I found an old childhood photo of me cheerfully sitting on my dad's lap. The image leaks a carroty color. "Where are my crayons?" I probably appealed from him. If jazz music would have a hue, it would be orange like the shade of cigarette smoke rising into a dim light that turns into orangy musical notes while Peyroux's “Dance me to the end of Love” plays in the background. My mind takes a trip with a gentle orange highlighter like dipping a whole page in neon paint and unlocks my intellect into new cosmic distances. I am the auburn book. My car has orange lights that warn other drivers whether my body is turning left or right. It also cautions when I’m in trouble. “We know where you are heading and we would not get in the way,” the other motorists would say. Orange illuminates direction. Misdirection, on the other hand, confuses my opponents with intense orange hand wraps. Do I win? Not surprisingly, nope, but neither do I lose. We’re both in bad shape, I unleash 3-punch combos everywhere while my rival counters most of them, but we endure the exchange throughout the night. We live in a square boxing ring. I relax with orange tea. It is a bundle of fresh herbs cooked to a concoction. It is like a masseuse who touches my tongue. It rubs out stress and incapacitates me to euphoria. My shadow shows a blissful figure. A library, my boxing gloves, sunflowers, a fruit, and a bag… my entire world is a perky orange. Self-actualization is a radical orange. Don’t you ever try to erase it in my universe. ***
Nakitadyak ka na ba ng ubod nang lakas sa kinuyog na kawawang snatcher para lang ilabas ang galit nang mabasted? Napasigaw ka na ba ng Boom! para lumayas ang katahimikan dahil dial tone lang ang sumagot nang winika mong aylabyu? Boom! Nakisali ka na ba sa mga rally para sa environment kahit amoy basura naman ang kwarto mo kasi ini-stalk mo si Caileigh na myembro ng grupong Grimpis? Boom! Uminom ka na ba ng 20 tasa ng kape sa isang araw pero pakiramdam mo tulog ka pa rin at walang hanggang binabangungot? Boom! Sumayaw ka na ba ng "Who run the world" kasi ang saya-saya ng viral video ni Angelica, Camille, at Melay at akala mo liligaya ka rin kapag ginaya mo sila? "Sino ba'ng niloloko mo?" tanong mo sa sarili. Dagling bumaligtad ang ngiti at nagbuntong-hininga. Boom! Nagpakalat-kalat ka na ba sa SM Fairview kahit alas-10 pa lang ng umaga at kakabukas pa lang ng gate, kahit binoboykot mo ang mall dahil nagputol umano sila ng pine trees sa Baguio, habang nakikinig ka sa kantang "esem" ni Dong Abay at iniisip mo kung anong banda siya galing, Yano ba o Pan, sa i-pod mong gusto mong ipamigay dahil lalo mo lang naaalala si Caileigh na nagturo sa iyong mag-gitara, at nanood ng love story para manatiling kumakapit sa paniniwala sa kadakilaan ng pag-ibig ni Derek Ramsey at Anne Curtis? Saka mo sinabi nang malakas dahil naka-earphone ka, "Sana pine tree na lang ako para 'di na naiinlab. Masakit sa puso eh. Boom!" *** ____________________ * Ang pamagat ay mula sa Bubble Gang Sinubukan ko lang gayahin ang tunog nila Bob Ong at Eros S. Atalia. Kung hindi epektibo, okay lang. Experiment lang naman, 'di ba? :-)
