The Final Journey

The   Final   Journey

(for  TTL…childhood  bro)

By  Apolinario   Villalobos

 

For   a   guy   who   loves   life   so   much

Moving   on   without    turning   back

Is   hard   to   make,   done   with   regrets –

And    one   last   gasp   is   all   that    it   takes.

It    makes   us   wonder   sometimes

How   fickle   life   can   be –

But   who   are  we   to   question   His   wisdom

That   designed   our   finite   destiny?

All   I    can   do   for    now   is   look   back

–          to   the   time   we   climbed   acacia   trees

–          to   the   time   you  lent   me   your   scooter

–          to   the   time   we   traversed   a   “mountain”

–          to   the   time   you   accidentally   fired   your  gun

–          to   the   time    you  exhausted   the   gas  of   your  bike

looking   for  me   in   the   middle   of   the   night

–           to   the   time  we   told  ourselves,  the  future’s   bright

You   were   never   seen   without   a   smile   on   your   face

Not    even    the   ever   tiresome  trek   up   Mt.  Apo’s    peak

Once you    told   me,    “ in   all  we   do,    just   enjoy   every   minute –

He    is   just    around,   His   gaze   not   leaving   us  a  bit”.

For   your   loved   ones,   letting    you    go   is    hard   to   do

But   we   cannot   hold    you    back,   dear   bro,  

Tears   shall   no   longer   make   us   see

As   you  embark  on  your  final  journey….

The Path Towards Home

THE PATH TOWARDS HOME

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

Nothing is sweeter

To hear than “home”,

A word that tickles the ear

And pricks the heart, so hard to bear-

A sensation that drowns the soul

With a feeling that only a wordless awe

Can give it vividness

To satisfy a long harbored

Pang of loneliness.

 

Here I am

Treading the path towards home

Dizzy, not for the searing and blinding sun

Thirsty, not for a swig of sweet cool water

Nor hungry, not for want of food

Though my guts do twirl and growl

It is the thought that not for long

My journey is ended

As I make my last firm step

At the threshold of my home.

 

At last I can again feel on my soles

The granules of earth that I coaxed

To nurture the grains of life

That I patiently dropped

From morn till noon, until twilight

Until hot salty sweat dimmed my sight

Then a prayer to Him I said fervently

That all my toils will bear fruit someday.

 

Home at last!

I thank the Lord for His guiding hand

That prod me to tread the same path

Towards a new life- a gainful life,

Though as He designed I had to strive

Which made me strong

To make the trek back home…

 

As Time Moves On…So Does Life

As Time Moves On

       …so Does Life

 

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

 

Life is a never ending cycle

that moves with time

there is no turning back

not even retracing of steps

to where we have been;

whatever time has been wasted

cannot be regained

but there is always the chance

to make amends

for mistakes committed

…as lessons learned.

 

We grow with time 

we can’t be forever young

we have a purpose in life

and this we should fulfill  

hence, live  a sensible life

it should be –

replete with gladness and contentment

not voraciousness for material things

for at the end of our day

such a load is just too heavy

as we embark on our final journey.

The Journey of Man

The Journey of Man…

And the Mother’s Extended Hand

 

By Apolinario B Villalobos

 

Since birth man is destined to undertake a journey…

 

As a helpless infant, he is helped in his journey by his mother. As a toddler when he has learned to crawl, his curiosity brings him to all directions of his playpen, living room of the house, bedroom, anywhere that he is allowed to explore.

 

When he learns to take a few steps, he goes further where accidents that he encounter give him lessons to be learned as regards things that should be touched or play with.

 

When he enters a prep school, his physical journey is coupled with mental explorations through the pages of coloring  and big-lettered illustrated books.

 

When he joins his peers in elementary he steps up the ladder of knowledge that he continues to do as he enters high school and college. Along the way, he meets friends.

 

Everybody’s been through all these…

 

The journey is not without difficulties. And, to help us through them, there’s always our mother who would extend a hand every time we stumble. Through thick and thin, she is always around giving us assurance, always ready to help.

 

I cannot  just imagine life without a mother!

 

Patience is one virtue that mothers are born with. Our mother overflows with it.

 

In our journey, we always see her hand giving us directions. Sometimes we feel it, as she pushes us on if we are at the verge of quitting. Sometimes her hand would give us a slight pat if we make mistakes.

 

As for me, I have done my best to follow the right direction in my effort to reach my destination. This I did as I tread on long roads that sometimes wind through rock-strewn hills, as they poetically say of challenges.

 

Yes, the road of life is not that smooth. But thanks to the extended hand of my mother.  At last, I am where I should be…