Saturday, July 21, 2007

back to Asingan

 

One Sleepless night in Cabingcolan…

Born  premature to this world, my parents were then always occupied with me. They nurtured me and I was always in their laps listening to their lullabies. Anyone who visited my mom treated me with an innocent prank.

The NOX can’t get enough from the inexperienced and vexed parents who were struggling every night. But I was their first baby.

Time went by fast, finally it loosened me from their hands. I said, "First, let me fly just a short distance."

Adolescence would affect parents and there were more squabbles over me. I made friends, tried to fly more distances. My alma mater is now just part of my memory. College is a journey but just to the others with financial freedom. My parents struggled to put me there, and they tried hard.

Forbearing… yet that would be the only scheme for our US Immigrant petition until papers finally arrived. Everybody in my family left for the USA except me! I was past the proper age , and that’s the US embassy rule… we tried anything but ended up waiting for 7 more years....

But while waiting, I went to college, thanks to my  parents...and  their American dollars... Manila became my next home after my family left . I just went back to Asingan for holidays.

One time I wanted to be a hermit staying in our house that has been empty for years. Being solitary… I would lie down on my back on a bamboo bed that my Tatay worked on when I was 8 years old. I can’t ignore all the memory in every corner of our old house. Everywhere I turned, I felt choked and my eyes started to moisten.

A very notable singer - song writer Fredie Aguilar has a  work "ANAK" which will be applicable to every young Filipino. But the end of his lyrics was nothing compared with my story.

 

Then the Nox came to share the peace of the night as I was having a dreamless slumber… The crickets gave the music in my ears while the Nox suspended the consciousness of the world. I woke up, and my tears broke and streamed down seemingly all night long.

 

Then came my Immigration papers that changed the direction of my life.

I would like to thank the NOX who swung the wand over my head that memorable night in Cabincolan....

--Archie Macanas

 

 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Vic, you featured your voluptuous looking nymphet figurine again which you bought from a Toronto store and adorned your garden with it. First time I saw it in your Journal a few months ago, I intended to comment on it but kind of forgot doing so. I think the allure and "meatiness" (full of meat, very little sauce) of Archie's literary piece perfectly blended with your figurine's.