In a Race that Matters

I am the voice in my head. I am a mind of juxtaposing ramblings. I am a dormant volcano. I am a sage of old, resurrected from the depths. I am the gavel of my fate. I am a kick, a jolt, a tremor. I am the proverbial black cat lurking in the corner. I am a beehive of inexhaustible honey. I am a garden of fresh roses, tended by the glow and radiance of spring. I am an eternal apprentice –always panting for the answers, always itching, always scrubbing the itch. I am a diamond in the making. I am a wide-eyed kid. I am a squirming earthworm. I am a crushed grape, oozing with a sweet-sour juice. I am an herbal salve. I am a thunder, hidden in a whimper. I am a door slightly ajar. I am a knot untangled. I am a gypsy, a nomad, a voyager coasting along the billowing waves of the seas. I am mommy eagle –sharp-clawed, yet tender-hearted. I am a descendant of Diego Bandido, a progeny of Gabriela Silang, a secret admirer of the great Jose Rizal. I am fruit-king --- spiky on th...

Blow one’s top Go berserk Let off steam Mad as a wet hen A bull in rampage These are the idoms in my writer’s tickler that fall under my scribbles on anger. Alongside are words evocative of the same meaning – rage, indignation, wrath, ire, fury. For the past weeks, I have been brooding over this negative emotion that has caused many an earthling to make brash decisions and actions that have damaging consequences. It has also caused needless grief and heartache. I have encountered people who often display this emotion – at school, at work, at home, in the grocery store, in the parking lot, in the restaurant—practically anywhere. I have also observed that its display is not confined to a particular class or age group. When piqued, kids fight back. When scolded, teens lash acerbic words. When bored or ignored, wives nag. Fathers spank. Bosses shout. Employees backbite. Soldiers shoot. Still, others kill. Where did this ticking time bomb of emotion originate? Why do we experie...

What goes on in the mind of a five-year old? I am oftentimes baffled by Orvik’s spontaneous rattles that reveal a line of reasoning fit for an A in Logic 101. My, I don’t remember having the wit of Michael V at age five. *** His expression these days is “Ay, Que Barbaridad!” in imitation of Dad who blurts the words when things are not A-ok. The little man, however, coined a new term addressed solely to me whenever I seem to do things he doesn’t approve of --- “Ay, Que BarbariMOM!” *** When asked why he has missing teeth (he already lost two), he quipped without batting an eyelash, “Si Mommy kasi brush ng brush ng teeth ko, nalaglag tuloy!” (Mommy always brushes my teeth, that's why they fell!) *** When he heard that Jesus is in our hearts, he asked, “Bakit maraming Jesus?” (Why are there plenty of Jesus?) (He took the meaning literally. Since each person has a heart, he thought that each has Jesus in his heart. And because there are many hearts, then there must be many...