From In The Level of Gods
published by Down With Grundy, Publisher
(now Banana-Cue Books, Publisher)

An Academic Ride with the Masses

 

Incorrigibly, the jeepney barker's call for Malolos*
simmers, dims the chances of my inclusion
in the terrible new crampness. I hasten

to wait for another bother, tugging along my
daily knapsack and a bag of new VHS tapes,
not to forget the presence of my eyeglasses,

but soon one arrives; indubitably, I hop in.
A stranger, I aver—"how much to Lolomboy?"
Eyes look my way, with my daily knapsack

and a lag of IHS** faith, wordless are they all,
estranged beings under tiredness' driving
capacity. I tug at my knapsack, count my

coins again, indelibly lay out the question
again: "how much to Lolomboy, Mr. Driver?"
Eyes look my way, the driver-eyes strangely

familiar as a signal countryman—hesitating,
ruminating, until a passenger gathers courage
to tell me, "this is only for Marilao." The eyes'

roar then shout, "this doesn't reach Lolomboy,
this is only till Marilao!" I (stupid) say, "oh, to
Marilao only, I'm sorry"; I hasten to jump

off, triumphant now the world with lucidity,
devoid of enmities . . . after years of silence.
I wipe my glasses, bag of video tapes under

my armpits, and confirm the Malolos-ness of
the next jeepney. Reaching home, I rejoice,
though infuriated by this weekly knapsack of

amazements, at the bog of cowardices one
rides with, on the way to a kinder millennium.

 

—Meycauayan-Lolomboy, Bocaue (Bulacan Province) 4/18/00

 

*  Malolos, Bulacan, was the capital of the Philippine revolutionary forces at the turn of
    the century. The first constitution of an independent Philippines was ratified here in
    1898.
** IHS is the Roman Catholic monogram for the name of Jesus Christ.

Copyright © 1999, 2001 Vicente-Ignacio Soria de Veyra. All rights reserved. Readers are welcome to view, save, file and print out single copies of this webpage for their personal use. No reproduction, display, performance, multiple copy, transmission, or distribution of the work herein, or any excerpt, adaptation, abridgment or translation of same, may be made without written permission from the author. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this work will be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

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