i am miss international

holy crap where have i been?
ahahahaha -
2005 miss international is miss philippines.

when i was six i sat on my dad's lap
and said, i want to be miss universe.
i picked at his goosebumps as mom looked on.

my sleeping little sister woke up,
her straight hair standing on end.
they look like barbie dolls, i said.

miss quigaman lives in london,
her skin light kayumanggi.
her photo at the miss international roster unsmiling.

what, you want some sharecropper's daughter
living in the province
to win? asked my colleague.

i said, she'd have to have work done
a nip here and a tuck there,
and she can't afford that.

yes, madam president, she'll be our role model.
we all need to be thin.
she must be starving.

and at least she isn't miss america
where contestants weathered whether
the corporation would let them strut in swimsuits.

but i seriously like the little runner's up crowns,
all tiny like illustrated in my princess books,
pinned fast into golden hair.

when you dye black asian hair
it comes out orange.
no matter the brand and technique. ahahaha.

but hey, i like her other title, "webwriter."
how come they didn't call us that at the net outpost?
men and women both, we were designers instead.

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Philippine beauty awarded '05 Miss International
RP's Quigaman is new Miss International
Lara Quigaman is crowned Miss International 2005  ¶ 9/27/2005 05:49:00 PM