Skip to main content

Tigalpo (Standard Express)

SAGLIT nawaglit sa isip ni Ama na tatablan ng libog ang sinumang babae, lalo na’t kulang sa irrigation. Kahit pa inihahanda sa pagtanggap ng kaalamang lihim, may pagkakataon na sa silangan hahapay ang isang pigi’t sa kanluran naman ang isa pa upang salpakan ng muhon ang balon.

Sa madaling sabi’y nabigyan ng irrigation—napairi siguro – at muling nakatupad sa banal na tagubilin. Tumihaya, este, humayo’t nakarami. Nabuntis nga. Pero hindi si Ama ang may kagagawan ng hinalang himala.

Kahit siya matulis, hindi naman harumpakan ang pakay ni Ama sa naturang babae. Anthropological research daw. Rather than swap bodily fluids, my old man intended to swap notes about a certain know-how that was revealed by an elder of hers to that female respondent. Something bout a certain death sentence.

Matagal din kasing naglaro ng qi gong o sining ng hininga si Ama. Sumasabay noon sa mga Chino tuwing umaga. May mga bahagi ng galaw ng katawan na sinasaliwan ng isa-dalawahing pantig na kataga. Na nagpapatibay sa iba’t ibang internal body organs, ayon sa mga Chino. Pinahuhusay, ginagawang matatag pati na body immune system para hindi maging sakitin. That’s an upside.

There ought to be a downside. Batay lang sa paniniwala ng mga inapo nina Lao-tze at Sun Tzu. Kung may yin, laging may yang.

Tiyak na mayroon ding mga mga kataga na talagang tataga’t mag-iiwan ng mga mortal na sugat sa katawan. Kukutuban na hindi lang dalawahing pantig ang mga ganoong kataga—na titibag naman o unti-unting wawasak sa internal body organs. O sasalantain ang body immune system para gawing kuta ang katawan ng samut-saring karamdaman.

Let’s say we host carcinoma angels inside us. Cancer cells. They just await in ambush, maybe a certain trigger to multiply like nobody’s business to reach critical mass. And once they get to that level, we’re ready for an appointment with an embalmer.

Nagbanta raw ang isang madre yata na naging biktima ng panunupil sa panahon ni Pangulong Ferdinand E. Marcos. Ni hindi kikilabutan sa banta. Ipagdarasal daw niya na maghuramentado sa pagdami ang carcinoma angels at iba pang pumapatay na anghel na taglay ng diktador sa kanyang katawan. Natigok nga ang diktador sa sakit.

And that, for my old man, embodies a path of inquiry. Kalkal. Bungkal. Halungkat.

Dalangin. Rezo. Oracion. Pangungusap. Affirmation. Sentence. Death sentence?

Nasumpungan ang death affirmation sa Sanskrit. Maran mantra ang tawag. Even the Sufi mystic Rumi gave an account how it was used, ah, muttered under the breath, to kill an animal.

And so the old man stumbled upon a Sanskrit syllable corresponding to fire that can be uttered in a stream to inflict harm, cause the intended victim to wither and well, die. “Parang kandilang nauupos” was how that infanticipating single mom introduced earlier had described the manner of a victim’s death.Such death sentence, actually just a stream of a single Sanskrit syllable muttered under the breath is irreversible, oh, horrors… We ought to amend that idiomatic phrase, if looks could kill. We know better now. Looks don’t.

Kaya siguro ayaw siputan ni Ama ang mga pagtitipon o pulong na may mga taong hindi niya ibig makausap. Baka kung ano pa kasi ang mabigkas na pangungusap.

Saka tahasang tutumutupad si Ama sa Coughlin’s Law yata. Don’t speak unless you can improve the silence.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

ALAMAT NG TAHONG

SAKBIBI ng agam-agam sa kalagayan ng butihing kabiyak-- at kabiyakan, opo-- na nakaratay sa karamdaman, ang pumalaot na mangingisda ay napagawi sa paanan ng dambuhalang Waczim-- isang bathala na nagkakaloob sa sinuman anumang ibulwak ng bibig mula sa bukal ng dibdib. Pangangailangan sa salapi na pambili ng gamot ng kapilas-pusong maysakit ang nakasaklot sa puso ng matandang mangingisda. 'Di kaginsa-ginsa'y bumundol ang kanyang bangka sa paanan ng Waczim. Kagy at umigkas ang katagang kimkim noon sa kanyang dibdib: "Salapi!" Bumuhos ng salapi-- mga butil at gilit ng ginto-- mula papawirin. At halos umapaw sa ginto ang bangka ng nagulantang na mangingisda, walang pagsidlan ang galak, at walang humpay ang pasasalamat sa mga bathala. Nanumbalik ang kalusugan ng kabiyak ng mangingisda. At lumago ang kabuhayan, naging mariwasa ang magkapilas-puso na dating maralita. Nilasing ng kanyang mga dating kalapit-bahay ang mangingisda-- na hindi ikina...

Cal y canto con camote

FENG shui (literally, wind water flow) lore has it root crops embody a hidden store of treasures. Say, a local food conglomerate needs yearly 35,000 metric tons of cassava for livestock feed-- the available local supply falls short of 13,000 tons. Cassava granules sell for around P9 a kilo. Demand for the same root crop to be used in liquor manufacturing is hitting above the roof. Why, raising cassava is a no-brainer task— this is one tough crop that can grow in the most hostile patches of earth, providing sustenance for ages to dwellers in sub-Saharan parts of Africa. While the hardy cassava is nearly pure starch, the lowly sweet potato or kamote is considered by nutritionists as a super food, the most nutritious of all vegetables— kamote levels of Vitamin A are “off the charts, rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.” A fist-sized kamote can supply a day’s dose of glucose to fuel the brain, muscles, and organs, so they claim. Count the country lucky...

Wealth garden

‘TWAS CRUEL as smashing a budding green thumb: some years back, an abuela warned me about letting any clump of katigbi (Job’s tears or Coix lachrymal jobi for you botanists) from growing in our homeyard. That grass with rapier-like leaves that smelled of freshly pounded pinipig supposedly invited bad luck and sorrows—why, that biblical character Job wailed and howled a lot, didn’t he? (But was later rewarded with oodles of goodies, wasn’t he?) Then, I came across some arcane text that practically goaded folks to grow katigbi in their gardens—why, there’s a starchy kernel wrapped shut in the seed’s shiny coat. A handful or more of kernels could be cooked as porridge. Too, one could whisper a wish upon seven seed pods, throw ‘em pods in running water—a river or stream—and the wish would be granted! I was warned, too, about planting kapok or talisay trees right in the homeyard—these trees form a cross-like branching pattern. Pasang-krus daw ang bahay na kalapit sa puno ng kapok, tal...