12-10-2021, 12:48 AM
Once, I climbed a hill
the locals called Mount Sion.
I washed myself in a stream
they called the River Jordan.
Lianas crept up boulders
like angels up a ladder
and fought each other for light
like Jacob and the Angel.
We unbelievers lost
our breath at every step,
a pilgrimage the faithful
breezed through every week.
Behind each tree was a cave
where Joseph buried Jacob,
where Joshua buried Joseph,
where Israel buried Joshua.
Candles sketched with shadow
the lines of Hannah's face
and moved her mouth to prayer
through the flickering of their flames.
On the summit, we believed
we could see the entire world
although the nearby ocean
was far below the horizon,
and we were back on the bus
to Manila, their Babylon.
the locals called Mount Sion.
I washed myself in a stream
they called the River Jordan.
Lianas crept up boulders
like angels up a ladder
and fought each other for light
like Jacob and the Angel.
We unbelievers lost
our breath at every step,
a pilgrimage the faithful
breezed through every week.
Behind each tree was a cave
where Joseph buried Jacob,
where Joshua buried Joseph,
where Israel buried Joshua.
Candles sketched with shadow
the lines of Hannah's face
and moved her mouth to prayer
through the flickering of their flames.
On the summit, we believed
we could see the entire world
although the nearby ocean
was far below the horizon,
and we were back on the bus
to Manila, their Babylon.