The Light Sang As It Left Your Eyes: Our Autobiography

Poetry. Memoir. Asian American Studies. Filipino American Studies. Winner of the Philippines' National Book Award for Poetry, Eileen R. Tabios has a reputation for uniquely melding ekphrasis and transcolonialism. This collection of poems, prose and visual poetry is her most overtly political work yet, referencing her roots as a "Marcos Baby," a member of the generation that grew up under Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship. On April 11, 2006, Filamore B. Tabios, Sr. died of brain cancer and its complications. In writing about her father, Eileen R. Tabios explores reconciliation with Ferdinand Marcos' legacy through deliberate empathy with the former Philippine dictator's daughter Imee; pays homage to Judas Iscariot whose Gospel, discovered during her vigil by her father's deathbed, reveals him to be the most loyal disciple, instead of greatest betrayer of Jesus Christ; meditates on the murder statistics of the 20th century's leading killers, from Idi Amin to Adolf Hitler; considers the global Filipina pen pal phenomena; and engages with Dante Aleghieri's Purgatorio.