by Nick Garcia
to discuss with the registrar.
Window 4 only accepts
a complete payment’s confirmation,
if not a thank you
no matter how matter-of-fact.
The enrollee has nothing.
Only a promissory note
written after burning
the midnight oil.
Its promise to give what must be
given on the due date
is bound to be compromised
even if the school has yet
to announce the announcement.
What’s the supposed worth
of a promissory note with proper grammar,
with enough honesty
on not having enough money
at the proper time?
It cannot be laid down
one by one
like playing cards.
It cannot be placed
inside the drawer
like a deep, dark secret.
The enrollee has nothing
to do but walk away.
Elsewhere, many many figures
whose hands have been manicured, sanitised
exchange envelopes and sachets,
filthy rich in everything
but words.
Nick Garcia: “Promissory Note” takes inspiration from the practice where one party assures another in writing that they will pay a fixed sum of money at a specified future date. In the poem’s case, it’s a student who brings a promissory note to their school’s registrar just as the examination period is starting.
I myself have had several experiences of submitting promissory notes in my elementary, high school and college days. My younger brother who started college recently has also had his fair share of them in high school. I even went to their registrar’s office a few times to submit promissory notes on his behalf. I remember seeing, while queuing, which was invariably for at least an hour, parents with their own promissory notes speaking to the registrar for several minutes.
Some schools have barred students with unsettled fees from taking the exams. Unfortunately, there have also been incidents of students taking their own lives because they were forced to take leave of absence due to unpaid bills.
Though “Promissory Note” was written before the advent of COVID-19, overwhelming healthcare systems, and exposing the incompetence of government officials, I believe it’s a timeless piece because it addresses, or at least tries to, the injustices in life, the broken system, and the powers-that-be who have already overstayed their welcome.
Published: Sunday 20 March 2022 [RETURN TO WRITE TO POWER]
Nick Garcia is from Manila, Philippines. He writes news and feature stories for PhilSTAR L!fe. His personal essays have also been published on Rappler Voices and Inquirer Young Blood.