Grief By Virginia J. Pasalo IT is easy to forget others when in grief. I cry at the slightest provocation and the most endearing memories. I cry for losses and victories. And I forget, I forget a lot of things. For example, I forgot to buy flowers from the little…

Oysters on a pillow By Virginia J. Pasalo   LAST night my niece Mira who works at the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) held a pillow just taken out of the plastic wrap. She said it was an unused pillow beside Nanay’s body. My sister Lydia and Emma wanted to…

You, in your dreams By Virginia J. Pasalo I have not dreamt in a long time. But that is entirely incorrect, according to scientific studies. According to these studies, everyone ever studied dreamt, and it is generally accepted that all of us dream. These past few days however, I had…

The necessity of the unnecessary By Virginia J. Pasalo   Valentine’s Day Conversation “Thank you, is this a prayer? I did not understand it.” “Yes it’s a recitation of Quran. My friend did it. Did it appeal to u? He has a nice voice. I wanted to say good morning…

Love when you can By Virginia J. Pasalo   IT’S 7:00 o’clock on a busy evening, and the cars compete for spaces to move through. From my window, I could see them, little crawlers whose destinations I could only hope to be where they really want to be, as Ennio…

The way we were By Virginia J. Pasalo   THE beauty of pictures is that they capture moments and enable you to remember. What one remembers changes over time, depending on one’s state of mind at the present. At times, a picture reminds you of the events, at other times,…

Like words to water, we become By Virginia J. Pasalo   THE time for cursing and name-calling will eventually lose its charm. A few more months and the saliva that nurtures the taste for it will go totally stale. The people who cheer, the people who ignore, and the those…

Changing By Virginia J. Pasalo   I HAVE changed. I do not know if it’s because of getting older. Or I am getting too comfortable. Whatever it is, it is also causing me discomfort. I used to march on the streets for things I believed in. I would spend my…

Moving out By Virginia J. Pasalo   “BYE BYE my favorite, warm, cozy, happy kitchen, Nana’s Kitchen, where memories are made, good cooking and grand people are served well!” I got that on Nana Buxani’s timeline with a photo of her in her kitchen wearing an apron with a caption, “Most…

The Presence of the absent By Virginia J. Pasalo   TODAY I woke up from a dream, a dream that reminded me of a friendship that has always been present, despite its seeming absence. I dreamt of a race track with many people, and noticed a group dismayed by my…