Roz in the Twilight

in memory of rosalinda m. galang *

she said, her grin elfin & wide,
"come in," & armed with her gentle summons,
we hacked away
a decade of apartness.

pleased with the clearing we had made,
we tarried over tea
& let more stories flow unbidden,
our giggles rise up unsuppressed.

at sundown talk veered towards
the quiet of churches & chapels,
the amber light cast
by melting candlesticks

& how aspirant souls
would seek the imperturbable stillness
that sometimes evaded those who dared
to upturn the world imperfect
or to ride the swells of inner upheaval.

this last of her battles
was even more ferociously fought.
her enemies--time the tyrant
& the physical rot
that would eventually claim us all.

spitting & coughing,
gasping & croaking,
but also laughing & smiling,
rejoicing & cheering us on,

she stooped one morning,
conquered & entered triumphant
the vast fastness of eternity.


--Babeth Lolarga

First published in Philippine Graphic, November 10, 2003
but originally turned over to Ricardo Reyes, husband to Roz, on the last night of her wake in 1998.


* Roz Galang was described by the Philippine Daily Inquirer as "a leading and steady light of resistance journalism during the martial law years." She died of cancer in 1998.

Photos of church interior and sunset from a Facebook community page