Ala Eh!

My Bicycles

    As i can remember when I was a kid, there were two things that I really like the most… two things that I’ve always ask my father to buy for me… Airgun and bicycle. My father promised me that after he sold our cow (which I helped to fatten), he will buy my airgun. The cow was sold, got another one, sold again and another one and so on, with pigs, goats, and fighting cocks in between. There was no airgun, but it’s okey, he always get a slingshot for me instead. Yes, no need to buy bullets and I can do birds hunting continuously until the birds get tired and stop.

Then I asked for a bicycle, same promises were made but this time he demanded some sort of ribbon every end of school year. Somehow I managed to deliver, again I didn’t get my bicycle but he did teach me how to ride a cow. Hey, do you have any idea how to do a left turn or right turn on a cow? Yes you do, but what if the cow refused? How about a reverse or a full stop? Not that easy men…

This is just a sweet recollection of how I got more than what I’m asking for.

Then I forgot those things. Then I graduated, got a job. Then I got my own family. Then one day when I come home during a work holiday, my father cheerfully asked me, “Ano? Meron ka ng bisikleta?”. Ha ha ha, I don’t know how everytime I remember that question I can’t help but smile. And so, the following Christmas  season my wife bought for me my first bike. And the next time I visited my father again I said to him with a grinning smile, “Amapo, meron na ho akong bisikleta.” He silently smile back at me,… then we laugh and then we changed the topic.

Yeah, I’m wondering why I didn’t ask for a sports car during that time…

    ANG MAGULONG KWENTO NG AKING KABATAAN NA TUMALON SA KATUPARAN NG     PANGARAP KONG MAGKAROON NG BISIKLETA (Original Title: BISIKLETA)

    I
    May mga oras na madalas maglaro sa isip ko ang mga alaala
    Mga pinsan ko at mga kalaro, gumagawa kami ng mga laruang lata
    Mga pang-anluwagi ni Amapo madalas eh papuslit kong kinunuha
    Ang gustong-gusto ko noon, magkaroon ng sariling bisikleta

    II
    Walang kasawa-sawa sa larong habulan at taguan
    Patintero, apakan ng anino sa ilalim ng liwanag ng buwan
    Penpen de sarapen, luksong tinik, at larong may barilan
    Tatsing, magpalipad ng saranggola hanggang sa abutin ng hapunan

    III
    Sa pagpapayabangan at inggitan kami’y naging malikhain
    Kung anu-anong mga laruan mula sa lata Nido, Bona, at Klim
    Yung maliit na lata ng Alaska ang paborito namin
    Kelangan mo’y gunting-yero, martilyo, pako, plais, at pait na matalim

    IV
    Ngunit mailtuloy ko ang tungkol sa bisikletang pangarap
    Ang sabi ni Amapo ‘pag sinabitan ako ng laso, ito’y aking matatanggap
    Sa kangingiti ko sa titser, magandang grado ang naging bunga ng pagsisikap
    Ngunit bisikletang nais malayo pa rin sa hinagap

    V
    Ngunit si Amapo’y sa halata ko’y waring nananadya
    Sa mga pangako sa aming kasunduan ako yata’y nadadaya
    Waring isang lihim na taktika upang ako’y mag-aral na kusa
    Hanggang sa nakapagtapos ako’t nagkaroon ng yabang sa pagsasalita

    VI
    At nadagdag nga sa naipon kong yabang ay dumami ang mga kaibigan
    Madami rin nakilalang tsiks at nakapili ng sintang katipan
    Sa maikling kwento’y naging ilaw siya na aking tahanan
    Sa katagala’y naiungot ko at ang bisikletang nais ay aking nakamtan

This entry was posted on June 1, 2008 at 9:05 pm and is filed under poems. Tagged: toys, weekends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.