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Heartstrings

WE thrum… all the time, sounding and sending an array of notes in the ambient air. Such notes resonate in certain persons sounding and sending a similar chord, the same array of notes— and a gathering of two (or more) of such kindred spirits touch off music of their own spheres, a seamless blending… melding, welding, even a symphony in unison.

Some unheard-of scientific stuff to point up why like attracts like, how come birds of the same feather fly together, why do certain couples make sweet music while others don’t, why there’s such a thing as love at first insight…

That explains why we hit—and heat—it up, dear… and we have barely made a decent (and indecent) or recent conversation, haven’t we?

With nary a pipsqueak, I repair into a fleabag of a motel room in Sta. Cruz or Pasay… and within minutes, transients of nearby rooms are in jitters, in, ah, turmoil, affected by a threatening presence… tila mga uod sa pusalian na nabagsakan ng tipak ng nagliliyab na bulalakaw…

Ah, ‘twas the zealot Paul of Tarsus who can offer an explanation— brilliance repels those who dwell in darkness.

Nakakarami ng inom kahit noon, aanyayahan ng kainuman na sa kanyang tahanan magpalipas ng magdamag… and bawling kids in the household are hushed into a calm, even without seeing me invade their abode… my host and his missus are stumped, and often ask me to stay past my welcome…

Accursed foreboding of extirpation… blessed soothing presence… I am both. Leave it up to you, my dear, to pick your wish.

“I know that someday you’ll want me to want you.”

That’s the opening line of the first love ditty that I learned when I was barely three years old (uh, my two-year old granddaughter still amazes me, she sings ‘Think of Me’ from Phantom of the Opera)… and I had to sing that note-perfect, pauses appropriate (“bibig dapat bumibigkas saka bumibigwas”) and enunciation proper. Or else my tongue would be rubbed on with crushed red hot chili pepper… that taught me to carry tunes borne of arson thereafter, nah, I’m no torch singer.

Lagi kitang kausap dahil lagi kitang kaisip. Magsasama palagi sa usapan at isipan.

There. A dozen or so words have barely passed between us… and words don’t count since they’re not to be counted but weighed… tinitimbang talaga kaya yata P2.50 bawat kataga ang karaniwang bayad sa mga sulating ipinapagawa sa pusakal na nagsusulat… and the heart speaks volumes when the lips are hushed.

So we speak our minds—the mindless only engage in inane chatter… better yet, speak out with our hearts in so few words, terse and tense… such a transaction turns to transformation.

We’ll hit if off. And heat it up.

Comments

hendrick said…
I love your articles in People's Jouranl! :)
Do you have Twitter accnt?
10:12 PM
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