The Drama of Hello

Nearly a year of introduction
That never really started
Always in different places
Engaged in our own proclivities

Perfect timing was your ally
Distance your foe
With fate’s twists and turns
And some universal conspiracy
We see, finally

And the introduction wasn’t theatrical
No hype, no superfluous buildup
A sincere handshake
The his and hellos, things customary

No complications as you see
Wining, dining, waxing philosophical
The conversation and connection
Were both shallow and deep

As we saw fit, a second rendezvous
It deserved
To know more, learn more
If it was cosmic and ethereal
Or grounded and real

And as we both tread
In the usual process of prologues
And eventual overtures
We see, we realize
The non-complexity of initiating

The drama of hello
Is not in the beginning
It is in the certainty
That with every hello we speak
Is an adieu in the offing.


--- For Bea.

Thank you for making me appreciate both life's simple and complicated pleasures.

And for making me realize what bliss it is to believe in perfect mornings. And hot coffee.

Paradise

Here are the long overdue photos from Palawan when I hied off to the islands with Big.

Get well soon, Shrek

Jovan has been sick for the past few days.

Hang in there, Big Guy.

We're all praying for you. And we're here for you.

I hope you'll feel better soon.