Tuesday, June 26, 2007
philippines
...
beautiful clear blue skies the colour of banca poles and jeepney benches. sunsets burning red, orange, yellow, into endless plains of sand. the ocean whispering away footprints as shadows stretch into darkness.
the sway of a hammock, the jolt of a jeepney topload. the bright white of crosses inexplicable and unexpected in impossibly-green hillsides. the smell of fresh leaves and bat guano. the light filtering through an ancient stone arch. parrotfish. sea urchins. the immensity of mantas. the rush that comes from being surrounded, encased, perfectly, by a shoal of circling fish. shells set like jewels in sand bars.
the awe of history, and the weight of ages. with closed eyes, the bright reverberation of joy echoing through the centuries.
the people. friendly, curious, insistent, persuasive, conniving, shy, helpful, indifferent, lugubrious-- but always laid-back and good-humoured.
thank you, guys. thanks for the memories. the help. the photos. the navigation. the cock-talking and song-singing. the shoulders, arms, rum, and cigarettes. the tears. the laughter. the com-squad clotheslines. unflappable good cheer, common cow sense, and much, much, love.
+ fictions&fires
9:27 PM
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plangere, latin: to strike, or to lament.
in the depth of winter i finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.
--albert camus
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to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight and never stop fighting.
-- ee cummings
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