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Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Fuego(in honor of Fire Prevention Month)
By Letecia Suarez-Orendain
Fuego, the exotic sounding Spanish word for fire, slips through our lips as we say it; air streams out as when we pucker our lips to blow out the candle.
Ironically, air kindles fire or kills it, depending on our intentions.
Ever since the titan Prometheus stole fire from the gods, this archetypal element has changed the course of mankind.
Fire is produced when two bodies are rubbed against each other as when a matchstick is struck against the flint, or a boring stick furiously spun into a piece of wood.
It is mystical in a sense that fire is also born from above, as when lightning strikes an object in its path on earth.
Even myth has created a special beast to embody what fire represents to man. The fire-breathing dragon, with its thick armor, conveys what man fears and cherishes at the same time.
Awesome fire denotes all-consuming passion, divine power and creation.
It purifies gold, and cleanses the field, thereby offering the opportunity for renewal. However, it thrives upon the all-or-nothing-at-all law, too, and thus, it also destroys thoroughly and brings pain and awful memories.
Even then, radical fire’s innate magnetism attracts man to its changing colors and ability to provide light.
Like the month drawn to the flicker of an oil lamp, man is drawn to the beguiling witchery but he needs wisdom and care lest the flames devour him.
Even little children are fascinated by fire; oh, how they love to play with it, not knowing the damnation it can cause when it is allowed to grow uncontrolled.
There is a way with fire; to tame it the way Prometheus handled the flames to benefit mankind.
Men who do this are what I call flame tamers: Fire throwers, men of guts who juggle fire to entertain people. They toss or wave fire sticks to create shapes—pretzels, orbs, numbers, flowers—that are not accidents of circumstances but planned works of art, so fleeting.
And there are the fire breathers, pseudo-dragons, who spew off flames to prove their mastery, which results to awe in our hearts.
Under the knowledgeable hands of these men, fire can become more than a friend. It can become a lifetime companion, a source of inspiration to sustain us beyond the cold, dark rainy days.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (March 15, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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