EDITRIXIAGOMEZ

www.jeromeifyouwantto.blogspot.com

Nanay ko.



And back when she was young.

Joke lang, dahleng.

Photo from the personal collection of Cesar Hernando.

Paalam na ng tuluyan
To this year’s harvest ng mga di kailangan
ATM receipts, sinimulang tula
Mga journals na page 2 lang ang inabot
Gym brochures at calling cards
Ng mga taong di natawagan (o di tatawagan—kailan man)
Ng mga gastos na unaccounted for, uncalled for
Scattered around the floor,
they all look the same now.
Medical receipts, spa gift certificates, plane tickets
Spoiled eye cream and moisturizer na expired
Pag depressed ka pala, no choice but to look dead tired
Parang mga friendships na di na kailangang irevive,
Or i-mouth-to-mouth.
I finally pulled the plug this year (Yipee!), pero ika nga the bills are still here
And there na rin, like dead butterflies together with the People Magazines
and old newspapers and cellphone manuals and Ultrasound results.
And the mainit-init pang Christmas gifts of fruitcakes, foot-spa tubes and mugs
From people who thought they needed to send something kasi the thought counts.
Pasasaan ba’t all these will find their way to the all-of-a-sudden reusable plastic bag from Shopwise, on a New year’s eve like this, at bukas, kukunin ng basurero at dadalhin
sa isang 168 Mall ng mga basura, at magkikita-kita silang lahat:
proofs of purchase, mementoes of heartaches, remembrances of things past you thought you can’t live without. Because that’s where you got all these anyway—
sa isang random multi-level tiangge of this game called life.
Pasasaan ba’t matututo din, that it doesn’t take much, chuwa, chuwa
It doesn’t take much to go from year to happy new year.

Happy holidays! Or as Melanie Marquez said accepting her Best Actress trophy for The Untold Story of Melanie Marquez: "ETO NA PO ANG PINAKAMALIGAYANG PASKO AT MANIGONG BAGONG TAON SA INYONG LAHAT!"

But my real blog is at jeromeifyouwantto.blogspot.com.

Happy holidays!