A short response to Patrick rosal’s “Photo of my grandmother running toward us on a beach in ilokos”

Patrick Rosal

Rosal is a Filipino American poet from Brooklyn, NY, and he is currently a Professor of English at Rutgers-Camden.

Patrick Rosal's poem "Photo of My Grandmother Running Toward Us on a Beach in Ilokos" weaves together memory, family affection, and ancestral strength into a moment of joy. The one thing that most takes me by surprise at first is the amount of emotion Rosal can pack into such a brief poem. The image of the grandmother, his “Lola," rushing towards her grandchildren with "the whole goddamned ocean" on her head is so profound. The ocean may represent heritage, migration, grief, or burdens carried on through generations, and yet she rushes along, arms open wide, laughing. That image is so rich: a woman who is burdened and unburdened at the same time, strong and soft.

Rosal’s work seems to explore the complexities of identity and family through layered images like this often. What I’d love to explore further is how Rosal’s use of water and motion reflects a fluid sense of identity moving and shifting like tides. His grandmother isn't just a figure of the past; she is in motion, active, running toward the future, toward her grandchildren. I find something so beautiful and generative in that.

I'm left wondering: What does it mean for us to inherit someone else's ocean? And how do we carry it forward with laughter?