Carry the burden beneath my body
Throw the aches into the sea
Cry for the pieces forever gone
You won't be excepted from the pain.

Do not let the tears fall
Do not try to turn your back
Blood and sweat and wounds
Are all meant to scar your soul.

Never try to escape
For entrances and exits do not
Have any difference at all
Howl from pain, that's all you can do.

Do you not understand?
You are created to be destroyed
And given life to taste death
Always . . . always remember to to unbound the chains.

Ears straining to hear
Skin trying to feel
My eyes can see
The olden times, the antiquity.

Recognizing--your voice, features, habits
Feeling the longing and relief. Familiarity.
We're two energies joining
And with our forces fusing . . . again.

she never
dreamed
of becoming
an angel

she
just wanted
to fly
and somehow

if
possible
touch the

         o      u
     l                d
c                         s

no, she
never dreamed
of going
nor entering
heaven
(she doesn't know if it even exists)

she
just wanted
to leave
the grounds
for a while
and see if
the fluctuations
are worth one's salt

-she's taking the biggest risk of her life

Maybe one day
I can find the good
in his goodbye
although it was never said.

people keep telling
me to give up
because that's
where I am
surely headed
they
didn't know
that I don't
need
them to
tell me that
because I
already did
long before the first
syllable leave
their mouth.

with the raging wind
as our enemy
you threw the rope
down at me
i clung to it
tightening my grip

up

up

up

i climb


midway through the ascent
confusion washed over me
for i expected you to continue
pulling me up

gently and hesitantly
i tugged at the rope
to call your attention

'continue?'

you never bothered to look down
and I never
ever bothered
to hold onto anything else
beside the rope
our rope

it was too late to see that I was falling
and broken bones
are just one
of my many shattered pieces

only after i was ashes
did I understand
why the highest soar
has the most painful drop

-i can still remember how both my skull and heart crack open

Sinabi ko naman sayo
Na may abandonment issues ako
Na dinaig pa ng pinandidirihan at kinatatakutan kong mga mahahabang bulate
Ang takot kong maiwan nalang basta basta

Para akong isang turistang naghahandang tumalon sa isang napakataas na bundok
Isa isang kinabit ang mga harness sa aking katawan
Maingat at ekspertong mga kamay ang siyang naninigurong ligtas ako sa gagawing pagsubok
Habang ako'y nanginginig at kinakabahan
Pinagpapawisan
Ang kamay, noo, paa, batok, likod, ilong at maging ang mga kili-kili
Malawak ang paligid at dapat ay maalwan ang paghinga
Ngunit ito'y tila kinakapos
Sige lang. Kaya ko to. Matatapos din to. Kasama naman kita, hindi ba?

Nagpaalala ang guide
Ngunit ako'y nag-aabang lang sa sinasabing signal
Tanda na magsisimula na ang pagbagsak

Ang lakas ng hangin
Hindi ba to makaaapekto mamaya sa amin?

Pinapwesto kami ng guide

'Pano kapag hindi ko kinaya?'

Nagbibilang na siya

'Matatapos ko ba?'

Ibaba na nila.

'Hindi na mahalaga. Kasama ko naman siya.'

Isa


Dalawa


Tat--

Teka. Teka. Asa'n ka na?