Saturday, September 12, 2015

Departure

The trike took her further and further from me.
As I watched her disappear, my heart sank.
Here i was left alone now next to the raging sea.
The endless waves broke on the beach rank after rank.
When would I see her again, my life, my  wife to be?
I was to now sail away from her, here on the bank
of the storm-wrought straits of San Bernardino.  See?
Upon observation, the only way across would be by tank!

I am nothing without her as my broken heart attested.
I fished in my pockets for the money for the ferry fee.
Just feet away from me a thief was caught and arrested.
I covered my money as I handed it over thinking of she
who just had left me standing here. I was one invested
fully in our love affair.  I took out the one key
I had for my luggage lest it become lost. I tested
it then suddenly realized I still had to cross that sea.

The typhoon had come upon us suddenly, sneakily, relentlessy
like a great python chasing its prey across the innocent isles.
I finally realized this ferry was going nowwhere obviously.
Asking for my money to be refunded, I was surrounded by smiles.
Being American, the locals were just plain happy to see me.
Now here I was without a way to Manila and my flight for miles.
Deciding then and there to hell with this I decided to flee
the storm and forget my position at "home" shuffling files.

Instead, I would chase after my rapidly disappearing fiance!
Deciding, I now flagged down a Jeepney which made better speed
and paid the driver extra to drive like the wind on his way.
I had, afterall, every reason to stay with her, a burning need
to be with her and ignore all else in this world on this day.
Coconut palms swaying oddly with the high winds were indeed
threatening to block our way.  We made our way around the bay
and took a short cut he knew of to cut her off from the lead.

There she was I believed, recognizing the trike, and my heart
was happy with the joy of impending reunion. Why had I left at all?
Ignoring the imperative to work, I got off the Jeepney to dart
after her as the trike stopped for even more passengers.  A wall
of rain greeted me and slowed my process but I remembered I was smart
and I took off between the ramshackle houses to reach her or fall.
There she was!  My love, my life, my future wife. Now we would start
our lives together!  Tonight I'd be in her arms and not have to call.

She now saw me approaching from the side and yelled at the driver.
He stopped and she leaped out of the trike racing towards me, tears
streaming still down her face.  Or was it just the rain?  A fiver
I gave him, and gathered her up into my sheltering arms.  All fears
of spending time away from her again evaporated.  We would need a diver
to make it across this swollen stream and stop in a sari sari for some beers.
But some enterprising soul had already built a bridge across the river.
Alone at last, we drank in each other's souls and kissed amongst cheers.

Never again would I leave her.  What was I thinking?  She was my whole life!
Wrapped in my embrace, she was warm and trembling from being soaking wet.
I bought a blanket from the proprietor and pulled it over her, my wife.
Yes, my wife, for we would now be married soon.  Here under a sagging net
I determined that the Philippines would be the site of our wedding.  Rife
with excitement and glee was I, and I told her my plan which then beget
the next chapter in our hectic saga.  The blanket too long, I took my knife
and cut it down to size.  Together forever, this day we would soon forget.

-------------------------------------------
mindbringer, 11 September 2015