May please inform everyone that this piece WILL be published in the school paper, PAGASA, this December.
Faces
I got home late at night, and it was my first time to actually go home
past my usual hours. It was probably 9:00- 9:15 in the evening on my watch. This terribly worried me. My watch is always 30 minutes in advance and I almost had to run to catch a jeepney going home. That is when it all happened…
I got home late at night, and it was my first time to actually go home
past my usual hours. It was probably 9:00- 9:15 in the evening on my watch. This terribly worried me. My watch is always 30 minutes in advance and I almost had to run to catch a jeepney going home. That is when it all happened…
*
As I got into the jeepney, the first face I saw was of a young adult across my seat. Her face, glazed like clear windows revealing the sorrow that is her, kept within false grins. Her eyes were crimson red, filled with tears that only a man whose heart is of stone can look into it and not take pity, a picture of a broken smile in a monotonous world. She wore simple clothes, and a scarf around her neck, soaked in water, wiped with sobs and regret. These things troubled me, but what caught my attention was a red piece of paper she was holding. It was quite fragrant, like the smell of sunflowers and daffodils. The paper was crumpled, crumpled with anger and torn with hatred as I had witnessed. Surprised and shocked, I turned back and looked on.
As I got into the jeepney, the first face I saw was of a young adult across my seat. Her face, glazed like clear windows revealing the sorrow that is her, kept within false grins. Her eyes were crimson red, filled with tears that only a man whose heart is of stone can look into it and not take pity, a picture of a broken smile in a monotonous world. She wore simple clothes, and a scarf around her neck, soaked in water, wiped with sobs and regret. These things troubled me, but what caught my attention was a red piece of paper she was holding. It was quite fragrant, like the smell of sunflowers and daffodils. The paper was crumpled, crumpled with anger and torn with hatred as I had witnessed. Surprised and shocked, I turned back and looked on.
*
It had now been 10 minutes since I got on the jeepney. Now there were only a few passengers left, about 7 or 8. As I was contemplating about the lady I saw, another face caught, and trapped my eyes in hers. She was about 14, was quite the beauty, and she had a smile I could only watch and stare as I fell into a chasm of nostalgia and warmth. She wore glasses, but she still looked attractive. I was about to ask for her name when she got off the jeepney. I regretted not using the time I had and I blamed my insecurities for my failure.
It had now been 10 minutes since I got on the jeepney. Now there were only a few passengers left, about 7 or 8. As I was contemplating about the lady I saw, another face caught, and trapped my eyes in hers. She was about 14, was quite the beauty, and she had a smile I could only watch and stare as I fell into a chasm of nostalgia and warmth. She wore glasses, but she still looked attractive. I was about to ask for her name when she got off the jeepney. I regretted not using the time I had and I blamed my insecurities for my failure.
*
The third face I saw was of a child. The child was quite a rascal, until he cried… and cried… and cried. The little boy was with his nanny, who was wiping the boy’s back due to the sweat from playing. The boy laughed, and it felt like a hundred sunflowers blooming together in a meadow during summer. Such smiles which wealth can never buy… yet sorrow one can never forget. As the boy took his cell phone and read the message, his face turn from a meadow to a grim path to a lonely cliff only those whose tears break other’s hearts can bear to walk. His sobs and tears shocked everyone in the jeepney. He kept crying, until his nanny was able to calm him down. I could only hear a few words, few important words from the boy, his cause for despair:”Mama… wala na…”. That is what he said. It confused me, and it almost made me cry.
The third face I saw was of a child. The child was quite a rascal, until he cried… and cried… and cried. The little boy was with his nanny, who was wiping the boy’s back due to the sweat from playing. The boy laughed, and it felt like a hundred sunflowers blooming together in a meadow during summer. Such smiles which wealth can never buy… yet sorrow one can never forget. As the boy took his cell phone and read the message, his face turn from a meadow to a grim path to a lonely cliff only those whose tears break other’s hearts can bear to walk. His sobs and tears shocked everyone in the jeepney. He kept crying, until his nanny was able to calm him down. I could only hear a few words, few important words from the boy, his cause for despair:”Mama… wala na…”. That is what he said. It confused me, and it almost made me cry.
*
As I got out of the jeepney, I started running like Death was chasing me. I was confused, disoriented of what had transpired, like a sheep separated from the flock.
As I got out of the jeepney, I started running like Death was chasing me. I was confused, disoriented of what had transpired, like a sheep separated from the flock.
*
Who can ever say that change stays? Everything is not permanent, like our lovers, our loved ones, and everything else we can see. But everything we can feel will always be unchanged in the frames inside our hearts. As for the child, the crying lady and yours truly, we will never say that change is sleeping. There are too many times we are caught off guard by these changes, most of them we cannot accept.
But what can we do?
Accept it.
Can you?
Did you?
Who can ever say that change stays? Everything is not permanent, like our lovers, our loved ones, and everything else we can see. But everything we can feel will always be unchanged in the frames inside our hearts. As for the child, the crying lady and yours truly, we will never say that change is sleeping. There are too many times we are caught off guard by these changes, most of them we cannot accept.
But what can we do?
Accept it.
Can you?
Did you?
1 comment:
simple. :D I just read that now... I like it. Yep, there will always be changes... I don't know, maybe we just have to face it I guess. But that what happened to the happy boy??? Urgh. That was just so sad. I couldn't imagine that happening to me. (Of course - except having a nanny to wipe my back because of sweating. :P)
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