The Long Embrace

Julius Chan Acoymo

THE silent whispers of goodbye palisade the place

In a warm and balmy night of March
Benign smiles of two individuals cannot be recognizedExcept by the living shadows whose presence remained unnoticed.

Nobody knows who they were

Everybody goes through the terminal just like all passengers
Only the Grand Architect of this edifice can distinguish all of them by heart
And for these two individuals, only one has a ticket for the trip

When he saw her, it caused his heart to palpitate with excitement
While she blushed and her face bloomed like sweet roses
Expressed emotions immediately envelop their souls
No words can replace the embrace they shared with each other

How they wished that time would stand still just for the two of them
Is it a sin to spend time with the person you wanted to grow old with?
A heartache for the both of them that one has to depart
While the other person awaits in anguish till the next train to arrive

The train arrived earlier than its scheduled time

It quickly dawned upon them, that they are now helpless in front of destiny
That only promises made will keep the fire burning in their hearts
As bitter goodbyes slowly arise from such place of melancholy

As the train slipped back into the duskiness

One soul lingers for a while, oblivious by the faint gleam of daybreak
Hope flutters in the atmosphere as the person proceeded towards the exit door
Ready to face again the outside world temporarily forsook