The Rose among the Thorns (May 27,2008)

The Rose among the Thorns
by: Maria Reylan M. Garcia

I knew it was over for the both of us. Those sweet ice cream days turn blunt and bitter, the sugary joy melted in despair. There came those cold and lonely nights, freezing my hopeless tears. Those dreams of countless sunny days lying on the seaside, all were wiped away by the turbulent rage of current. There came those afternoons I sat by the window, counting the endless drops of rain, soaking my very being in regret. I couldn't stop him, he has to leave. Farewell my darling summer time, I hope our paths will cross once more. This is what you get from an amateur closet poet, a hopeless romantic and a kid longing for summer, three personas trapped in one body. I can't help being melodramatic at times, but saying good bye to dear old summer felt like ripping my grieving heart into pieces.

Long gone are those days of sleep until noontime, in a few days vacations will be over and each one of us will be, as they say, back to work. I always wondered why vacations, rest days, lunch breaks and even recesses last just for a while, while overtimes, nightshifts, anatomy classes, and midnight studying last forever. The good indeed, must die young. However we try to sleep as long as we want; we always wind up waking up in the morning with a pile of laundry to wash or a mountain of documents to study. These remind us that life is not always a bed of roses, because among those roses are several prickling thorns. Observe a stem of a rose; you'll see more thorns than the petals.

The recent drastic hike in petroleum ended the road tripping days of many motorists. Transport strikes from different regions in our country goaled to paralyze the highways hoping that their absence on the roads would send a clear message. I hear their cries; the disappointment of summer is a minor resemblance to the increase of fuel price. The current scenario of people lining up for repacked NFA rice ceased the banquet of abundance agriculture. Parliament of the streets, rallies, undisputed debates from one labor group to another tried to emulate historical revolts and uprising hoping that their chaos would leave a mark. I feel their pain; the regret of a relaxing sunny day at the beach is a minor resemblance to the false hope of eating thrice in a day.

I believe these people had left a mark, have sent the message. Every person in the world seems to understand that we are all in crisis; the problem is not everyone in the world is brewing up a solution or even to look at its brighter side. I keep on being depressed of summer, I keep on regretting what could have been my perfect vacation but never did I do anything to make the best out of the upcoming rainy days. As summer leaves, schools are opened and students learn more about the world they'll soon lead. As summer bids farewell, the earth's cracked soil dampens and more farmers hopefully would start planting their crops. As summer waves good bye, rain drops starts to fall and they are not exactly as depressing often times the site of falling rain is breathtaking.

Acceptance, we have to accept whatever would come may they be helpful or not. Our world's reserves of fuel are not that easy to renew plus our world's environmental condition make matters worse. These hikes on consumer goods are only domino effects of a global headache. Shall we add more to the world's migraine by flooding the streets in unnecessary noise of clamor? I don't want to preach as if I know a lot, because I don't. But on a small scale basis, I could perhaps assure that simple solutions would accumulate towards the long lost resolution our depreciating world needs. Let's try to look at the brighter side of life first before wailing out loud. I think the increase in consumer goods, especially on rice, teachers us the simple value on food. Now, every one stops and thinks twice before throwing to waste some rice grains left on their plates. Now, Some people used to riding on their private vehicles steps down and tries public transport, helping our roads to a smoother traffic with less automobiles around. Not to mention, along the way less carbon gases are released to the atmosphere with less cars running.

It's not always vacation for all of us, most of the time we have to work hard, fall down a dozen of times, and scratch ourselves along the way. That's the way life works, we can't do anything about it, but we can make the best out of it. Besides, if everyday is summer, why call it summer? Sunny days at beaches would then be just a common sight, not much to look forward to.

Good bye summer, see you soon.

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