Skip to main content

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?

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...

Kuntaw

I T was more than an implement—tough as metal, soft as petal—wielded like lightning to repulse conquerors. Invading Mactan in 1521, Ferdinand Magellan and his men must have thought that their fabled Toledo steel swords would be more than a match more the island’s native defenders—they were dead wrong. The Spaniards never knew what hit them. In the 1900s, American occupation forces in Mindanao particularly in the Sulu islands found themselves under constant harassment from what they called “crazy hermits” or juramentados . The native fighters would fast for days, go through special religious rites, then go forth to storm American garrisons. Even as the .445 caliber pistol was plied out in 1911 to stop seemingly unstoppable fighters, the Americans still never knew what hit them. Looking back with pride at such points in history when their fighting mettle was unleashed in battle, Filipino Muslims, especially the Tausugs of Sulu will, with a little nudge and tug at their patriotic sentimen...

Baka talisay ang kailangan kung mabilis nilalabasan

KAMBAL na hitang nakabukaka ang pahayag—an open statement na hindi pinid at wala nang pasubali o baka masususugan pa. (“Susog” ang salitang ugat na katakam-takam talagang bigkasin dahil kung nanamnamin at hihimas-himasin para bang susong busog ang ibig sabihin.) We’re trying to make sense of a claim we stumbled into about the fruits of an ornamental tree. To wit: “The kernel of Indian almond has shown aphrodisiac activity, it can probably be used in treatment of some forms of sexual inadequacies (premature ejaculation).” For goodness’ sakes, what are those other forms of sexual inadequacies, er, shortages? What’s Indian almond? Higit nating kilala ang Indian almond bilang talisay. Tinatawag ding tropical almond, Java almond, Singapore almond, Pacific almond . Kilala din sa pangalang umbrella tree, badamier, ketapang, huu kwang , at sa mga botanist na mahilig sa boteny tulad ni Ama, Terminalia catappa . Makatas ang hinog na lamukot ng bungang talisay—karaniwang dilaw o namumula ang ku...