Halves

Brok'n hearts

bleeding,

lost souls

searching --

weaken'd

by gaps;

weightless

when one.

A heart that’s whole knows no discomfort. It has pieces that are complete and complementing. There are no deep voids that seek for a fill; no hollow spaces that call for a push.

However, we, ourselves, seem to unconsciously betray our hearts. As humans, bearing the gift of infinity threatens the snugness of pieces perfectly made for each other. We change. Continuously. Our day-to-day experiences mold certain sides of our hearts that soon, we realize, we have developed sharper edges that harm and at the same time, fatter curbs in our defense.

Our partners change just like us. Sadly, however, they do not change their pieces in proportion to ours. They have their own sundry ways of transforming. Often, and without us knowing, we prick them with our own sharp edges. Sometimes, it is us who gets pierced.

This is how the heart learns about discomfort. This is how humans suffer: broken in halves, lost and alone.

Many of us try to make broken pieces fit again by desperately twisting and turning parts of ourselves. We make half-hearted compromises and declarations of forgiveness though we have not really forgotten. We try to cling to others no matter how their edges hurt. We forget about ourselves. Or we think too much of ourselves and shut out all attempts for contact. All these efforts are futile. They result into further, separated disfiguration. We remain weak and apart.

Space: “the boundless regions of the infinite.” Many of us dread to hear the word uttered in the midst of conflict. Painful, it is. But it is the only possibility that a half-hearted act can give best.

After a while, the weight of separation will be lifted. We realize that the heart magically heals itself when it gets to bask in the gift of humanity: to be weightlessly floating on limitless space. This is how people, dance.

Images by Joyce.

February Poetry

I loved you.


I loved you
in ways you'll never know;
of unseen tears
borne from the years
that passed a summer night
of forgotten youthful joys.

I loved you
out of togetherness and without,
of the few, scattered days
that followed that summer night--
my love unspoken
and yours unfound.

In the years that passed,
I loved you
in the absence of inspiration:
no mad sketches,
spontaneous proses
nor poetry.

But today,
I just remembered.

I loved you.


by JoyceTalag. 02/01/2009



Today


Today, I thought I saw you;
the familiar head, upright,
among the many other praying heads,
bowed, to fill early morning voids,

in the midsection,

I thought I saw you.


by Joyce Talag. 02/03/2009

For Kids w/ Single Parents: Barney's Everyone is Special

I've been quite apprehensive about having to explain our not-so typical family set up to Krissy, especially since she's entering pre-school this June. Krissy's in the stage when she would ask about 150 Why Questions a day, often, starting at the moment she opens her eyes. It gets tiring at times yet, I cannot really give an unthought of answer for the consequence will be more questions that seem to test my consistency.

Anyway, my apprehension has caused me to seek advice whenever I get into mommy talk with some older colleagues and friends. One of the nicest explanations I've heard was for me to tell my daughter that not all families are the same. There are those with both moms and dads, those with just a mom and a pair of grandparents and so on.

However, I feel the need to come up with a medium that will best illustrate this explanation to a 3-year old. I thought of coming up with an alternative storybook. But then I do not have much time on my hand to make the drawings, though, I have the storyline plotted in my head :p



Then came one afternoon when one of our volunteer storytellers, Ms. Wennie, suggested that I look for a certain Barney DVD: Everyone is Special. The first part, My Family and Me, talks about the different kinds of families. It gave a very simple illustration of families, which I'm pleased with as I do not want to bring much hype to my state, at least in Krissy's perspective. In the end, Barney said that everyone who cares about us is considered a part of our family.

Meanwhile, those who are expecting another child may also find this DVD useful as the second part is about having siblings and families growing and changing.

I bought the DVD on sale at O Music Greenbelt 1. But for those who like to shop online, click here to purchase from Amazon.

still

still

i hear you:
a whisper
in the dark,
an echo
amongst a crowd,
a hum
lost in speech.

once i

created a poem;
gave rhyme
to your words,
left mine
in my head
for those
i can't tell

you.

cafe thoughts
01/20/09, 7:15 AM


photo credit: crazymynd at deviant art.