Some souls

moon framed by leaves

It was the first time we got a parking slot right outside the cemetery on Aglipay Street. It seems everyone had visited their dearly departed the day before. Somehow all the remains of babies were transferred away from the small alley leading up to my late grandfather's "apartment". That's a good thing, since it was rather hard to navigate the already narrow path with all the tiny tombs scattered in the way.

While praying I noticed that while most of the neighbors were buried in the 70s and 80s, the latest occupant of the six-storey apartment only moved in in 2004. I felt sorry for those whose families did not have even a concrete or painted plaque with their birthdates and date of death, only a badly scrawled name in cement. The living can be forgotten just as easily.

I noted that in that small alley, I saw the first names of the artists I'll be exhibiting with--quite notable, given the rarity of Proceso and Melquiades these days. You'd think I'd find a namesake first.

Dropping by to intercede for distant relatives, it was clear that the cemetery had living occupants. There was a rooster caged under a bench. One of our deceased relatives "hosted" a man who collected newspapers and bottles. Maybe we should be thankful that someone keeps the place somewhat neat.

raindrops on the car window

Manila Memorial in Parañaque was a different story. Crazy traffic. Heavy rain. Searching for our dead in the dark with LED flashlights. From a distance, we saw what were probably the Aquino graves. Truly a couple who live on after death.