When does love grow?

By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo

DURING the regular meeting of the UrBai, a celebratory movement of leadership and spiritual life, I heard two of the members of the group talking about their husbands who passed away. Both husbands have had affairs, and at the time of their deaths, were not on speaking terms with their wives. However, as the law would have it, their bodies had a final landing with their wives, a pyrrhic victory for the women, who claimed ownership of the “body” despite the fact that the same body rested elsewhere when it was still alive.All the husbands’ properties, what is publicly known anyway, were automatically given to the wives. One was buried as a hero at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the other in an expensive memorial park. Along with other close friends, I was witness to the violent outbursts that continued after the husband’s deaths. Over the years, however, I noticed the gradual resurgence of more loving thoughts, as if, time had erased the bad memories, and replaced them with more romantic tales. Perhaps, this was an indication of forgetting, or of forgiving, that one is able to access some happiness, from memories stored before human nature took its natural course, surrendering to biological, romantic and other needs. Even the gestures of a wink, of holding hands, of lover’s quarrels, suddenly were being shared. There was delight even with the curses hurled at each other. Suddenly, the ordinary became charming. It seemed to me, that love grew over time, in the process of forgetting, in the act of forgiving, nurtured in the tragic spaces necessary for women to love again, another human being.

INARO TA KA LA AMO (Maybe I already love you)

Nayarin inaro ta ka la ta manrorosas su dilak

tan amin ya salitak manbubunga’y masamit ya mangga

Nu man-akarak, amin ya sigay et mila la ed siak paunla ed sika

Singa inaro ta ka la ta say pakalikas ko

singa ak la prinsesa ya akakabayo ed sika

Singa ak dagem ya maples ya uniingas ed tapew na kakawayanan
ya pawil-pawil ya una-angob ed dalin

Nayarin inaro ta ka la ta apu-olan ira’y dika
tan asinit su dalin ya nandukulan ta nen labi

Translation

Maybe i already love you because my tongue blooms
and all my words bear sweet fruits of mangoes

When i walk, all the seashells follow me, to you

Maybe i already love you because I feel like
a princess mounting on top of you

I feel like the wind breathing fast and heavily
on top of the bamboo trees
moving back and forth, kissing the ground

Maybe i already love you, because the grasses burned
and the earth is still in flames where we made love last night.

(For your comments and reactions, please email to: punch.sunday@gmail.com)

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