Apo On The Wall by Bj Patino

  Apo On The Wall by Bj Patino

There’s this man’s photo on the wall

Of my father’s office at home, you

Know, where father brings his work,

Where he doesn’t look strange

Still wearing his green uniform

And colored breast plates, where,

To prove that he works hard, he

Also brought a photo of his boss

Whom he calls Apo, so Apo could

You know, hang around on the wall

Behind him and look over his shoulders

To make sure he’s snappy and all.

Father snapped at me once, caught me

Sneaking around his office at home

Looking at the stuff on his wall- handguns,

Plaques, a sword, medals a rifle-

Told me that was no place for a boy

Only men, when he didn’t really

Have to tell me because, you know,

That photo of Apo on the wall was already

Looking at me around,

His eyes following me like he was

That scary Jesus in the hallway, saying

I know what you’re doing.

About the Poem

Apo on the wall by Patino is a poem talks about the narration of a child’s point of view about his rigorous father and the hanging photo around the wall called “Apo”. The poem tells the reality of life during the reigning of Marcos alongside with the Martial Law. 

"A poem that will hit your feels and leave marks to your minds and hearts!"

It made me feel scared realizing how strict the time of martial law could be. How every move you make should not anger the government in which an instance that it does you may be put in jail or worse killed because in that time there were no human rights.The message of the poem is to know about what Marcos had done. Marcos keeps looking at people around, searching for the wrongdoing that contradicts to his mandates, like a scary Jesus in the hallway saying that I know what you are doing.

The poem provides an immeasurable impact on my part. Everything was overpowered causing every people covered with fear. It gives me a emotional feeling about how people have suffered during that time and how they overcome the Martial law.

The poem indicates to give importance to the present condition.The message it gave to me is we should appreciate the freedom that we got the freedom in which most of us takes it for granted It affects me in a way that I understand further that the past was a time which freedom was taken away Now in the present we should be appreciating it more than we used to. The poem made me feel like I was the child narrating what is the scenario during Martial Law. How it spread fear to many of our country men. The message I recieved from the poem is be that during Martial there are no colonist but our still our country has no freedom. Now, I am really thankful that today's generation didn't experience what is it like to have no freedom.