This Is Home
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Gedy Cate Tuguinay
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Short Story
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2021
Yet again I am hit with a shock. A vehicle stops by, the revving engines quieting as it releases it’s last drop of fuel, poisoning the crisp air.
Elevated high on the mountain, the dirt road is behind me. Buses and tricycles pull up the dust, the only transport on the long winding road up and down.
It’s breathtaking to watch below, where small houses and shops become clusters of roofs. The people are like ants, making their way around and dedicated to work. The nature and environment become harmonious with the human establishment, where rivers provide fresh water for rice paddles that are carefully nurtured.
It is warm, a blue sky filled with few clouds, reminding me of the opposing and contradictory weather; from hot summer days to cold rainy nights.
The sun finally pears out again, and so I take shade by heading home-
-And I am back on the porch. Where instead of small tricycles there are motorbikes and cars. The road is made of concrete and tar, and instead of wooden roofs there are metal tiles. Instead of farms there are tall trees with light greens of eucalyptus.
It is harmonious, where the birds sing songs to enjoy while the native plants are nurtured carefully by the human establishment. Not as many people go out in a rush, more for leisure and to walk the dog out. But if you were to venture out, there would be water reserves that catch the rain.
It is cool, the clouds hiding the sun in the giant blue sky that connected us all.
Yet again I am hit with a shock, but it is more of an epiphany. A longing for sky-high views and the ever changing weather, but also for the simplicity of the birds song and the cherished rain.