The Appointment By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THERE was an ancient Mesopotamian tale, retold by W. Somerset Maugham, which appears as an epigraph for the novel by John O’Hara: “A merchant in Baghdad sends his servant to the marketplace for provisions. Soon afterwards, the servant comes home white and trembling…

The man from the sky By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THERE are times when the body and the mind cooperate not to cooperate. Today for example, my body wanted to remain inside the bedsheets, when it was time for me to water the plants. After watering the plants, I should…

The thing called happiness By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   IN 1972, the 4th King of Bhutan, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck declared, “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product.” It is the very first time that the concept was articulated, changing the perspectives and measurements of Bhutan’s overall development. As an alternative…

New Year’s Eve 2021 By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   AT exactly 3:00 a.m., I normally go out to the yard to feel the air. Today it is cool, crisp and windy, passing through the limbs of the trees and the shrubs. I looked at the sky and saw the moon…

A walk in the clouds By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   IN the morning, when the clouds seem to race to the southern end of the sky, I did not wait for the sun to shine, I walked weaving my stride through the side streets lined with old acacia trees, among…

She paints flowers By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THS poem was read 16 December 2020, on the occasion of the first painting exhibit of a dear friend, Girlie Villariba, held at Io International (formerly ISIS International Manila), 3 Marunong, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101 Metro Manila.    She paints flowers She…

The uselessness of water By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   SO you are in love. And you know what you think you know but don’t. And you don’t because you know what you think you know. And yet, you plunge. You drown. Like a fish caught in midair by a bird,…

Red Tag By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THERE was a time when I would accompany my friends to buy clothes, pick the things we most like, pay for it quickly, and leave the store.  Sometimes, I see something I really like, but take my time to see if I still…

November rain By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   NOVEMBER started with heavy rains and strong winds with Typhoon Rolly. Less than two weeks after, Typhoon Ulysses howled at dawn on the 12th of November, like a madman, breaking the limbs of trees that forced the plants to kiss the wet ground,…

Indak By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   IN my early years in Quezon City, I leased a property for ten years at Teachers Village at the corner of Maginhawa and Mahabagin Streets. This was mainly because we were a big family and I had to find a place for my growing…