Dragonflies
Dragonflies were a huge part of my childhood in the suburbs of Manila. Our house stands at the perimeter of our village. Behind the wall is a squatters area. A little over twenty years ago, it was a grassy field we could go exploring in.
My cousins and I actually went once, and I still have fragmented memories of a huge mango tree, dried snake skin, drinking water from a banana tree trunk, a small rice paddy with snails. I think we brought home muddied slippers and cow dung for my mother's roses that day.
Back then, we would know it was already summer when one of two things happened: the dragonflies would come buzzing, or cogon grass seeds would be floating about.
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned this to my mother. I lamented that I'd probably never see anything like that in our village again.
But bless the universe--as I was walking to the back entrance of Southmall last Wednesday, I saw hundreds of them flying near the trees in the parking lot!
If they'd been flying a few feet closer to the concrete, I would have tried to catch one!
My cousins and I actually went once, and I still have fragmented memories of a huge mango tree, dried snake skin, drinking water from a banana tree trunk, a small rice paddy with snails. I think we brought home muddied slippers and cow dung for my mother's roses that day.
Back then, we would know it was already summer when one of two things happened: the dragonflies would come buzzing, or cogon grass seeds would be floating about.
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned this to my mother. I lamented that I'd probably never see anything like that in our village again.
But bless the universe--as I was walking to the back entrance of Southmall last Wednesday, I saw hundreds of them flying near the trees in the parking lot!
If they'd been flying a few feet closer to the concrete, I would have tried to catch one!