The sun paints the sky vermillion
like a ball of fire. What a kingdom
of hefty trunks and waters rippling
with every stroke of limbs. To whom
do I owe the pleasure of this escapism,
rank of moisture and earth? Scorched
by mountain heat, bathed in the cold.
What a long haul, this sky-high dream,
this hustling body, the ache within the
flesh breaking my soul in two, from the
morning till midnight. I am resurrected
out of dust and dirt, soft and fresh, like
the beating of a newborn’s heart. I am
free like footsteps on the loose. Like a
lake that can thrive endlessly, overflow,
or replenish. Should I live from now on,
aiming to top greater heights in my life?
Maybelline Bedolido is from Mati City, Davao Oriental. She studies BA English (Creative Writing) at the University of the Philippines Mindanao.