Ezine Article

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Sailing with You

Sailing with You

(Sonnet Form)

By: Noel N. Villarosa

September 30, 2020

 

We sailed along the rhythmic crashing waves

Strong and brave, we have embraced destiny

Eyes on horizon, watched the sea behaves

Our composure traced on its melody

 

The wind has lashed and symphony started

We held our hands as waves cradled the night

The sky has showed the stars and we charted

 Our journey finds another morning light

 

As boat swayed at the mercy of the wind

We sent devout prayers, faith, and submission

Where all chaotic path branched out unkind

With water fine spray, increased our vision

 

A beautiful infinite happiness

To carry us back to shore with calmness


 Anniversary Poem for my wife on December 16, 2020.

Posted in Poetrysoup.com

Friday, September 18, 2020

Gentleman Muffin

Photo Credit: Pio Noel B. Villarosa


 Gentleman Muffin

By: Noel N. Villarosa
(Sonnet - personification poem)
16 September 2020

 

 Gentleman muffin wearing monocle

My mustache never been out of fashion

Never thought bringing out my chronicle

Jockeyed searching my perfect companion


I dreamed becoming morning glory muffins

Howbeit fate is in the hands of the baker

Throws old ingredients, I’m huffing and puffing

Bread maker made me sweeter, ampler power

 

Window dresser puts me on display case

A lonely bun lying in wooden racks

A glace domed cake, no one blowing my face

 With nightfall comes, only got aching back

 

 Can I still witness my dawning rapture?

With people lining up to shoot my picture


Posted also: poetrysoup.com 

Sunday, May 24, 2020

The Clown of Santo Cristo

The Clown of Santo Cristo
By: Noel N. Villarosa
30 December 2019

He had feared that sadness will take away lives. As if timber chopped down to the ground, young and old have gone in a hopeless fighting on the brink of death. In his simple mind, he was curious on how to make people enjoy life.  He was always wearing a contagious smile that communicates to everyone to confront fears and turn it into a good possibility. Wherever he went, he witnessed hardships, conflicts, devastations, and loss. Sometimes it echoed close to his ears, “find a lost soul and bring him/her back to real home.”

The Clown of Santo Cristo was literally not a clown gestured with baggy clothes, large shoes and a big nose. He was not a clown to perform funny faces and movements but contoured himself to liberate someone from distressing situation. He was not for theatrical but most often visible on residential, parks, hospital, and graveyard.

The Clown of Santo Cristo grew up in a conflict-torn place with different religious views. He usually preferred to stay locked up in his room when everybody was arguing; he tried to avoid caught between crossed fires of debates. One thing that changed his way of thinking was the cry of every child battered by conflicts—shocked and traumatized by the restless gunfire. He promised that he would be a constant companion should one need to be heard and comforted.

When there were moments when people were running, he immediately understood the heartbeat of fear and their eyes were telling that a danger awaits. His presence will always listen to stories, no need to dictate on what else to be done, he simply needs to be there to help heal the flaw and fickle of time. The test of the first instance to prove his compassion for helping others was when he saw a small child desperate to reach with all his will the toy that has fallen in the drainage. He held the child’s one hand and his hand served as an extension until the child reached his beloved toy. The child displayed an overwhelming joy when he retrieved his toy, the smile reflected his complete satisfaction. From that day on, the clown has promised that he will peek through darkness to scatter light like sunlight giving new breath in life even for just a moment before they realize that suffering like waves never stop coming that they will need to row gently. The clown promised that he will help assuage their pain, to provide his shoulders to cry on, to make them laugh in the face of insults, disappointments, and threats. To scream out loud their agony, in able them to release their feelings for he believed that tomorrow has still a rainbow to glimpse on.

Sto. Cristo was once a quiet and serene place had now become a battlefield between government forces and the extremist group. At a young age, the little clown was with other kids spreading joy and a feeling of belongingness in the backdrop of violence. The little clown would be their tour guide for safety and away of threatening danger. The little clown succeeded in bringing the oppressed back to the normal world of reverie and amusement.

The clown grew up with empathy and responsibility to human beings. As proof of his extraordinary traits, some have lived to tell his great exploits.

The air suffused by the smell of gun powder and abandoned cadaver. It was a sign that the prolonged war has ended which has to proceed in embarking to a journey of new life. But what is left was unimaginable, with so much devastation not only to property but also in many innocent lives.

The missing children.  The wrath of war left many families separated and lost from their loved ones. On the occasion of celebrating the feast of the patron saint of Sto. Cristo, the clown saw a small gathering of parents, being curious and well known for his being friendly and a habit of mingling with the crowd, he found out that those parents were grieving for their missing children. The clown immediately assessed the situation and gathered whatever information he could use in finding those children. One thing he assured that those children were still alive and just being somewhere displaced. The clown was mostly visible in public places showing the pictures of the missing children. Before the day ends, he passed by a convent who do voluntary work for charity. He met Sister Anita. Sister Anita was in charge of teaching catechism for children. Sister Anita has the admiration for the wonders of the world that she feared of war and when asked how she handles children desperately seeking for a true family—she honestly will say, “I always pray for them and offer my arms for their protection.”

The clown had showed to Sister Anita the pictures of all the missing children. “Did you get a chance to meet one of these children?” the clown asked.

Sister Anita shrugged her shoulders and said, “Sorry sir, I have little recollection of the many faces of children whom I met, but if ever I will see any of them, I will inform you.”

“I hope you’ll be able to recognize one of them, as their parents were desperately longing for them for a long time now,” the clown pleaded.

Sister Anita made assurance to the clown and replied, “Let me tell you one occurrence that happened many times. One day, as I was with other nuns and not dressed in our religious insignia, as we were having a light saunter in the park, a lady noticed us and asked if we were all godly sisters.

“Surprised by her asking, I asked on how she figured it out.

“The lady replied that she observed how we comported ourselves with dignity and grace at that moment.

“Invigorated by her admiration to nuns, I thanked the lady, many people will approach us in many ways—be it for help or spiritual guidance, so in many cases, we are always in touch with people and somehow we could gather some information about the missing children.”

As Sister Anita walked the cloister, the clown felt something deeper to know in her personality, a challenge to explore.

Sister Anita decided to take her habitation in a more secluded place where she confided when spiritual impasse aroused. She spent in silence, lauded and venerated God every morning. She was mostly could be seen in every corner of the street to proselytize one’s particular faith.

The clown visited the police station. He encountered the blotter section of the police station intermixed with different class of people, mostly low class citizen being the complainant or being accused of the crime. The most unpleasant to see were those juvenile being abused by some lawless element of the society. Some teenagers were involved in some troubles or handled by syndicate to be an accomplice of the crime. The clown approached the officer in charge of the blotter section and saw the thick leather-bound record book.

“I am following up the case of the missing children, any latest case update?” the clown politely asked.

The police officer opened his notebook and replied, “From time to time, parents were insisting to give them information, but we still don’t have a substantial evidence that will lead to their whereabouts.”

The precinct’s phone was ringing off the hook and another visitor arrived that loaded more concerns to the officer in charge. The clown left the precinct and visited house to house on children’s parents.

The clown addressed his questioning with one mother, “When was the last time you saw your child?”

“It was 3 in the afternoon and she was playing outside, I was gazing at her but in that brief moment that I checked what I was cooking, upon return my child suddenly lost at my sight. I searched around but she was nowhere to be found,” the mother replied.

The clown made his way to another parent’s house and asked the same question. The mother replied, “My daughter was in the school and when I went to pick her up, she did not show up, even her teacher failed to give me a clear information.”

While most of the missing children were gone mysteriously, there was one child confessed openly by the parents had run away and sulked somewhere else. The mother pleaded to the clown to search for her missing child, “Please help us to search for our child who was gone missing, I felt that it was not normal for our child to go on prolonged sulk, she should be coming back on her own accord. I have already informed my friends and relatives that my child had run away, and if by chance they would see her to notify me rather than thinking she was out and about. I hope my child stayed with a friend or close relatives just for hanging out to vent.”

The clown had finished his interview with the parents and gathered information which could be useful in his quest for the missing children. The clown took a deep whiff of the morning wind. The clown knew that Law Enforcement will shun the use of divination. The clown was always motivated to help others by any means and for him it was highly regarded the effectiveness of map dowsing where the laws of physics was applied with proper harboring of important details of date, time, and geographical location—the missing person could be located using the Y-shaped twig or two L-shaped metal rods. The clown claimed no magical power but it all comes down to his intuition.  It has become habitual for the clown to be attached the soil. The clown loved sitting on the ground or walked barefooted to allow those negatively charged free electrons to enter his body. The clown used to interact between the electro-magnetic fields under the earth and through his blood to connect with a thing or living things that released energy fields. He used the traditional Y-shaped twig and his intuition to absorb the positive energies.

The clown held his Y-shaped twig and as the motion of the pointer or changes in direction was supposedly in response to what he asked during the process of dowsing, it will either flick up as a ‘yes’ response or flick down as a ‘no’ response. The clown mostly had seen wandering around from the children’s house as starting point to see the turns and twists of the twig.

The clown asked questions while holding the Y-shaped twig, “Is this the path that will lead to the missing children?” The twig flicked in positive response. The clown asked the right questions that will lead to the right answers. In just following the trail dictated by the twig, the search ended up in a curved road with copse and big trees obscuring the view ahead. The clown decided to continue his search for the next morning as darkness will make his search impossible.

The clown made his way to the hospital for someone to visit. As he passed along the emergency ward, he saw Sister Anita which seemed to be in anger and arguing to the hospital staff, as the clown moved farther away to the ward, he thought that it was normal for a nun to become angry sometimes.  The following day, the clown visited the convent and met with Sister Anita—he greeted her and asked if she had a chance to see one of the missing children. Sister Anita in that particular instance had shown irrational behavior, she was abruptly processing opinion which has become perplexed and her rapid speech was hard to understand. The clown had noticed that Sister Anita had sudden outrage and becoming more short-tempered during her disquisition. The clown politely left the convent and went house to house for each children’s place to repeat the same procedure of using the dowsing technique, he wanted to confirm if it will lead to the same curved road with copse and big trees. All he knew was his intuition was properly communicating with the energy that surrounded him. The first, second, and the next to the last house all led him to the curved road. The clown decided to do the last retracing of the children’s footsteps. The clown went to the flea market to buy something. Along the stall of used clothes, the clown managed to see Sister Anita with a handful of used clothes where she was haggling to swap into new sizes of clothes and shoes. The clown was puzzled as to where the nun would be sharing it. The next morning, the clown continued his dowsing among the last batch of houses, the trail still led him to the curved road. The clown forged ahead into the dense forest. He had his twig confirming which way to go. After a long trek, the clown reached a bamboo hut which was dotted around big trees. The clown furtively moved closer into the hut, he heard an adult female voice, “This clothes for you, this shoes for you, put them on to bring out a glam on you.”

Then a young voice replied from inside, “Thank you, Sister Anita, this is a lovely dress.”

“Only I cared for all of you,” the adult female responded. The clown suspected that the one young voice was not alone but with someone else. The adult female spoke again, “Outside is no longer safe, only within these four walls of the hut is your safe haven, there is still a war outside, your parents might have abandoned you and they might have died from crossfire and heavy bombardment. I will provide everything just believe in me and don’t go outside as the militant group may take you.”

From behind the bamboo walls, the clown peeped through the slats and saw the one behind that adult female voice—it was Sister Anita. The clown was mystified as what he had witnessed, the searched ended right there and he could not find answer as what impelled Sister Anita to take into custody those children without their parent’s consent. The whole cosmic marvel of time and reality was now at the mercy of the clown’s perfect timing for rescuing those children. The clown waited until Sister Anita left the place. At that moment, the clown thought of ways to convince those children that he would do no harm but will rescue them from Sister Anita. When Sister Anita had left, the clown immediately entered the hut and convincingly talked to the children, “I have come to save you from Sister Anita, she is not in the right mind to hold you captive here, your parents are looking for you, they are all still alive contrary as to what Sister Anita has told you, let me bring you all back home.”

One child refused to obey, “We don’t know you, may be you are one of those bad person who killed our parents.”

The clown showed one picture of that child with her mother beside her, “This is your mother, she just talked to me and asked me to bring you back to her.”

The child felt sincerity over the clown’s persuasion, then cried and embraced the clown. All other children now believed the clown and they gathered around the clown as their rescuer. The clown managed to handle the situation, he led the children out from the hut and into the trek covered by dense forest. When they reached the main road, the clown asked for a ride from a passing truck. All the children safely hopped in the truck for a ride to their place. The clown gave the children candies as his simple treats. The brainwashing of Sister Anita created a psychological impact on these children--on the way home, the clown was touched seeing those innocent and tuckered out children.

The children reunited to their parents and it was an overwhelming joy that gleamed on each face. The clown reported the egregious deception and shenanigans of Sister Anita. The clown through profound investigation about Sister Anita had discovered that she was suffering from schizoaffective disorder. The very reason she had shown irrational emotions and behaviors with series of depression and mania. She could not control being in the state of feeling great she do not want to end, repeatedly denying of any problems that exists, harbored in her mind that life shall always be wonderful. Sister Anita was lovely and sympathetic but deep in her personality was an awful secret that harbors guilt and seclusion. The Correctional Institution for Women had taken into custody Sister Anita and from there she underwent medication and psychotherapy that can help manage her mania disorder. The authority disclosed the case as solved--the clown considered it as one moment to be collected among odd facts and feats.

The Sickly Child.  The clown visited a town known for its vast green sanctuary garden for growing different kinds of culinary herbs. It was a cloudy morning while he walked in the drizzling rain, damping his skin over a chilling atmosphere. He came across a child looking out of the window and had a soften smile on his face as if longing for someone. The clown held up his head and put his best smile to show his presence. The clown greeted the child with his one hand held up waiving to the child. The child responded with a smile.

“It looks like the rain will still going strong, can I take shelter inside your house,” the clown asked.

The door creaked open, and a grinning mother welcomed him to come in. The clown introduced himself to the lady and opened up his concern to the child, “Your son looks like lonely and feeling lost.” 

The lady responded, “He lost his dear cat all of a sudden, I just lighten up his mood by saying that his cat might have stuck high up on a tree and was afraid to come down. But my little boy just fell into silence and depression. I felt that it was like his first encounter with death of a loved pet which he considered as part of the family. He felt heartbroken in losing his cat. He remembered his cat to greet him first in the morning and his first to look for comfort and companionship when feeling sad. He felt guilty as he failed to keep his cat safe.”

“I would like to help your child go through his grieving process, do you have a picture of his cat, and maybe I could help in searching,” the clown insisted.

In response to the kind offer of the clown, the mother accepted his offer and gave him the picture of the cat. “My little boy fondly called him ‘Kurt,’ the master of communication,” the mother continued.

Right then and there it seemed so clear for the clown the rush of finding the cat. The faint smile that the boy projected was all he could think of. So eager that the clown moved from place to place for searching, he come across a garden full of catnip that all he knew for certain that cats will respond through inhalation of its chemical called Nepetalactone. It was capturing the cat’s attention that creates a feeling of euphoria that they will intend to stay on that place. While analyzing the facts, the clown decided to enter the garden, it was an antique garden, the right place to ponder. The plants grown there led to sneaky suspicion that might reveal that someone has something to do with the disappearance of the boy’s cat. The formless doubt begun to form a clear picture when from the slightly opened door showed some lab animals for medical research and some like furry animals being stuffed with foam or wool. The clown believed that the occupants were a taxidermist and were selling the mounted animals to museum including hunting trophies. The clown heard from another room the sound of meows and purrs which dragged his feet to enter the room, and he saw different kinds of cats being encaged, just enough to recognize one cat which belong to the boy. The clown immediately took hold the situation and slowly grabbed the cat in his arms and rushed outside. The clown excitedly returned the cat to the boy which brought happiness to the boy. The clown reassured to the boy that his cat will no longer roam somewhere as he promised to plant in their backyard the catnip plants. Every day, the boy could offer the fresh leaves to his cat to stimulate lively feeling. Aside from this, the clown also built a cat-friendly litter box to meet the cat’s needs. The clown also set up a puzzle feeder to integrate playtime and putting treats inside the puzzle as a reward to his cat. Before heading to another place, the clown left a good advice to the boy, “Since your cat is a master of communication, you should always understand his body language as a way of communication, and you should know when he wants to play or whether he wants to be left alone, it will create strong bond of trust between you and the cat.”

The clown had reported to the authority the garden place having a taxidermy business and lab animals. It should be investigated whether it was operating legally or not and there could be more missing pet inside the lab that needed to be returned to the rightful owner.

The Headstone Epitaph. The clown would once in a while visited the cemetery, he had this strong fondness of wandering around the cemetery and read details written on every headstone he would passed by. He was looking for the oldest existing carved gravestone and an epitaph which could incite him to ponder more about the dead person. There was one gravestone that attracted his attention, headstone with inscription that reads, ‘I died searching for my abducted child.’

“What a notable message inscribed on this headstone, it is very clear that until his death he was not reunited with his child, a very sad tragedy which he intends to be constantly living up through his notable words to relay strong message that life has somehow passed but not this way that someone is missing as he cannot accept his child is not standing by his grave to mourn,” the clown expressed.

The clown noted the name carved on the headstone, and the date of birth and death. The clown headed to the nearby church who managed the cemetery records. Someone said that cemeteries were excellent sources of genealogical information. The name in the headstone was a good source in locating other relatives and other family information. The records revealed that the entombed body used to live in the city before moving in the province of Sto. Cristo. The deceased had one daughter and the records revealed his family information. The clown even though not aware of the whole story will start a mission to search for the child and to bring her standing before his father’s grave.  Based on the records he gathered, he discovered that the child was around the age of 5 when abducted. The clown went to the immediate family and introduced himself to the family.

The clown asked brief description of the missing child and abductor, “How was the child abducted? Any descriptions of her clothing, and did you see any suspicious prowler around the vicinity? Any person who had last seen the child?”

An uncle replied, “The child was last seen by a neighborhood, they told that our niece was watching a graffiti artist and when the artist was gone and so was our niece. The neighbor saw that the artist was bringing one of his unsold painting of a father and a daughter watching the sunset from the breakwater and my niece as if by magic independently followed the artist. My niece was wearing a pink woollen cardigan with JK inscription on it, her own mother crocheted it for Julian Kitty, and this was her picture when she was 5 years old and she was missing 6 years from now, perhaps still recognizable when compared to this picture. She has a port wine stain on her neck. Both parents left the city and returned back to Sto. Cristo to forget the sad memory of their child. Her parents died because of depression that weakened their health.”

The clown pursued many tips, and went wherever he could find crowds, he relied on his ‘Indago Felix’ by connecting relevant information to his intuition. His journey has taken him to places he could never have imagined, he witnessed many children worked on hard labor farms, challenged the danger in digging and mining, begged for alms on the street, worked on packaging factory, and undesirably working as domestic workers in private homes. The sequence of bad images have dinged into worries upon seeing the many faces of child labor. The clown hoped that the child was not drafted into impossible terms. The clown looked where there were events of painting graffiti even in the dead of night. The graffiti artist might be roaming around to victimize another child.  One day when the clown was walking along old walls of the city, he saw kids from a children foundation cleaning up the park as part of their community service and in broad daylight, he spotted a graffiti artist doing his task. The clown noticed that one kid from the foundation walked away from his group and approached the graffiti artist, seemed the child was attracted to what the artist was painting.  The clown observed closely and from afar he saw the artist seemed talking to the child and suddenly packed up his things while the child voluntarily followed him. The clown mistrusted the situation and in knee-jerk reaction followed the artist and the child. The artist and the child turned into the alleyway and rode to a car on standby. The clown followed the vehicle until it reached a pier and transferred into a small ferry boat. The clown hired a small fishing boat to follow the ferry boat. The ferry boat landed on a small island, a secluded place where only few knew. The clown to be stealthy without looking suspicious has told the fisherman to delay their docking, and when time dictated more convincing, they docked the boat and told the fisherman to wait until he arrived. The island encompassed of tangled mangroves on the seafront, he saw a hut with bamboo fenced, a clothesline which dresses belong to children aged 5 to 12. The clown thought that those children were kept away from play and other activities as the place was very quiet. The clown moved silently into the hut, and from the wooden slat door revealed children of different ages, and he recognized one girl with a port wine stain on her neck and upon comparing it to the picture that he was bringing, the girl looked the same and that could be the girl as described by the uncle. The clown heard footsteps coming from upstairs, the artist bringing the portrait of a father and daughter watching the sunset from the breakwater. The artist appeared in front of the children and told them that someone will take care of them to make them a healthy child. The artist had lured children to stay in his place with the promise of giving them everything they want. As it was obvious to see that they were provided with good foods, clothes, toys, and a promise that they will be brought to Disneyland. Children were gullible and innocent. They can be manipulated. From another room, someone came out wearing white coat, seemed to be a doctor or laboratory technician bringing a box of medicine. The white coated person who looked like a foreigner brought out an injection and tried that to one child.

“This won’t hurt, promise after this, you will feel strong and healthy, if you passed this test, you will be with me in Disneyland,” the white coated man said. The child seemed to be unconcerned of what kind of side effects that might happen.  The clown easily understood what was happening inside the house, what he saw sent fear and sunk deeper in his mind that those children were held up for purpose of clinical trials by multinational company for testing new drugs. They were conducting unethical clinic testing for abducted children to avoid getting informed consent with parents. These clinical trials have been circulating mostly to developing countries. The clown thought that the situation needed to be taken seriously because those test can cause death as those children were vulnerable to harm. The clown had forged a plan. He thought first of destroying all the medicines inside the storage and tried to delude the two abductors by bogging down the diesel generator, this will make the two abductors be busy in fixing the generator set, as the event happened the way the clown planned it, it gave him a chance to get those children out of the confided house. The clown brought the children to the city hall to trace their parents and be reunited to their family. The clown reported the whole incident to the authority and told them where to find the abductors. The clown brought the girl with a port wine stain to his uncle. The uncle was speechless upon seeing his niece after missing for such a long time.  The clown suggested that the child be brought to her father’s grave to fulfill her father’s dreams. The child stood there and wished that his father was happy in another dimension. But there was something that overshadowed the empty time and space—she felt her father’s memory formed a connection where words could not be expressed.

A Knight Descended.  Time had changed, many had gone and finally returned home. The clown was totally unaware of how he had aged and body deteriorated. The clown loved to pamper himself by stargazing, while outside, he noticed a young boy also staring the night sky with the thousands of stars that he could wish for. The clown had noticed that the boy was crying. The clown couldn’t bear to see the child in such a state, and so he approached the little boy and from the boy’s story, the clown found out that the militant men had killed his parents.

“That bright star always captured my attention, I wished I could name that star with my parent’s name,” the little boy said.

“I understand you want that star to be the mirror of their lives and to feel their presence all the times,” the clown reciprocated. “I remembered when I was young, same age as you are now, I was mostly fascinated of simple things to be amazed by the horizon where I can see the moon and the stars, and I looked up in the sky to catch a glance of the most brightly star.”

“I think it’s impossible to name those stars with my parents’ name,” the child stated. “I remembered, I was with my parents, the first time I saw a falling star, for me it was inspiring even for a short time.”

“I wish I could help you, but let me know your parents name and their zodiac sign, let me see what I can do,” the clown promised, gently rubbing the boy’s head.

The clown was so eager to figure out how to make the boy happy again. The clown hated waiting so he decided to name star  through online registration, this was the only way to acquire a star by adopting it, though unofficial, it was still a good idea to reward the boy with virtuous pride. The clown had registered for a binary star for the boy’s parents and they issued in return a printed personalized star registration certificate indicating the exact location of the boy’s star. And a moving message, ‘Shine brightly and never dies’ was printed in the certificate. The clown brought this to the little boy.

“Accept this as my gift for you in memory of your parents,” the clown stated.

“Is this real? My parents name already assigned to that star. I am deeply moved by your kindness, how can I able to repay you?” the boy insisted.

“There is nothing to worry about, I am happy to see you being proud of your wish come true, I am old now and sickly, at least I am relishing all of the moments in sweet reverie,” the clown expressed.

The little boy approached the clown and gave him a big relieved hug. “Thank you, may I know your good name Mister?” the boy asked.

The clown stopped for a moment to contemplate a rainbow arc. The clown uttered, “See that rainbow? Do you know how those parallel stripes of different colors appear? I am like a sunlight deflected into different colors, just like a friend who comes out to lend a helping hand for someone’s misery. You can call me, Clown of Sto. Cristo, the people who knew me were used to calling me that name and I preferred calling that way,” the clown explained.

Many years had passed and like many others will reach an end. It was a gloomy morning unfolding, the wind swayed in the direction nobody can choose. A shadowy cloud that lurked above was totally inconceivable as the panoramic view of the field turned into unforgettable stage play where everything that was visible needs to scroll their vision for navigating the views. One can feel a rhythmical throbbing of the nature but darkness enveloped a room where time has ended layering another journey for the clown. The wind whispered the coldness of sorrow that wrapped a lifeless heart of the clown. A knight had descended from his horse after a long journey. All his heroic deeds will be forever in the heart of people who knew him.

Posted also in: https://www.wattpad.com/842708861-the-clown-of-sto-cristo-part-1-the-missing


Children of the Mist




Children of the Mist
By: Noel N. Villarosa
14 November 2019

Part I: The Plight of the children of the mist
While there are families living quite well-off, there are also those living in an unfortunate situation. They are the poorest of the poor living underneath the beams or truss of the bridge that spans the river where they are confident to the endurance of the structure. You would find some of them in a demolished building where they build their makeshift tent for shelter. They do not have big dreams, as most of them did not go to school; just their obligation is to find food to feed their children. The child’s young mind well perceived his obligation and when their parents could not support them anymore, these young children will go out and find someone to help them feed their starving stomach. Most of these children come across a syndicate to handle their lives in a crooked job. This is where the life of the children of the mist has started. In the early stages of their lives, they are running, jumping, and snatching things from a bystander or on a slow-moving vehicle. They move quickly and run swiftly just like playing a Filipino game called “Patintero,” bluffing and circumventing their way out from barriers and the onrushing vehicles of the highway. Their face may look like innocent but easily transformed into another being when they sniff the waft of solvent and rugby glue. The backdrop of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA)--the famous busy highway in Manila where glittering billboards and massive malls standing on its side is now the playground of these children of the mist. The coined name “Children of the Mist” comes from the residents for they are being exposed to different kinds of weather--be it summer, rainy, and under the mist of open sky where they have no decent house to shelter them.

At one point of my life, I have encountered the plight of one of these children of the mist. I am Dexter, a soccer coach, training children with the potential to play this kind of game. I was in my free time wandering around the metropolis scouting for the best runner in the field, when suddenly was thrilled by what I have witnessed in the middle of traffic jam along EDSA. That morning, where the stream of vehicles were pushing so hard to find a way through the slow-moving cars that I spotted a little boy who succeeded in forcing his hand through the open side of the jeepney while his other peers have occupied the bed of one truck and snatched scrap metal they could sell to junkshop. The little boy who snatched my attention portrays a good soccer player, that he can run at full speed like a trained sprinter and if you run after him you will catch your breath to grab him, as he has the endurance to run in a long distant mile seems powered by a 4-cylinder engine inside his body. The kyphosis form of his upper back and neck areas displayed a good potential of an endurance athlete while not obviously of hypertrophy in his physique is a way to be lighter in carrying his body during a swift run.

The following day, I asked the nearby vendors in the area where I could find whom they called “children of the mist.” I wanted to meet most especially the boy who became the icon of a juvenile violation. At the onset of my yearning to this young boy, a compeer approached me and led me to where the boy lived: I am Pimpoy, I used to play with Lemuel, the one you are looking for, but when Lemuel ganged up with rebellious older teenager, I have distanced myself to Lemuel, I don’t want to get involved into troubles. My parents would always remind me to stay away with his group and I complied with what been told. Lemuel’s age is 12 and dropped out of school. His parents were involved in illegal drugs, and both were serving in jail; his older sister took care of his other siblings.

As we passed through the locality, I felt a degree of empathy for the neighborhood, such a metaphor to see their living condition, which betrayed a complete lack of perception, of provision with their physical and psychological needs. The more I involved in walking into the slum, the more picture of hardships that I could not bear. Residents looked through garbage for anything of value and sold this to a junk shop, but more disturbing to know was they were collecting leftover foods from bins for recycling and later served at the table. As we proceeded, I witnessed a vigil for the deceased; the makeshift coffin seemed undignified to fit the dead body; biscuit and coffee to welcome their visitors, while others were busy of betting in gambling. There I saw a drunk man and was lying down on the table. A group of teenagers was singing and having the fun of them--flashed faces with smear of charcoal. I tapped Pimpoy’s head: Are you always around here? Are we still far from Lemuel’s house? Pimpoy pointed to the alleyway underneath the bridge: That is where Lemuel and his siblings live. Alongside the wall, there were at least four families living on their makeshift tent where everything they need was there--from the kitchen, bathroom, bedchamber, living quarter, and dining table were all compacted in a small space. A girl in her teenage years was breastfeeding her newly born child, her slouched posture made me think that she lacked nourishment and so her baby. There was no electricity while potable water needed to fetch in the next neighboring area. Their everyday life has become a banal existence and hardships wrapped their body while driving them in cahoots with the nefarious. In a low voice, I told to Pimpoy: This kind of community is only crafting the zeitgeist of these youngsters in the hands and minds of the organized-crime syndicates. The environment seems a didactic projector that set out behind big malls and flashing neon lights.

As soon as we stepped in the alleyway, Pimpoy told me that Lemuel’s place dotted the riverbank-- their precarious stilt house patched by the recycled sack of rice and canvas used as a roof. I felt sorry and in a daze to say the least. We humbly called the attention of who was inside the improvised shelter: Hello is somebody there. I am Dexter and this is Pimpoy, Lemuel’s friend. A face peeked from behind the sack curtain. I am Lemuel. What is your reason for being here? I do not know you and my first time to see you around here.

I warily looked to Pimpoy and replied: Allow me to introduce myself, I am Dexter, a soccer trainer, I used to train youth with the potential to be a good soccer player. I would be glad to have you as part of our team to participate in any football tournaments. I have already trained much less fortunate youth across the country and maybe this is your best shot to consider.

A short silence occupied Lemuel’s appearance. I could hear Lemuel was sighing, and I sensed a mix of hope and despair enveloped his mind. Lemuel, at 12 had a life that had more than its share of valleys between mountains.

Sometimes life offers us unpolished things and it is up for us to mold it into what we desire. We really do not know every turn of events unless we try, and in every step in our way, we will encounter people who are dismissive, superficial and impediments can come our way while we struggle to get up. I explained to Lemuel.

As soon as the rain slowly drizzled down, I bade goodbye while Pimpoy stayed with Lemuel. I handed over a small amount of money enough to help satiate their hunger. I did not receive an answer to my proposal to Lemuel, but hoping that Pimpoy will do a little help to persuade Lemuel to agree. As I walked back the trail we passed by, I saw more children outside their house waiting for a heavy downpour, while I hurriedly skipped and splashed through shallow puddles. With area covered with water, kids merrily played with paper boats. The heavy rainfall quickly suffused the tall buildings and billboards. The children having the bliss of their lives while enjoying the cold rain shower. I wondered how they managed to stay in this kind of environment surrounded by rubbish and were deprived of necessities. I saw vibrant smiles among children but the smiles introduced by the adults have faded, maybe because of the tedious and fatigue life in the slums. I could still see interesting stories when I looked into their eyes that made me think: just like living into the wilderness where prey is the poor even if they wanted to escape—the unbearable situation is their predator. It put life into perspective.

I decided to go inside a restaurant just to fritter away time and waited until the rain subsided. I looked through the glass window and from the view of the busy highway and slowly progressed of vehicles; I spotted again the children of the mist doing their bad errands, the police managed to capture three of their companions. In my mind, I just hope it was another group and not Lemuel’s group. As the rain stopped, I decided to go home. Early in the morning, as my instinct was stronger than denial, that I decided to go to the precinct where the children were taken. In my dismay, behind bars was Lemuel. While Lemuel was just 12 years old, that under the law, he will be regarded as a child in conflict, he will undergo rehabilitation, counseling, and intervention. The authority should immediately release him to the custody of his/her parents or guardian, or in the absence thereof, to the child’s nearest relative. In the absence of those mentioned, Lemuel might be released to a duly registered nongovernmental or religious organization, a barangay official or a member of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC), LSWDO, or the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). It was timely for me to be the other suitable person to take Lemuel out of jail and bring him home. I promised the authority that I will take care of Lemuel and exposed him to more family welfare services including exposing him to soccer training. The authority granted my wish and Lemuel was released under my custody.

Part II: Acceptance for a change.

I thanked you, Dexter, sorry that I neglected your advice. My parents were both in jail; only my sister is in charge of looking at my siblings and me. My sister unable to make both ends in the city, I was forced to do the sinful jobs. My life has evolved in the squatter and stopped attending the classroom. In my encounter with the gang, I let someone put a tattoo on my left forearm: run Lemuel run. One can bear to know my first name through my forearm and the word run means a bad mission to make a living. This time I will change my mission by accepting your proposal. I will join your team and will train hard to be a good soccer player.

Lemuel’s confident smile and terse answered “yes” was enough to make me believe that he was willing to change. We dropped by to the mall and bought some clothes and groceries to share with his siblings and we proceeded to Lemuel’s house. I dismissed my beating around the bush and told exactly what was on my mind: If you will agree, I want you and your siblings to come to my house and live there for good. Only my mother and I live there and sure my mother will welcome you. It is no more safe living in this house, anytime if bad weather comes; your house is not strong enough to withstand the storm. Let me take you, as my own family and we will visit your parents to talk about my offer.

Lemuel and his siblings agreed. I told them to pack up all things and from there and then we left the place. Lemuel and his siblings were happy to leave behind the real nightmare and stepped in a new door of hope. My mother greeted them and hugged them as like her own children. You may stay here as long as you want and do not be shy to ask what you need. My mother told them.

I have nothing to worry now as Lemuel and his siblings were under my care. Tomorrow we will visit your parents to seek advice for allowing you to come under my care. Lemuel and his siblings have a few visits on their parents’ prison cell. The children have rested and that night I saw them in the state of very deep sleep for tomorrow will be more excited as they will visit their parents. In the morning, we prepared food to bring to their parents. Their parents’ prison cell were located separately, their father was in the New Bilibid Prison located at Muntinlupa City while their mother was in the Correctional Institute for Women located in Mandaluyong. We headed first to their mother.  As the siblings approached their mother, their rendezvous was so emotional that they embraced each other with tears in their eyes, no words as everybody broke down and sobbed at full of their heart. I am happy to see all of you, sorry for I was not with you all the times. I promised that I would patch things up when I come out in this place. It is like a hell in this place that you will curse the first day of coming in this place. We need to compress ourselves into the small bed to lie down.  It bothered me most to be separated from you, not knowing what is happening to all of you. I can only see your father during the time of court hearing and this hearing is slowly dragging us to uncertainty. Your father will be happy to see you all. Their mother said.

It is a lonely house without you and father; it hurts a lot to spend days and nights without both of you. We are locked-up in misery. I have no one else to turn to when I have a problem that is why I run to my friend. We are lucky that Mr. Dexter found us and would like to offer his home for us; would you agree to his offer. Lemuel asked.

I have to suffer the consequences of my sins. I am not sure when we will be reunited again, forgive me but I have to entrust you to Mr. Dexter, I can feel that he has good intention to your welfare, that I am allowing you Mr. Dexter to take care of my children. Their mother replied.

I promised that I will take care of them and will provide for their welfare.  I replied to their mother.

The next thing we did was go to his father’s cell. The same poor provision that we heard from his father: each taking turns to fit their body on small space whether it be on the floor, staircase steps, or hammocks made out of old blankets. His guilt-ridden father has promised making up for the lost time for his children. The most painful of all was to be away from you and every single day it stripped my sanity how to live another day without seeing you all. Their father sadly said.

The children while scarcely sobbing bade goodbye to their father. Their father agreed that their children be under my care. As we arrived home, my mother handed me a letter informing me of the start of the new season for registration of new aspiring football player. This is your big chance now Lemuel, this is your chance to prove your guts and it is happening this season. Your exposure inside the academy will give you chance to be spotted by dedicated scouts operating in local, national and even international level. You must go through many challenges along with your training sessions so the first thing you need to do is to pass their tough trials. Tomorrow, we will be at the playing field/pitch at least 30 minutes before the actual training. I will help you fill-up the application form and submit the accomplished training card. This is the way to hone your skill and keep track of your development. I explained to Lemuel.

As a football trainer, I need to stoke interest to my player, my whole knowledge and skills I need to share with them to start with the basic skills like dribbling, passing, shielding, trapping, tackling, shooting and goalkeeping must be practiced. More time to spend inside the playing field to determine which player I need to put in a certain position by observing where their skills put to best playing. I am more impressed for the central midfielders; they hold most of the playing field running back and forth to secure and recovering the team’s position. The game played in rhythm with the ones carrying the ball and among his teammates. Close to perfection means carefully handling the ball from passing and switching to the other side to achieve their goal. What I saw to Lemuel was a good potential to become a central midfielder because he can run up and down in the whole field. He could be everywhere. I have to teach the children the importance of the responsibility of their position in the game that they need to be on their own spot to realize the importance of teamwork. The most important mindset that I need to teach was how they can lift themselves up when things went wrong and that the opposing team was better that day for winning and getting back to the field to play again was the spirit of recovering from the heartbreak of losing.

At one point of being a trainer was to see how to identify different skills of whom among them has the caliber to run fast as with the one who can do endurance run and the one with an accurate pass. Yet behind my mind, as much as the training was concern, it was still the right choice of the kids to know what they are capable.

The next morning, I have seen all the players; I began teaching them the philosophy of winning. I usually offered the first week for conditioning, evaluation of player and installing the playing field. They need to know each other and the team rules and expectations. It was my duty to evaluate the participants of what position they will serve well. To execute a victorious pacing practice means assessing the player’s physical ability along with mental ability.

Lemuel’s capability for sprint and endurance run was something to watch for.  Lemuel needed the proper way of handling the ball, correct balance of arms harmonizing with the body. The Dedication was the sensible effective approach to improve player skills. It was normal for a child to be curious about what he sees around; inside the registrar’s office was a picture of the first batch of the team “Dingal,” which means elegance. Maybe someday I will see your own picture paralleled with these pioneers. I said.  Who is this? (Pointing to the little boy of his age seated in the middle). Lemuel asked. His name is Rommel. I found him on the street, abandoned by his parents. I took him here and taught him how to play football. His passion to this game has improved his skills which led him to compete internationally, now he was at Davao city working as a trainer in one of the football club there, once in a while we talked about our lives. This boy in the wheelchair is Junjun, he suffered from polio in his teenage years, rather feel miserable, he joined our team and volunteered to assist with the players need. Junjun now became a dedicated volunteer for a charity program. He usually travels to places from which cannot be reached by government assistance. And this one is Meshari a half Filipina a half India, she was the one who enjoyed making lots of friends that when his father from India will take her back home, she decided to stay and finish the last football season. This picture has so much to tell a story about friendship, hardship, and success. I recounted.

On the first day that Lemuel stepped on the football pitch, his bare feet felt the difference of a tread on the dirty ground of their place and on the artificial turf made to look like natural grass. Lemuel excitedly lay down flat on the ground with both hands on the side. I knew that Lemuel was building his composure and trying to get up from the failure in life. Lemuel tried to run back and forth across the pitch to gauge his stamina. This time he was no longer running, snatching, and stealing along the highway, preferred instead to run for true greatness. Lemuel knew that this would be a tough game, running out of breath, and have to prolong his capacity inside the game.

Part III: Challenges and unity.

On the following day, Lemuel and I arrived early on the playing field. I have set up the training session and checked the safety of the equipment. I gave clear and brief guidelines for relays. I prepared lane of cones for players to follow through. One player will go far line touches the second player to run back to the start line and to touch the 3rd player and will go to the far end. It was a relay done repeatedly until everyone was back to the start line. After sometime, I needed to change cones positioning, I put three cones apart at the far line with three balls in the gap of each cone, each player needed to run beyond far line to get the ball with their feet and dribbled the ball back to the start line with the rest of the player taking turns to do the relay. I also trained the children in chasing and dodging, as these techniques will develop their skill of faking then moving in the opposite direction. As I wanted to have a little fun along with the practice, I made up lively exercises where players in pairs will run around into the positioned cones as gates to pass through with each player dribbling the ball and pass it through the gates to each other until they have passed through each gate. Until they get used of this drill, we switched to another exercise, where each team can start stealing balls from the other team’s safe, the stealer will take the ball and passes it to another teammate then passes it to the team’s collector, who puts the ball in their safe. Their opponents will be doing the same to steal and put most balls in their safe. The children also practiced the receiving and controlling of the ball from the air using the head, shoulders, chest, legs, and feet. I told them also to practice to dribble, pass, and shoot the ball with their non-dominant foot. The ability of a player to switch from dominant to the non-dominant foot will be a great advantage. I told them also not to chase the ball in a pack rather they should know that each has to play a different spot on the game. A player with the best position to kick the ball for a goal should not waste time to take that opportunity and the other should be on his or her own spot to play their position. The kids’ anticipatory or perceptive thinking will help develop their spatial awareness of where his teammates and his opponents are. I told them also where scored goals most often went into the goal. They have a better chance of scoring if they shoot low into the corner but the most important thing to remember was just shooting if they saw an opportunity. I taught the children how to handle different situations, how to quickly assess and to choose the right decision. As training escalated, the children became more passionate to hone their craft. The event did not only open a new hope for these children but created new intimacy with the teammates. As a way to relieve fatigue from long training, we decided to go out of town to establish strong bonding and rapport to help reinforce trust. That in every competition, it was nice to feel unruffled that you know someone was at your back to keep you going forward.  It was vigorous for players to bond off the field to get to know each other. We traveled to the theme park as well as to recreational park. The children have a wonderful day, eating together, walking and tramping no matter how far as long as they get in touch with nature. On one spot, Lemuel found a well, bending head down into the water well to make an echo sound of this phrase: I am fine, are you well? He did this just for fun, expecting the well will conversely echo what he said. Inspired of what Lemuel did, I gave him a coin to toss to make a wish. It was more exciting to travel by bus. They have a chance to talk, escaped boredom while experiencing a breathtaking ride of going through narrow roads and were sloping uphill, while dew covered our path. Moreover, after long hours of ride, we arrived at our destination. The place was entirely an idyllic hideaway, with hills descending into lush green valleys, while everyone wants to be tucked away from the noisy city even for a few days. The place we have come to has many interesting cultural beliefs; one thing that intrigued the children was the strange tradition of burying the dead by suspending coffins on the cliff. Was it safe to put the dead hanging on the cliff’s wall? Why are they doing this? Lemuel asked. The indigenous tribe believed that it is a way to get their deceased loved ones closer to the gods. It is also believed that it is to safeguard the dead bodies from headhunting, as it was a rampant custom to take home human heads as their claim for victory. I explained. We posed for a team photo at the Kiltepan peak where trekkers got the best view of the sunrise and the famous Kiltepan Rice Terraces. We wrapped up our journey sitting around by the campfire, listening to others telling crazy stories, while one teenager played Beatles song on his guitar which attracted Lemuel to ask if he knew the song “In my life.” Both collaborated well to sing that beautiful song which the group enjoyed listening. Lemuel felt on singing it like his personal life reminiscing places and people that he met. At daybreak, we left the place and headed back home.

Team bonding is bridging the expanse of brotherhood and getting out from a wrong mindset of “all by myself” into “us” mindset. The outdoor event resulted in strong trust and unity, which will later transform into good performance in the field. Remember our motto “make it happen today for tomorrow will be a bigger day to face.” I shared with the team.

Lemuel voluntarily enrolled in an evening class to continue his study, this gave him time to study and a chance to train football. Lemuel has the mindset that anything is possible and truly in the development of his ways that went smoothly. In between school session and training, he conquered his tough decision to combine playing and study.

Part IV: The glory and grief.

The most awaited time had come when Lemuel’s team faced off against a formidable opponent.  Early in the game, our team had good chances on goal but the opponent’s goalkeeper had intercepted our attempts but in spite of the pressure, our team remained upbeat about what looms.  In the beginning, everyone was unstable because of the foe’s strong successive attempts for a goal.  Our team did not succumb to pressure and instead managed a strong counterattack to figure out a way for a first goal.

On the second half, was an equally shared strength between the two teams. Both teams have to run back and forth trying to grab a chance for a goal. As the game reached the 55th minute mark, Lemuel got face to face with the goalkeeper, he first observed a clear shot, when closed enough, then he used the technique to chip the ball over the keeper and scored a goal.

Overall, the team’s effort got through and took the opportunity to win that game with a final score of 2-0.  I congratulated the team members. We still have a long way; I hope the grit spirit you showed will go all the way to international competition.  In celebration of our winning, I arranged for a full-throttle party, I just want to see a big smile on their face. I hosted a cookout party at our favorite hangout park to run around and jump for joy, some brought food enough to share with the team. Everyone was eager to blow the first candle of victory in our first celebratory cake. Each player honored each other by lifting each member in unison, and then tossed him high into the air, and shouted for joy. Moreover, before we parted ways, each had posed a picture with me. That night, we felt we were one big family; it was nothing short of magical, the nearby falls at the park vaporized a fine mist, which reminded me of the first day I met Lemuel, been called the “children of the mist.”

How wrong for people would say that a child raised in a disarray environment would justify his/her misfortune in life, but Lemuel proved them wrong, as he trained hard and continued his study. He made many nights into a lively session, spending time reading and writing. For Lemuel, it was not enough just to believe, it was also behaving to be good for that special night in building his future a special contour.

In taking action every way we can, God is overlooking our journey and always flipping through the journal of our life, weighing them with perfect composure.  Some are saying that the righteous and the merciful are said to perish early and the wicked to live long.  Although that belief appears with no justification, the reason why that happens is that He wants to protect the righteous from falling to doing evil things. While the wicked one to live long, and given a chance to repent of their sins, to pray more and able to share the gospel for their salvation. As some would feel worthy, some would feel puzzled of God’s patience extended on us.

While on that evening, the mist was gathering slowly near the shores. Lemuel had stood outside the school to wait for my arrival as I always did since the first day of his night schooling. On my way to fetch him up, I returned to the house for I forgot to bring the book which I would bring to Lemuel as a gift, it took me long to find where I have put it. Lemuel might have become little impatient of his waiting that he decided to leave and walk home. Along the way in a narrow street, he encountered the group of what they called “children of the mist,” looking for someone to victimize and diverted their attention to Lemuel annoying and pushing him which caused anger to Lemuel. Lemuel fought back, while being hit by a large cobblestone to the head, and been stabbed in his chest. When I arrived at the school’s waiting shed, I found no Lemuel; I searched around the vicinity, walked farther into the cobblestone road, and beneath the only street lamppost, I found him lying on the ground who labored for his breathing, and at no time, I hurriedly rushed him to a nearby hospital. The hospital did everything to revive Lemuel but his wounds were severe that caused his immediate death. Lemuel seemed at peace when I touched his face. At anytime from anywhere, we might all fall prey to catastrophic events. For I can no longer control my emotions, I just burst into tears that displeased and blamed myself for the sad tragedy. My heart screamed in pain and in silence because the absence of communication was not a usual thing between Lemuel and me. I left and walked outside at the sheen of haze. I arranged for his funeral and burial site which all of his team attended with deep sorrow.  In the eulogy, my words were comprised of three storylines. I started with his struggles. The secondary storylines remembered his challenges, and the last tale had to tread carefully around his feelings over success. After the wake, his body rested to his final burial place.

The next morning, I went to the football registrar’s office, I collected all his things inside his locker and found our selfie picture. I took it and have posted it in the bulletin board as what I have promised seeing his picture along with the pioneers. As I was leaving the office, someone played the Beatles song “In My Life,” which was Lemuel’s favorite song. I walked on the trail of that song, and all about Lemuel. The lyrics of the song were so powerful, which left me a feeling of belongingness.

The song slowly faded out as I walked away from the place. I returned to Lemuel’s graveyard, soon the sun had grown weaker, means another day soon to complete and it started to get misty again associated with fog. I could somehow see a vision from the mist that suspended in the air while the fog converged, it was difficult to discern but I knew there was someone out there in the gloomy fog.

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