On Your Birthday
"Your Nans remains the same nurturing soul in both life and the afterlife." Nans, Tita Ging said this in her text to me this morning. She also said she remembers you with much love and prayers on this day--your birthday. When I read that, I couldn't help but shed some tears. Ikaw yan eh, 'lakas mo! Also, I thought, your brand of love has incredible recall! Timeless and boundless. Marketing people can learn something from you. Anyway, Nans, I'll keep it relatively short today. For some reason, this poem I wrote in 2001 came to mind, and I believe it expresses my feelings today perfectly. So I'm offering this to you, because you are the biggest fan of my writing (Palihim mo pang ninenenok ang mga intermediate pad na sinusulatan ko. Nakakatouch.). When I Remember You In the midst of sadness, of forgotten glee, how I remember the days when you were with me. And slow as they may be, a smile and a sweet thought slip into my mind.