Love That Dog

It was Saturday, and I was with Miriam at SM North Edsa. She was having her laptop fixed and I tagged along. We happened to pass by the second floor of the main mall, where there happened to be a "book sale" corner selling books(I'm not referring to Booksale though, which happened to sell 20-peso books. I browsed the shelves and found Sharon Creech's Love That Dog. I immediately bought it. First, because Creech is a Newberry Medal Awardee, second, because I like children's books and third, because I liked the cover. However, I was disappointed when I browsed through the first few pages; the first page featured a poem - a children's poem. So did the second page and the third. I don't really enjoy poetry much, and I didn't feel like going through "Humpty Dumpty stuff" again. Good thing I didn't give up right away, because embedded within those kiddie poems is a poignant story. Sharon Creech did deserve that Newberry Medal, my 20-pesos was more than worth it :3 Here is one poem from the book:

MY SKY

We were outside in the street
me and some other kids
kicking the ball
before dinner
and Sky was
chasing chasing chasing
with his feet going
every which way
and his tail
wag-wag-wagging
and his mouth
slob-slob-slobbering
and he was
all over the place
smiling and wagging
and slobbering
and making
us laugh
and my dad
came walking up the street
he was way down there
near the end
I could see him
after he got off the bus
and he was walk-walk-walking
and I saw him wave
and he called out
"Hey there, son!"
and so I didn't see
the car
coming from the other way
until someone else -
one of the big kids -
called out
"Car!"
and I turned around
and saw a
blue car blue car
splattered with mud
speeding down the road

And I saw Sky
going after the ball
wag-wag-wagging
his tail
and I called him
"Sky! Sky!"
and he turned his
head
but it was too late
because the
blue car blue car
splattered with mud
hit Sky
thud thud thud
and kept on going
in such a hurry
so fast
so many miles to go
it couldn't even stop
and
Sky
was just there
in the road
lying on his side
with his legs bent funny
and his side heaving
and he looked up at me
and I said
"Sky! Sky! Sky!"
and then my dad
was there
and he lifted Sky
out of the road
and laid him on the grass
and
Sky
closed his eyes
and
he
never
opened
them
again
ever.

Kaya Kailangang Sumulat

"May paulit-ulit bang realisasyon na hindi naman talaga ganoon kahaba ang buhay ng tao? Na may mga nilalang na hindi na nga makakaalpas sa siyam na buwang pag-aabang sa sinapupunan, na hindi lahat ay nabiyayaan ng malusog na katawan, ng mga mabuting kaibigan, ng buong pamilya, ng hindi kasuklam-suklam na buhay? Ganu'n kaya 'yun, kaya ba bawat maliit na pasasalamat, kaya ba kada kaunting piraso ng kung ano'ng pagtatagumpay, kaya ba lahat ng maiksing oras ng paguusap, ng pagpapahayag ng saloobin, ng mga himutok, kaya ba lahat-lahat ng ito'y nagiging mas matingkad, mas mabigat?"

-Vlad Bautista Gonzales
A-Side/B-Side

Kaya kailangang sumulat...

The 10 Conyomandments

1. Thou shall make gamit “make+pandiwa”.
ex..
Heidi: “Let’s make pasok na to our class!”
Regina: “Wait lang! I’m making kain pa!”
Heidi: “Come on na, we can’t make hintay anymore! It’s in econ pa, you know?”

2. Thou shall make kalat “noh”, “diba” and “eh” in your pangungusap.
ex.
Kathryn: “I don’t like to make lakad in the baha nga, no? Eh diba it’s like, so
eew, diba?”
Laarni: “What ba: stop nga being maarte noh?”
Kathryn: “Eh as if you want naman also, diba?”

3. When making describe a whatever, always say “It’s SO pang-uri!”
ex.
Laarni: “It’s so malaki, you know, and so mainit!”
Regina: “I know right? So sarap nga, eh!”
Laarni: “You’re making me inggit naman.. I’ll make bili nga my own burger.”

4. When you are lalaki, make parang punctuation “dude”, ‘tsong” or “pare”
ex.
Louie: “Dude, Math 55 is so hirap, pare.”
Jay: “I know, tsong, I got bagsak nga in quiz one, eh”

5. Thou shall know you know? I know right!
ex.
Heidi: “My bag is so bigat today, you know”
Louie: “I know, right! We have to make dala pa kasi the jumbo Physics book eh!”

6. Make gawa the plural of pangngalans like in English or Spanish
ex.
Laarni: “I have so many tigyawats, oh!”

7. Like, when you can make kaya, always use like. Like, I know right?
ex.
Regina: “Like, it’s so init naman!”
Kathryn: “Yah! The aircon, it’s, like sira!”

8. Make yourself feel so galing by translating the last word of your
sentence, you know, your pangungusap?
ex.
Heidi: “Kakainis naman in the LRT! How plenty tao, you know, people?”
Laarni: “It’s so tight nga there, eh, you know, masikip?”

9. Make gamit of plenty abbreviations, you know, daglat?”
ex.
Louie: “Like, OMG! It’s like traffic sa LRT”
Regina: “I know right? It’s so kaka!”
Louie: “Kaka?”
Regina: “Kakaasar!"

10. Make gamit the pinakamaarte voice and pronunciation you have para full
effect!
ex.
Kathryn: “I’m, like, making aral at the Arrhneo!”
Heidi: “Me naman, I’m from Lazzahl!”


*Eto ay skit sana namin sa Panitikang Pilipino 19 na hindi naipresent due to time constraint daw. Ang leader namin na si Laarni Jadloc ang gumawa ng skit na binase niya naman daw sa isa pang blog na nabasa nya. Pasintabi po sa original author.

Pieta sa Compound Microscope

Siksik sa tao ang kalsada
Mga taong nagsisigawan, lumalaban
Andun siya
Nakahawak sa bisig ng ama

Ngumingiti sa mga kakilala
Maya't-maya'y nakikisigaw
Isang bala
Nabitawan ang bisig ng ama

Napahiga siya sa kalsada
Mata'y nakadilat, gulat na gulat
Dugong pula
Umagos sa sugat, ilong, taenga, mata

Nakadiin sa dibdib ang kamay ng ama
'Wag kang matakot
Sambit niya
Pilit pinipigil agos ng dugong pula

Nanginginig ang kamay ng ama
Ang totoo'y pareho silang takot na takot
Pikit mata
Nilunod ng mga sigaw ang hikbi at luha

Veenz’s Tailoring

Cesi, Jane and Joyce walked the dark and muddy sidewalks of Commonwealth Avenue. Hands together, they searched shop after shop for a signboard indicating “Veenz’s Tailoring”. It was past seven in the evening and they have never been to where they were heading. They were going to get the jerseys. They were to carry about 3 heavy bags of jerseys through the footbridge and back to the dorm. The sports fest was going to start the next day and the boys were busy watching Ploning and Atang, so they had to go get the jerseys. Yes, the girls are not up against DotA or Ragnarok Online this time, they’re competing with Judy Anne Santos. Of course, who are they to go against Juday? They had to accept inevitable defeat.
They passed by Alfred’s Funeral Home. The green light inside the shop was very effective in spooking likely customers. Then there were the chains of red-lighted Videoke Bars – “Wanted GRO, Inquire Inside”, a sign read. They could hear the Drunkards reciting the words that appeared on the TV screen in their loudest voices – a futile attempt to sing. The next shop was Five Star Tailoring where they were told that Veenz’s Tailoring was “straight ahead”. At last, they reached their destination. The shop was dark, and when they went inside they saw lighted candles. Joyce asked for the jerseys, and Ate Lisa said her line: “I’m sorry they’re not done yet. Come back tomorrow.” It has been almost a month since they ordered the jerseys, and Ate Lisa, as if sensing that they already got tired of her old line added an ad lib: “Could I ask for your 500-peso balance now? You will be getting everything tomorrow anyway. Look they’re almost done.” And she showed them the cut fabric. She told them that all that remained to be done was sewing the fabric together and putting the numbers. That was almost all that you had to do in order to come up with a finished jersey.
But of course, the girls, who studied in UP, did not comply. They told her that they’d only pay in full when they got the complete order. And so when they left, she yapped nonstop at Junie for spending all the money she gave, for Tanduay and cigarettes instead of paying the electricity bill.

Requiem

His last wish was for me to come home. It has been 20 years, but I remember everything as if it only occurred yesterday.
“Shhhh.” I whispered to Boy as I rocked him gently in my arms.
“Give him milk, and hurry, Papa Along is waiting for us.”
It was Daddy. We were bringing Boy to Papa Along because we cannot afford to take care of him anymore. There were already four of us: Nonoy, Inday, Me, and Arnold - too many mouths to feed, Daddy said. Plus, Nonoy and Inday were attending school.
I grabbed the takuri and poured hot water into the bibiron, then I punched two holes into the can of Alpine with the kitchen knife and poured some evap into the water. I drank some before I gave it to Boy. He fell quiet.
“Maeng, tara.”
“I'm coming, Daddy!”
That night, I sat by the window listening to my favorite radio drama. Pedro and Roberto were exchanging punches, but I wasn't really paying attention. My mind was wandering off to somewhere else – to those distant afternoons when I would lay my head on her lap as she crocheted a new curtain for the sala. She was pale; her lips were white, and she was very thin, but she was still very beautiful. Nobody looked better in white dresses than her. She smelled like Sampaguita blossoms. I missed the cassava cakes and biko. I missed dancing under the moonlight on harvest nights – there was nobody to dance with anymore. I missed Mommy.
As Pedro drew a gun and Isabel started to cry, I felt my own tears trickle down my cheeks. Life was better when Mommy was still alive. We lived in the barrio, in a bigger house. Arnold and I had more playmates then. Daddy was more handsome, and Inday looked prettier when Mommy was still around. I think we all looked better then, we were richer too. It was as if her absence cast a spell of ugliness and sorrow. We had to transfer to the bukid, in a small house with muddy floors and without any bed, just the banig to sleep in. Daddy grew thin and quiet. He looked old and never smiled. Everyone had worn out slippers and dirty shoes. Inday's hair was always untidy, and she made me remove lice from her hair every afternoon. We didn’t use curtains anymore.
Perhaps if Mommy did not die we did not have to give Boy to Papa Along, and Daddy didn’t have to work so hard.
“Maeng? Noy?” Daddy knocked on the door. He probably just finished planting new palay. I turned off the radio and wiped my tears, then hurried to open the door. He patted my head as he placed his muddy boots on the side.
“Ta, let us sleep.”
I woke up at 4 am, the next day, to prepare breakfast. “Pse!” The big orange cat jumped out of the kalan. I placed new firewood upon the bed of ashes and started the siga with a match. Outside, the roosters crowed and the birds sang.
Soon, Daddy was with me, holding his salakot. “Not done cooking yet?” I lifted the cover of the kaldero, the sinaing was dry enough. I lifted the kaldero and placed it on the bamboo floor, then shoveled dirt into the fire. Daddy squat on the floor as I got two plates and a platito with bagoong. We ate in silence.
“Don't forget to chop firewood, and tell Arnold to bathe the kalabaws.” He said as he stood up. I nodded. “Ingat Daddy.”
After washing the plates and utensils, I went out to get banana leaves where I would place Nonoy and Inday's baon. And so it was like that every day. I took care of the household chores, fetched water from the stream downhill, gathered and chopped firewood, brought goats to shady pastures, pulled out weeds that grew near the palay and visited Mommy. I had no time for play, and if I did it had to be jackstone with Inday, because she pinched me when I refused.
Two years later, when I came home from school soaked in rain water, holding my slippers and my wet pad paper, I saw a wrinkled woman in a long black skirt and brown blouse, with short white-streaked hair sitting in the rattan furniture, talking to Daddy.
“O Maeng, amen to your Tiya Sinta.”
I did as I was told and brought her hand to my forehead. I did the same for Daddy.
“Tiya? We call our aunts 'Ante'. Who is this woman?” I thought.
“Change your clothes, we are going to their house.”
I looked at Daddy, puzzled.
“Hurry up, your siblings are already done dressing up.”
Tiya Sinta lived in the next bukid. She was a widow with seven children. And as what I found out later that day, she was going to be our madrasta – Daddy was going to marry her the next month.
We were all quiet the whole walk back and it was only during supper that I spoke.
“Daddy, I don't like her. Don't marry her.” I blurted out the words without warning. Everyone stopped to look at me except Daddy who continued eating.
“Your Mommy is dead.”
That moment I loathed him. I wanted to make him pay for those four words uttered so coldly, but no words came out; I was shocked, and was trying so hard to keep the tears from falling. Of course I knew she was, but the way that Daddy said it made it sound final and irrevocable. He sounded like he didn't mourn for her death, while I cried almost every night as my memories with her haunted me.
Nonoy st arted to speak. “It is barely past one year since Mommy died. Don't you th ---”
Daddy pounded his fist on the bamboo floor. “Shut up Danilo! Don't meddle with the affairs of adults! Your Tiya and I are getting married next month and I'm not asking you for permission, I'm telling you what's going to happen.” Everyone bowed their heads as Daddy stood up. “I lost my appetite.”
I could not let him walk away like that. He had to pay. “You gave Boy away, and now you're taking in 7 more children! Life's bad enough without Mommy, don't make it worse!” I exclaimed, my trembling hands balled into fists. Before I knew it, Daddy's fist hit me in the face. I banged hard on the wall. Something hot trickle down from my nose. I was afraid but I looked him in the eyes. He was very angry.
Daddy grabbed the itak and pointed it at me. “Don't you dare talk to me like that again Ismael!”
Inday shrieked and fell into sobs. I caught Arnold’s eye but he quickly looked away and kept his head bowed. My hands turned cold and sweaty. I wanted to cry but I didn’t. I looked him straight in the eyes, not even blinking once. “I’m standing up for Mommy.” I thought.
“Daddy...” Nonoy said in a shaky voice.
“What? You dare to go against me Danilo?” Daddy pointed the itak at Nonoy. “Huh? You dare?” Nonoy moved backward, shaking his head. “Hindi Daddy, hindi Daddy.”
“Maaammmmy! Tulong Maaaaaammmy!” Inday wailed. “Maaaaammmy!”
Daddy threw the itak onto the floor. It got stuck on the kawayan. He went out of the house and slammed the door shut. Inday continued calling on Mommy as Nonoy patted her back. Arnold disappeared into the kalan area. I was frozen on the spot. At last I allowed the tears to fall.
“Sorry Maeng.” Arnold muttered as he handed me a sugar cane stem. I nodded and tried to comfort myself by sucking at the sweet tubo.
The next day, I woke up at 2 am. Daddy still wasn't home. I grabbed my clothes and placed them in a sack. I didn't say goodbye to anyone except Mommy. I brought her flowers and spent an hour with her. I told her I loved her and I missed her, then I kissed her goodbye.
Now I’m back to bid another farewell.
“Goodbye Daddy.” I hope he hears it through the glass.