VIRGINIA JASMIN PASALO

 

VIRGINIA JASMIN PASALO

 

The Garden

 

I woke up today thinking

of the many days

when I felt your soul

was no different from mine

that I can forget about it

and it is still there

with me

in me

and that I dance

in your gentle fingers

in the breeze slowly caressing

my hair

that I could breath you

in the scent of the jasmines

in this garden, at this hour

everyday

for each day that still remains

even when

you are very, very far away

 

I hold your soul in mine gently

as I pick the flowers

with joy, as much as pain

where thorns of the bougainvillea

can wound, but whose colors

can heal as they burst

with the smile of the sun

 

in this garden, I wait patiently

with the olive-backed sunbirds

for the fruits to ripen

for the buds to open

to nourish my body and soul

to borrow the songs of the wind

and dance another day

 

 

Your Truth

 

I was hoping there is an end

to this very long walk

to enter your heart

and see a hint, a reason

for the loneliness

in your eyes

so that you can be mute

but finally, speak.

 

 

The Seed

 

i have seen you grow before

in another time,

in so many places

 

a seed so formidable

by its sheer charm

so strong

as its promise

 

a pattern so familiar

in a soil so nurturing

so prone to the illusion

of a million flowers blooming

of luscious fruits for the picking

 

so early to be ripening

from the seed of a tree

whose roots have gnawed

and clawed its way

from the depths of the ground

to witness its own rebirth

 

VIRGINIA JASMIN PASALO

 

VIRGINIA JASMIN PASALO is Commissioner of the Pangasinan Historical and Cultural Commission. She has written and edited books on history, culture, human rights, feminism and environmental issues. She maintains a column at a weekly newspaper, Sunday Punch, for current issues in politics, economics, and environmental concerns as they relate to the role of women in society. She is also a gardener, a poet and a community organizer.