sore

this man-made afternoon gloom reminds me of my lolo, the vietnam war veteran and army ophthalmologist/surgeon who likes to sleep in the hammock that he built in between the trees at the backyard of our provincial residence up north in the philippines.

the city smog filters the sun that possesses the touch of midas- turning everything to gold. no, it is not the shining polished gold color that comes to mind when you hear the word “gold.” it is the pure, unadulterated earth gold. this afternoon, the world is under the twisted rule of the universe.

i wonder how lolo manages to sleep away all the worries of his present life and the horrors of his war-tainted past. before life escapes him, i think he managed to drown and drain all of his life’s worries and regrets through the drums of liquors that he drank for years.

the earth is sepia.

there's a certain comfort and gloom in the atmosphere whenever things look old and nostalgic.

the bigboss’s eyes continue to glow red 10 minutes after he lectured me about executing my work. he wants things done in a snap, like 10 seconds quick. i know, i should be sorry for not using my flash powers in times like these.

i hear the wind whisper something about caution and betrayal but i also hear that it didn’t mean what it said. the wind is acting human again.

it is 7 in the evening and the sun is still up. i wear my sunglasses to evade the sun burning and sore as the eyes of a stoned heartbroken lover with bangs and eyeliner.

lolo’s liver was burned when he died. all hopes of whatever family fortunes was also burned when lolo started to drown himself with liquor. but thanks to liquor, he was able to perform eye operations with precise hands. they say he was the only surgeon allowed to do operations under the influence of alcohol at that time. isn’t he cool? maybe if he lives a little longer, he could have completed an operation to my eyes so that i can finally say goodbye to contacts and eyeglasses. he could have as much liquor as he want if that ever happens.

the clouds look like the small kid i know from years ago who keeps on holding back his heavy emotions in his chest despite the obvious signs of a heavy downpour in his eyes.

today, the sun is red. it is more haunting than the probing eyes of sauron.