My Life so far (My 26th year)

I was seven or eight or nine or ten
and I remember the wide green fields of palay
just before harvest time
spread out like great patches of vibrant bermuda grass

I remember the fields drying during summertime
The once green fields
turn into cracked patches of earth with zigzag lines
like spider webs
covered with silver stalks of harvested palay

I remember the now old school with the lonely benches,
marble floors with red tiles, bougainvillas,
cold mobile flagpoles, and steel fenced gardens

I remember the now small city, where everything is near;
everything is quaint and I know it so well

I remember leaving,
It was hard but I left anyway.
The lonely boat rides, going home
and leaving again.

I remember the loneliness going away
and settling in the new life that waited for me

I remember meeting new people and
growing into friendships

I remember experiencing life like I've never experienced before

I remember talking, praying and dancing before God.

I remember holding back the tears when my studies ended.

I remember the tiring walks and bus rides when I was looking for work.

I remember being fit and proud of my body

I remember getting chubbier and promising to myself that I will get thinner

I remember being confident in who I am and what I can do.

I remember the sleepless nights in law school,
the agony of lousy recitations and exams,
and the joys of a good one.

I remember being honest

I remember being finally good at work and being very good at what I do.

I remember falling in love with all the smiles and tears that it brings

I remember love slipping away from me and I can't do anything about it.

I remember travelling to the other side of the world and living a dream,

I remember waiting for love to come.

I remember where I am right now.

I remember you.

I remember my life so far.

Life Goes On

Thump Thump
the Ball went

Swish Swish
the Net swished

Thud Thud
Footsteps passed

Thundering Roars
of Joy
drowning the cry
of a thousand tears

It fades
Stillness comes
to again wait
for tomorrow

Twilight

The sky has dimmed,
the buildings have offered their vibrant walls
for the sleepy shades of grey
Office corners and pantry nooks
are now fading, waiting for the lights
of the evening
to give them shape again
Evening's man made lights
will be here soon
Shapes -- fade now and let the gray turn to dark
Twilight is nigh

Twilight is nigh
What have I done with my day?

My work is settled, as I would like to believe
My report is in the draft
waiting for the send button to be clicked

I remember twilight
I saw it coming
when the day was young
I knew it would come

I had seen its pictures
My grandfather showed me
Sepia photographs
Fading at the sides
And the whites from
the edges
Slowly eating
the brown and the yellow
and the pictures
of my young grandpa
have been tainted by
the spider web path
of the white's eaten trail

I remember the stories
from my uncle's college days
How the city was small
and everyone was in speaking terms
With the local DJ
He was famous
and got a free ride every time he rode
the pedicab

I remember twilight
The pictures, the stories
I smiled
The smile
found in late afternoons
and in my mother's stories
Twilight was warm
Twilight was idyllic
Twilight was looking back

The day has ended
and the day is full.
I thought.
It was not twilight then.

The day has not yet ended
Yet, I am on my way to the afternoon
and the thought
of getting there
marks the start
of a sadness
found in looking
at the fading
scenery of
a beautiful vacation spot
you know
you're never going
to visit again
or the emptiness
you feel
when you look at
the fading silhouette
of a friend as
he walks away
knowing
that the
goodbyes
you exchanged
would be the
last words you spoke to each other

Captivated

If I were turned to stone
And be made to choose
one sight
to view
for all eternity
I would choose
your face
Smiling
at me

I have seen
the depths
of eternity
In
Your eyes and lips
Unending
Serene
I drown
yet I live

If I have that with me
The passage
of time
Is like a passing second
Embedded in forever
For I will always be
Captivated by your smile