mere figments and parallel realities
This was about a childhood friend who I had a little crush later on when we were young. Our mothers both worked for the same company, and we were from the same town too. Whenever there was a town fiesta we would all gather at their house and enjoy the food and company. The adults would mingle and drink, while the kids would play upstairs in his room.
There were moments when you thought that you can easily rule over the world. You felt like you can take on anything, anytime, anywhere. You felt so invincible because you know where you stand. You know how you got there in the first place, and you know the things that you had to go through to get there.
Half-asleep. Half-awake.
It was a bit chilly, but it was a good change from the tropical heat. She sat up, allowed her surroundings to adjust its focus and exposure while her body temperature tried to find a middle ground from sleeping like a log to warm-blooded human being. Her head panned from left to right, then settled for the familiar back of the person who just sat up as well on the other bed.
Tahan na, mahal
Ibulong mo lang sa hangin
Sandal ka lang sa akin
Kung nasasakal
Sa hagupit ng mga bakit
At mundong mong mapanakit
Hush, my love
Whisper it to the wind
Just rest your head on my shoulder
If you feel defeated
By the cruel storms of whys
And this world full of spite
This is the last poem I wrote that can be traced back from the year, 2014. I wrote this while I was in Baguio for a librarians’ training. I went out of the hotel one night to go to a nearby convenience store. It was drizzling outside but I only settled for a hoodie and walked past by the umbrellas that are free to use at the hotel door. I wanted to get wet under the rain.
The rain can trigger a lot of emotions for any person, be it melancholy, sadness, longing etc., and bitter temperatures can further intensify these emotions even though you are not entirely sure why you feel these things. Sometimes it is just a perfect moment. Just like John Mayer’s song say, “I’m perfectly lonely.”
Since I decided to restart my writing, I thought of looking through my old prose and poems just to see how much I evolved with my writing. I scavenged old online journals and writing communities and was able to pull off a handful of them from years 2015, 2013, 2011 etc.
She breathes in slowly
Exhales ambitions, true grit
And the world trembles