Poem by

EILEEN TABIOS

Duterte Socializes Media

The Philippines is considered by many to be a canary in the coal mine for the impact of disinformation online. 

—from “A ‘dictator’s playbook’ is threatening democracy. This woman is fighting back” by Hunter Holcombe, CBS News, June 27, 2019

Let us go then, you and I,

to weaponize the Like button

as if it were the red circle

in a black briefcase handcuffed

to an anonymous but uniformed minion

I point my army to point their guns

directly at the vaginas of not-my-types

            —no worry as I’m the weaponizer. Kiss me!

I inspire my cops to cleanse

the slums by eradicating its dwellers

            —no worry as I’m the weaponizer. Kiss me!

I sell earth itself to China to build more

islands after they’ve overrun our islands

            —no worry as I’m the weaponizer. Kiss me!

I kill the journalists who release “fake

news” about stolen international aid

            —no worry as I’m the weaponizer. Kiss me!

I’ve even weaponized Trump, Putin, Maduro,

Erdoğan as we all share the same banks

            —no worry as I’m the weaponizer. Kiss me!

Facebook’s got nothing on me! Didn’t I call

Obama “son of a whore” and threatened the Pope

            —no worry as I’m the weaponizer. Kiss me!

Let us go, you and I, to weaponize the Like

Button—my “Dictator’s Playbook” is missing “The End”