Yesterday afternoon, at around four, there was a sudden downpour.  This caught motorists heading for home off-guard during the after-office-hour rush and caused monstrous traffic jams in many parts of the metropolis, I gathered from the 6:00 o'clock news on TV.  As my speaking engagement was still at eight in the evening I stayed a little while at home and left the house at around seven. 

     "By now, the traffic situation must have already eased," I told myself. How wrong I was. 

     At the corner of Central and Visayas Avenue where I passed en route to my destination, traffic seemed to stand still.  The area was a little flooded which forced drivers to proceed with caution.  Though the windows of the air-conditioned car I was driving were closed, the sound of engines from the other cars could still be heard.  In the seemingly interminable span, I could only wish for .....

          QUIET DAYS

Caught in the snarl of traffic,
lost deeply in the city maze;
How I long for years gone by.
How I long for quiet days.

Under a canopy of green,
lulled by a murmuring brook;
Sat I on an aging trunk,
once, my favorite nook.

Many a times have I dreamed
of palaces and moats;
Lads wearing wide-brimmed hats
serenading lasses on riverboats.

Steeples, turrets, gardens and ponds,
fountains where tamed doves drink;
All at once disappear from view,
with a honk, in an eye's wink.

Caught in the snarl of traffic,
lost deeply in the city maze;
Now I long for years gone by.
Now I long for quiet days.

     Nine years ago, today, my mother went the way of her forebears at the ripe age of 78. It was a hasty departure that she didn't even have the time to bid anyone of us goodbye. She needed that well-deserved rest, of course. What with nine children to her credit! Excluding her four miscarriages. Hers was really a feat.

     Anyway, I believe it was truly providential that I brought them (both my father and my mother) from their home in Villa Magsaysay, a barrio in the town of Babatngon, in the province of Leyte, to Quezon City, a year before, so they could be near me.  It thus became easy for me to make the necessary arrangements for the 5-day wake and the interment of her remains at the Himlayang Pilipino Memorial Park.....my last acts of gratitude to the woman who nourished me from her womb up to the time I could already fend for myself.  And even during my growing up years, she was there.  Mother continued to be the beacon of light that illumined my path.  For that, I will always be thankful to her. 

     In remembrance of my mother and everything that she stood for, here is my poem ....

AFTER HER DAYS ARE DONE....

Then she sang her last song -
    the song she knew so well ....
the song that speaks of happiness and love ....
    only a mother can tell.

And then she danced her last dance -
    waving her hands, and smiling ....
hinting no one, not even her life's love -
    she would soon be leaving.

And then she breathed her last breath -
    in a world so full of strife....
dreaming of paradise....of heaven
    and the promised eternal life.

     "Many of us hurry through life going from one place to the next, focused on conquering the next mountain, making the next deal, running the next errand, and believing we will never have enough time to do all the things we need to get done.  Yet, there is all the time in the world if we just realize that we are the creators of this life we choose to live.  That's right.  Life is a series of choices and being free from stress is one of those choices," says David Zerfoss in his wildly popular book Stress Is a Choice:  10 Rules To Simplify Your Life.

     I could only agree. And if I may add, literally, the clutter in one's life contributes to a stressful existence. Clutter of course can be anything: from the mental, emotional, physical or material aspects of one's existence. So, why not .....

LIVE A CLUTTER-FREE LIFE!

Don't let clutter take over your life.
Free your mind and heart.
The better for you to move
and have a truly fresh start.

What are those boxes doing
in the far corner of the room?
Take them out into the open.
Drive away the gloom.

Sweep the cobwebs off the ceiling.
Let the paint show, glowing white;
While the mirror on the wall
flashes back a smile so bright.

Oh the floor, see how polished!
Free of dust, of dirt, and grime.
Let the sink drain oil off dishes
with soap and not with brine.

The spoons and forks have a nook
alongside plates and glasses;
Cups, saucers, and bowls, like books,
are up on shelves, in proper places.

Don't forget the dirty linen,
as clothes are left to dry;
Shiny rests the pan on the range -
waiting for the meatloaf to fry.

Let a scented candle burning -
wafting sweet aroma in the air.
Apple? Oranges? Tea rose?
It really doesn't matter.

Time to make the bed.
Time to ease the back.
Soon you're off to dreamland
to unload the excess pack. 

Day to day living is really fun.
It's neither drudgery nor strife.
That's true.  You'll find out soon -
just don't let clutter take over your life!