscultation: A Health and Humanities Podcast, Poetry Pause, and the LCP Chapbook: Adventitious Sounds.
Katya Roxas is a Communications and Design Strategist at the University of British Columbia. Katya has experience with branding, content creation and social media. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Multimedia Arts, specializing in graphic design and illustration, and a Diploma in Digital Marketing and Communications. Born and raised in the Philippines, Katya is well-versed in the sacrifices and opportunities of being an immigrant. Through her experiences, she strives to break the barriers of cultural misrepresentation by creating honest and inclusive.