In My Own Home

Coming home from school, the rain had been battering the streets with pelts of water as if earth is thirsty after battling the gruelling summer heat. Then along the way came the gush of wind made stronger by the irate intensity of the changing weather. I reached home safe yet in the company of my own abode I was restless.

The state of the nation where I am right now is in a siege mood. Never in my entire life had I imagined being in the middle of this chaos. Differing political views and unwavering opinions meet no resolutions. The nation is rattled and so are the people, young and old alike.

The summer heat depletes the ground of much needed water that plants suffer, wither and die. Those big trees were fortunate enough to extend their roots to seek for a water source but those small ones were left parched and to perish.

People who have the resources to survive times of trouble are like the big trees of the forest. They could find opportunities to either protect themselves from the heat and live through summer days. Those unfortunate would be left to their own standings to make do of what they have for the challenges are just not suited for their makings.

Being at home means living at the comfort we earned in years. Though I was able to reach home dry from that sudden downpour, being at home does not mean I am free from harm. For it is in my own home that I feel threatened by outside forces. No one is sure of what's to happen and it is in not knowing what's ahead that intensifies the apprehensions.

Torn

Afraid to be alone
yet knowing it isn't right
To wait, to stay
remaining still, out of sight.

The times of solitude
envelopes the core
For each and every corner
seemed cold and a bore.

Delivers a mighty blow
each night that passed
The tears, the longing
the very hope collapsed.

And for the absence
a kindle of fire
Searched within
just one, no denial.

A promise was made
that there's but one
The coming was but
an accident compound.

Though the presence
filled empty feelings
It was the absence
haunting and seeking.

Torn, as if a choice
was to be made for now
When this will grow
to stop, I made a bow.

A Short Walk

I am a walker. I walk all the time. I walk out of my village to reach the entrance fourteen streets away. So when I lost the ability to walk because of knee related injury, I was devastated.

When I was in grade school I was hit by a school bus and had to be in the hospital for less than a month. I had a motorcycle accident and left me in crutches for a week and limping for a month. The very last incident was health related as my knee swelled and I had to literally drag myself out of school, towards a cab to go to the hospital.

When I walked the vast grandeur of the Imperial Garden in Beijing years ago, I almost lost the strength to go back to the main entrance as I was exhausted beyond exhaustion. My knees were about to snap and my legs were aching. I gathered whatever was left inside me and finally made it back to my hotel. The walking gave me the opportunity to see the magnificence of the palace. The walking made me stronger in spirit. The walking became a test of endurance.

There are many stories of people who had battled their greatest enemies and faced their waterloos. There are many stories of people aiming for great heights and achieving things beyond their expectations. They aim high and they try their best. All because they believe that they can do things far beyond their capabilities. It is in trying, in persevering and in harnessing the strength within that we win.