You have not known what you are.
You have slumbered upon yourself all your life.
Your eyes have been as much as closed most of the time.
What you have done is already in mockeries.

The mockeries are not you.
Underneath them
And within them,
I see you lurk...


-Walt Whitman



26.3.09

washed away


O
NCE UPON A TIME, a young lady talked to the sea. And it listened.

They say when your heart desires to free itself from any burden that wears it and when nobody or anything could seem to lighten the load, you’ll just have to do one thing—scream. And the best way to do this is by venting it all out to the open sea for it is a very good listener. Its waters just take anything. No protests. Without any reply. It’s just there. Ready to listen.

It was still midday but a gray sky and dark clouds churned above everything else. Everything was gray. And cold. She stood by the shore, eyes closed, tasting the salty chill of the air against her face. The beautiful waves of her hair billowed towards the direction of the wind. Along with it the length of her tattered dress and her spirit she wished was as free as the sea gulls fleeing away from the brewing storm.

I watched the motionless figure standing against that wide open space of dull canvas, adorned by a teal-colored sea, an eternal stretch of fine sand, and a murky sky. I wondered what thoughts dwelled in her mind. But I was more curious on what was going on inside her heart. What brought her to the sea?

She suddenly raised her hands and threw stones at the sea. Rain started to spill out from the gates of the heavens, enveloping the world in a thin sheet of ghostly fabric. And then I heard her scream. Her bellows echoed in the air, bouncing off the nearby cliffs. Her beautiful face was twisted in rage. Bulging veins revealed themselves on her neck like small roots as eyes finally let go of the tears, camouflaged by the rain water as they flowed. Every shout she gave was palpable human pain. The kind of agony you can hear and that pierces through a heart. She screamed at the sea, as tongues of frothy water licked her feet, as if trying to give her comfort by washing away sand and bitter memories.

A fork of lightning tore the sky into two and stabbed the endless abyss of the sea. But she didn’t flinch. The skies roared like lions trying to break closed doors. Like trying to break her. But the truth is, they are nothing but amplified woes, mimicking the contents of a heart that once was whole. I watched helpless, rooted on the place where I stood, hidden from her sight behind a dead tree. But I couldn’t bear to hear her cries anymore. I struggled to fill my lungs with air and started to uproot myself and dragged my stubborn feet.

As I wade my way towards her I suddenly froze. I heard my name. She was bellowing it in a way that was filled with hate and love at the same time; torn between a curse and a plea. Every word from her mouth stung, paralyzing, constricting my breaths. But like the sea, I felt that I had no reason to complain. I was willing to take the stones I knew were for me. I just had to take it all in because she speaks of the truth; an ugly truth that stripped me off of rights to any forms of absolution. There was no turning back for there were such wounds that even time couldn’t mend. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t speak. All I could do was weep. My hands on my face as my knees grazed the sand, my heart laid full of guilt, buried underneath its grains.

And then, I couldn’t hear her anymore, just the rain pounding in my ears, the surging waves colliding against the shores and the transient sounds of thunder. I looked up and I could no longer see her. She was gone. I walked forward to where the sand met the sea. And when the waters rolled back, all I found was a pair of blue slippers enduring the waves to stay.

The storm soon passed, leaving the place in an eerie silence as a soft wind blew, carrying fallen leaves, a sleepless unrest, and lost whispers.

The next day, a young man talked to the sea. But this time, its waters chose not to listen.








. . .

This is written for Dhianz tag. I hope you still remember. I apologize because it took me so long to do this. Slipper-inspired stories don’t come by my doorstep very often.

A new poll is open at my side bar. Please feel free to speak your mind. :P

42 comments:

Dhianz said...

wow!... nagulat akoh sabi tag from dhianz?... napaisip akoh don ahh.. masyado kc akong na-carried away sa story...graveh ang ganda ha... wow.. kwentong flip flops yan ha... dheng!... ganda... walang wala ang story nang lahat... sau ang d' best!... graveh parang na-feel koh 'ung pain nung girl... tsk!...lolz... galing moh tlgah gumawa... ramdam koh 'ung sakit... ah sinabi koh na palah 'un.. lolz... hayz... ganon tlgah minsan... 'ung pain kc sa loob... sa heart... graveh... 'un 'ung masakit ehh.... parang saya nga non... juz by d' water... don moh ilabas ang lahat... ang sakit na nasa loob... pero sarap nang ganyan.. 'ung iiyak moh lang... especially kung iiyak moh lang kay God... 'un 'ung isang da best tlgah.. hayaan moh lang tumulo ang luha moh... sige sama moh na ren ang sipon... lolz... tlgang ramdam moh... pero after that mejo relief... mas magaan ang pakiramdam... hayz... great story ron!... galing... copy and paste koh and save koh sa my documents koh... nd dahil na ren tag from meeh yan... salamat sa paggawa... nagulatz tlgah akoh kc tagal tagal na nga kc yan eh... ahh... next time... ta-tag ka namen... joke time naman... wehe... laging maemo ditoh eh... pero kahit ganonz.. luv it... 'ur such a great writer kc eh... hanggang sa muli... Godbless! -di

Unknown said...

Wow! This is very nice, you are very talented. I bet you'll publish a book in the future;)

Yep - always live life to the fullest! Each second counts.

jonathan said...

I don't know which came first, the photo or the story. The photo gave the visual impact of the written words. But the written words gave life to the inner feelings of both the woman and the man.

Allen Yuarata said...

The next day, a young man talked to the sea. But this time, its waters chose not to listen.
-ang ganda ng line na to. Oh my. The best line for an ending.

Nga po pala, di pa ko nagsubmit sa Palanca this year. And I don't think I could kasi napakatight ng schedule. hehe. Yung nilagay ni Chaospilot sa blog nya, last year pa yun. hehe. thanks

Anonymous said...

ang bias naman ata ng sea..bakit hindi na pinakinggan ang lalaki..

subukan ko yan balang araw..magsisigaw sa dagat..

aheks..

bat ang husay mo..

wala tuloy akong magandang maicomment..u always leave me in awe..



***vanvan

Anonymous said...

Ahaha, I remember she also passed me this tag.. Until now Di pa rin tapos...

I didn't read the whole story, just yet. Pero kasi I always feel the same way to scream out loud on top of the mountain or at the sea, due to some frustrations and disappointments life caused me in the past couple of months..

But now, though i still feel like shouting at the top of my lungs, it's not the same reason at all. Bumaliktad na ang sitwasyon.
God is so good. Siguro I'll post it sometime on my blog.

CHEERS RON!
Balikan ko toh..;)
--
The song is really nice and fit to any girl a man would want to marry. Kung same feeling din nung nasa kanta.. As for me, I fell in love with the song..ehehe

KRIS JASPER said...

That's so dramatic. I'll make the waves as my new BFF. They listen pala eh.

Reading this made me feel like a dagger has just been embedded into my heart.

Then it was pulled out.

Then it was pushed in again...

Painful, but nice.

Chyng said...

Wow.. Ganda ng twist.

Ang galing mo sa description. Gusto ko ng ganyang talent para i can describe fully yung mga places na napuntahan ko..

Isama kaya kita minsan! hehe

RedLan said...

nilunod mo naman siya?! joke lang. kaya hindi ka kinausap ng dagat the other day.

ako sa mountai ako nagsisigaw. nakakabawas bigat sa kalooban.

Anonymous said...

when im depressed, i drown myself in feel good music and deliberately lose myself so no one could find me...literally. :)

Anonymous said...

yo i just got done reading a few of your pieces and i'm a little bit jealous. thanks.

pie said...

my, my, my , oh my...

this is an excellently written piece. :)

RJ said...

Ako na naman ang magbibigay ng prologue at epilogue?! Ayos ang eksenang ito, Ron.

I still prefer, though, that the man was hiding behind the coconut trunk, and not behind the dead tree. I still love the beaches in the tropics where coconut palms are mostly present by the shore. I would also like to imagine that at the last part of the scene, there were no fallen (coconut) leaves being carried by the soft(?) wind. Pagbigyan mo na ako. o",)

Anonymous said...

awesome!

The next day, a young man talked to the sea. But this time, its waters chose not to listen--waaahh.. grabe to.

The Dork One said...

i agree to allen ang galing ng one liner mo sa ending...

now i wanna go by the seashore! and i hope it'll listen to me hehe

why don't you submit your works to a publishing company? i think you have a fighting chance to become a writer

Anonymous said...

Hi friend.. Interesting post.. Nice blog work.. keep it up..
will drop by your site often.. Do find time to visit my blog and post your comments..
Have a great day.. Cheers!!!

lucas said...

Dhianz: sorry ha? Kasi walang sumagi sa isip ko na story about flip flops noon. Ahehe! Sige i-tag mo ko ng mga jokes para naman maging Masaya mood dito sa blog ko. Salamat, di :P

Jade: sana nga. And that would be bloody cool! :P

Jon: what do you mean which came first? The photos was from Damien rice’s music video-blower’s daughter. I thought it might help with the visuals I was trying to deliver. Thanks, jon :P

Allen: ahhh… last year pa pala yun. Anong nangyari? Noong nabasa ko yun nagdownload ako nung mga forms. Pero nung nabasa ko na yung mga kelangang gawin, naisip ko mahirap ma-accomplish…hehe! Salamat, allen. :P

Van: Hindi ko nga rin alam eh. pero siguro hindi lang marinig noong lalaki. Ewan! Ehehe! Thanks, van :P

Dylan: na-tag ka din pala ni dhianz. Sige, abangan ko ang flip-flop story mo…

Ako nga rin. Minsan gusto kong magsisigaw sa dagat o bundok. Kaya lang wala namang malapit na ganun dito samin. Kung ano man yung nararamdaman mo, I know you’ll come of it. As you’ve said: God is good.

Yeah. I like the song, too. So emo. Hehe! :P

KJ: Ahehe! Nagbalik nab a yung BFF mo sa gym? Painful but nice eh? Sounds like S&M to me. haha! kidding! Thanks, KJ :P

Chyng!: Sige! Basta ba libre eh! hehehe! Pero seriously, that would be brilliant, tapos kasama natin yung ibang bloggers… hehe! Thanks, Chyng 

Red: oo. Nadagdagan naman pinatay ko. Hahaha! Masaya din sa bundok kaya lang walang malapit na bundok ditto sa amin eh. hehe!

Pao: yeah. Kapag may music talagang napapasayaw ka ng todo. I watched your video by the way. You really can dance :P.

Heyitsyou: thanks for dropping by, mate :P

Pie: thanks, pie. Salamat sa pagbisita. :P

RJ: hindi kasi tropics nasa isip ko when I wrote this. hehe! Pero sige ba! Hehe! Basta ikaw…malakas ka sakin eh. :P

Eli: Thanks, eli… binaligtad ko lang yung simula. Gets? Hehe!

Alex: uhmm… hindi kasi ako sure if I could commit to this totally. Sa ngayon mas naeenjoy ko siya as a hobby. Walang deadlines or topic. Hehe! Thanks, alex… :P


ocean: thanks for dropping by :)

Anonymous said...

i particularly liked the closing line 'The next day, a young man talked to the sea. But this time, its waters chose not to listen.'

hanep.you're the man!this is another good post.that's my dawg!

Dear Hiraya said...

galing mo talaga ron! hayz! tapos sinasabayan pa ng kantang yan... grrr!!

hayz! tigil-emo muna hahaha... maraming salamat sa entry na to...

http://fjordz-hiraya.blogspot.com

lucas said...

flamindevil: thanks, mate :P you're my dawg? hahaha! randy jackson kaw ba yan? ahehe! joke!

fjords: tigil emo muna? hahaha! i agree. hehe! i just had to get this out of my system..:)

Unknown said...

parekoy:

pareho talaga tayo.. it took me quite sometime din bago nagawa yung tag ni dhianz na yan about sa tsinelas.. haha.. pero iba ka.. dekada bago mo nagawa at ngayon mo lang nai-poste.. hahaha

apir!

Leoj said...

Yup something's troubling my mind. pero di ko masabi kung ano yun. haha.

wala na naman akong masabi dito. nanggugulo lang ulit.

husay mo!

pusangkalye said...

that's why I love my hometown---because there lies the vastness of space where you can really scream to your lungs or curse all you want and still nobody can hear you----I used to do nasty things before when I was young and nobody ever knew except the birds and the trees--keke--

NJ Abad said...

Geez... this is like a painting! Well written! ...With colorful strokes as from the painter's brush. You have that great ability to play and move naturally with words...the post is full of colors and metaphor.

On a lighter note, anong brand ung pair of blue slippers? Havaianas ba? Peace!

Anonymous said...

First of, let me wipe my nose, don't ask.

You're really good in writing stories such as this, heartaches, pains, tragic love stories..

I'm starting to wonder the reason behind all that? But then you're a certified writer so, I'll rest my case..hehe

Ahaha, nasa city din kami so wala ring dagat dito or bundok.. Nakakasigaw lang ako pag nagagalit ako sa aso namin, wahahaha!

bena said...

OMG RON! I can't wait you publish your own book.. I love this post! It's so full of emotions.. It's obviously distressing with the best sad story ending for a plot like this.. Gusto rin sumigaw sa tabing-dagat to let go of life's sh*tness.. Hehehe.. Keep it coming ron! vi-a-v! ;)

Anonymous said...

great work..
it was moving..
you really write well, no, great!!! ^.^

lucas said...

ronturon: ahehe! dekada ba? ang hirap kasing mag-isip ng istorya tungkol sa tsinelas. ahehe!

leoj: well, salamat sa panggugulo! ahehehe!

bakasyon na kaya tiyak magsasawa ka na sa panonood ng tv. :P

pusang gala: nakakamiss tuloy ang probinsiya, noh?

naghanap din ako nun para ma-download eh wala tlaga eh. sa imeem ko lang siya nakita.

peace out!

desert aquaforce: ahehe! definitely, it's NOT havianas. ahehe! mumurahin lang yun eh..ahehe! thanks, sir, for dropping by :)

dylan: ahehe! you're wondering why i'm so emo? hehehe! gusto ko kasing maginga astista! joke! hahaha! nasobrahan lang sguro ako sa kapapanood ng movies at pagbabasa ng novels. hehe!

bena: ISIGAW MO LANG, BENA! thanks for the compliments :P

pugad-maya: thanks for dropping by :P

pusangkalye said...

lucas--basta --pag me nakita kang mp3 file tell me ha---keke

hmmm---did I mention the word austere mate---I cant remember.....

Denis said...

ay hindi na post yung comment ko? =(

hay ang sarap maging emo minsan hahah, srap umiyak



-----------------------

i got the vid from chico garcia's blog pero i think the short was produced for coke.

glad you like it. Ill keep it as my newest post for three days more

hehe,pilit na rason to have a blog leave

eli said...

hehe..ganun ba.pero galing talaga!
lagay mo na sa libro yang mga sulat mo! ako mag-layout..libre. hehe

ShatterShards said...

As always, you turn my eyes green with envy. hehe. Hopefully, soon, I'd be able to come back to writing. But not of this caliber, I'm afraid.

------
Kumpara sa ibang beach, kaunti pa ang tao sa Anawangin, kasi makakakuha ka pa ng picture na mukhang walang ibang tao sa lugar kung hindi kayo lang. hehe

Sa camera lang siguro gloomy, at siguro sa lighting. It was around 7am nung marating ng mga kasama ko yung area overlooking the Cove. Hindi pa nasisinagan ng araw yung area.

May water-proof packing yung camera nung kasama namin, kaya nakakakuha kami ng underwater shots. Aliw ng yung camera e, lumulutang sa tubig. haha!

Mon said...

You are a genius!!! nakaka-iyak yung story... masubukan ngang pumunta sa dalampasigan at magsisigaw.. hehe

Richard the Lionheart said...

Nice... Pwede ka talagang maging isang magaling na author ng novel...

Everythime na napupunta ako sa blog mo... Naaamaze ako sa nababasa ko...

I hope to meet you soon...

lucas said...

antonio: yeah. i'll notify you, mate. yung austere sa last post mo yata. ahehe!

denis: ahh para sa coke pala..bakit wala akong nakitang coke? ahehe!

planning a blog leave eh? hahaha! waaaaaaaag! :P

hindi pumasok yung comment mo.

eli: wow!!! tatandaan ko yan eli! LIBRE EH! joke! pero seriously, malay mo...:P

shatts! waaaaa gusto ko ng ganung cam! nalutang ba kamo? ang saya nga niyan... :D

mon:
isigaw mo lang mon! ahehe! salamat :P

richard: slamat, richard :)

ShatterShards said...

Yep, lumulutang sa tubig ang cam. Aliw talaga. hehe.

------
Hindi nga kasing ganda ng sunset from the last time na pumunta kami, kasi the sun was obscured by clouds, kaya wala kaming picture of the sun touching down over the horizon.

But still, maganda pa rin yung mga kuha. hehe

Denis said...

naliligaw yung comment mo haha hindi ako si eli. Notice tha drink that jason always take in the short film,extension brand yun ng coke

Anonymous said...

imagine kwentong tsinelas yan wow!

Tin said...

this. why i believe in big bang theory :) i am collecting dusts ron. care to join? <3

lucas said...

denis: ahehe! sayo pala naligaw yung comment ko kay eli! hahaha! xenxa naman!

prinsesang musang: ahehe! yeah... thanks for the drop :)

tinay: what do you mean by 'collecting dusts' ??? hmmmm...

Roland said...

we really have so many things in common.
nawawala lahat ng hang ups ko, pagkaharap ko ang malalaking alon.
ang sarap sumabay sa sayaw nila!

lucas said...

lucas: you think so? ahehe... sayang nga eh walang maapit na dagat dito samin...