Jandrea...so far

 In 1973, I graduated from high school and a few months later, entered UP Diliman as a college freshman. A mixture of exhiliration and a sense of foreboding (Martial Law baby here) accompanied my first few weeks there. My teachers were brilliant and many of my classmates were not so far behind! On some days, I felt proud of myself for just being there but on most days (especially during Math 11), I wondered whether I would even survive the semester! But there was one place where I felt safe! It was in my English 1 class and our teacher was Prof. Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio.  She not only taught us the rudiments of writing in English but regaled us with stories of her life! Mrs. B radiated an aura of kindness, gentleness, and patience and thus, the hours I spent in her clasroom were not filled with my academic insecurities!  One day, she asked me and another classmate to stay after class. Intensely curious about the reason for this, I nervously did that. She asked us what we were majoring i

In the past, I’ve written poetry only when I was either in a state of misery or jubilation. My poetry authentically described what I was experiencing and hoped to do about it. But when faced with normal and regular events in my life, the well of words and emotions in me did not yield much! In recent months, I have decided that I can still write about people in my imagination! I can use the restlessness and turmoil caused by the pandemic to create stories and use this energy to write poetry again. They don’t have to be about me! All they have to do is tell a story! And maybe touch someone else’s heart!   And so here’s one...