By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo

 

I learned that a monument of Rizal was taken down to give way to another monument in a Pangasinan town, fermenting a quiet dissent among Masons and Rizal advocates. Another monument was beheaded by a lightning in a Pangasinan island some time ago. Whether these monuments struggle with the temper of the evolving culture of the times, political weather or at the whim of natural elements, most of these monuments, left without an identification, are forgotten with their deeds. And these are people that Philippine history educated us to remember, because we seem to forget what they represent and what they mean to our cultural identity and values.

Which brings me to my point. A visible monument is easy to erase, by a hammer, or by the sheer deterioration of our memories. However, an invisible monument, etched in one’s heart and deep consciousness is almost impossible to erase. Take for example, the monument of love etched in a child for her parents, or a parent to a child’s, or a young child’s connection with his caregiver. I was touched by the efforts of a young Chinese film director who for years, looked for his caregiver in the Philippines. Or a Saudi Arabian princess tracing the caregiver who taught her an Ilocano lullaby. Or the monument of love and faith God built in our hearts, nurturing each individual human being, each tree, or even a pebble. Such monuments of love do not die.

 

The monument

a graven likeness
life-size, life-like
five million worth of stone
built by an obedient son
and a subservient coterie
of kitchen cooks
salivating to ensure for themselves
immortality after death

standing in the sun and heavy rain
imposing and proud
stared at on study tours
by schoolchildren, giggling
on their phones, taking selfies
with you in the background
forgetting who you were
what you thought you did
what you actually did

as they leave, the teacher asked
“Who is the man in the statue?”
silence dropped, hands scrambled
for electronic devices,
looking for your image

two gigabytes of memory
failed to show a match
but your son remembers,
what was engraved on the stone
and who you truly were to him
even when, he is “stoned”

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments