You had been here
You had come wading to shore
Wearing a raiment of corals and sea grass
And flotsam surrendered by the sea
You had been in this valley
Where you let grow
Cathedral trees laden
With words that fall and flow
On the riverine channels of my mind
You had been on this hill
Where eagles go home to die
Poured out the ocean from your eyes
And then were gone
I have met you, stranger
You have followed from sea to star
Pursuing roaring
Like the wind in a lost empty city
Staying softly
Like the shadows of clouds
On the crag of cliffs at noon
And then were gone
You have walked me
Across sandstorms and rainstorms
Across fields turned white by lightning
To that forest clearing
That heaved with a thousand unwritten songs
And then were gone
You have walked me
To the edge
And bade me to cross
Alone
And then were gone
I arrive at last and realize
You have been waiting
Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
Ma. Ceres P. Doyo has been a journalist for more than 40 years. Her written works have won numerous awards, among them, two National Book Awards for Journalism (2015 and 2022). She writes a weekly column, the “Human Face,” for the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
