“An Afternoon in Pangasinan with No Electricity” by Regie Cabico

In the yellow of butter

My mother colors my skin

In the yellow of sun

My skin becomes brown

In the yellow of yolk

My grandfather finds an egg

In the yellow of noon

We eat the baby chick

Balot, they call it

“Long life!” he says

And discards the purple shell

Paraphrase: The speaker describes a day in the life of his family, more specifically, what they did the day they had no electricity.

Analysis: The word “yellow” is used repeatedly throughout the poem, symbolizing the Asian race. Lines 1 and 2, “In the yellow of butter / My mother colors my skin,” reinforces that this family is of Asian descent. Lines 8 and 9, “We eat the baby chick / Balot, they call it,” implicates that this poem is about a Filipino family because Balot is a popular egg snack in the Philippines.

Why I chose this poem: This poem reminded me of my dad because he grew up in the Philippines and went to the beach everyday and  “In the yellow of sun / [his] skin becomes brown” (lines 3 and 4). He also told me that he used to eat balut, but doesn’t know how he did it because it doesn’t appeal to him nowadays.