Come What May

“After a long day, mother would say, ‘Amoy araw ka’ – you smell like the sun. ‘You smell like cleaning products,’ I would reply.” Among the ancient gates of Jerusalem, Anjeli walks. Her mother scrubs floors while she gazes at the city that raised her. The stones have taught her languages, the streets have etched their stories in her. She belongs to Jerusalem, but belonging is never simple. As her mother’s future hangs in uncertainty, Anjeli drifts between two mothers – one who fights to stay, and one who will never leave.