Sunrise in Baras, Catanduanes by Jorge Estrada Tejada.
It was just a few days
After your 72nd year.
It was just a few days
When the old year
Gave way to a new sunrise
Of the new year.
You have spent the Yule day
As quietly as possible.
The cleaning lady came
To help you manage
A normal day.
There are no frantic trips
To the grocery or wet market.
No wrapping of gifts
No lighted Christmas trees
That remained grey
Day in and day out.
There are days to look forward to
The youngest granddaughter
Turning two
The youngest grandson
Turning a month old.
How did the years
Of your life amount to?
You manage existence
Wherever the current of life
Brings you.
You are happy with a few pesetas.
You are glad you are not obsessed with cars
And brand new houses
And miracle cellphones.
You were happy with a bike
That has outlived its usefulness.
You were content with your own little acre
Tending to potted plants
While you process
The day’s bad news.
You are happy your grandson
Found good company in classmates
Locked down for 10 months now.
They are forever trying out new tunes
New business ventures
That had them delivering food packs
To captive customers.
To be 72 and still doing
Ordinary routines
But hopefully at peace with the world.
You feel sorry for a man of 75
Moneyed and powerful
Overflowing with connections
At his easy reach.
You wonder why his life
Revolves around
Shoot-to-kill orders
And reviving death penalties
And shaming men and women
Whose opinions magnify
His own wicked self, his weaknesses
And his utter lack of wisdom
In his ripe old age.
It was just a few days
After you turned a year older.
It was just a few days
After the new year
Ushered in a new sunrise.
It is time
To recharge your capacity for kindness.
It is also time
To test your capacity for forgiveness.
It is also time
To reflect on a past life
And to find it in your heart
To forgive your own self.
It is a quiet landscape out there
While you enjoy the peace and quiet
Of the island ravaged
By strong winds and frequent floods
And recurring earthquakes
During the holidays.
It is time to summon
Peace in your heart
As you welcome a new day
On this new transition
Of your life.
Still a few things
Are worth celebrating.
You keep memories
Of the laughter
Of your grandchildren.
You remember acts of kindness you can’t resist
Of friends asking for G-Cash numbers
And bank account names
And sending food packs
When you are too wary
Of trips to groceries
And crowded markets.
It is a year like no other
The worst floods
The worst typhoons
The year of angry volcanoes
And a brand of governance
That’s neither here nor there
A product of brains no longer functioning
As it should.
Still
So many things to thank for.
The year gave you
A deeper capacity for reflection
That illumined
Worthy causes
And deep capacity
For compassion.