Finding Home

  Clouds, palm leaves Bamboo stems, song Wind, wood Energy, heat Ribs, hips Knee, thigh Arms to sky Feet to ground Heart to crown Spine long Breath Breathe, nostrils Mouth, tongue, roof Release Laughter from the core Up, down, around Love simply But deeply Then laugh some more.  I was inspired to write this poem after attending a class with Wanna, a certified Embodied Flow teacher at Lotus Shores Siargao in October 2018. It was the first time I attended a class that I found easy-going and filled with laughter. Wanna made me rethink the practice. That inward work shouldn't have to be so serious and somber. Instead, a little bit of laughter makes the ride so much richer and more enjoyable. This life is too short to just dwell on the darker side of things after all.  

Pack light. Bring only what is necessary to wherever you may go. Lay it all down. Spread it all out: tickets, passport, money, clothes; tops, bottoms, shoe wear, accessories. Ask the questions: For how many days? What places to go? Do I really need to bring those stilettos? Or would comfy flats do? Do I really need those many tops to go with those many pairs of jeans? One suitcase. Or a backpack perhaps. How to know that what you packed is enough? Wear your backpack. Can you still move around without straining your back? Lift your suitcase. Can you sustain carrying it for the duration of your travel without the aid of a porter? Pack light. In travel as in life. Such sound advice. Family. Friends. Virtues.  Family in blood or not. What matters is whenever you're with them you feel safe. You can be who you want to be, who you are without fear of judgment or reprimand. They root you to what is essential. Yet they give you wings to soar high. Friends. You don'

Alindanaw, Handanaw, Sandanaw In our vernacular In noonday height Its scurrying flight on grilled fences and nameless greens It placed itself in front of me Waiting somewhat patiently For me to what? Catch it? Shoo it away? Or capture it In an eternal frame? It hovered from leaf to steel And leaf again Until I poised the shutter and clicked away Twice. But it was gone the second time. And I looked at the screen That first single capture simply said it all-- Sometimes in life, You only need one chance Just one, to get it right.