My first best friend, Joy,
Was my cousin, who I grew up with
& we even called each other as twin sisters.
We went to Kinder, Grades 1 & 2 together.
But lost touch when we moved to Davao,
& although we wrote each other from when we were young
& now we’re living in the same place & see each other
from time to time.
Things have never been the same.
My second best friend, Melody,
Was my classmate in Grade 3.
And we remained classmates till Grade 6.
We were close, & I can’t remember
How we we became best friends,
But it sure felt good to have a friend
Since I was the new kid in class.
I’m not exactly sure how we stopped
Being best friends, coz I don’t recall
Fighting, we just outgrew each other I guess.
I had my first barkada in Grade 6, with Liza & Jennifer.
We were inseparable, & talked endlessly,
For at this age, we’d discovered boys.
We’d eat lunch together, & they’d both
Go with me, even til high school,
When we’d still troop back to the grade
School canteen to have lunch with my sisters.
We stayed as a barkada from Grade 6 till first year high school.
Then things changed, as it often does,
During high school.
My high school barkada, & I call them such
Are Jercyl, Rowee, Suzette, Arlene, Deanna, & Myrha.
I remember barkada sleep-overs in my house in Lark St.
In college, all through-out, there was our barkada:
Glet, Leah, Celes, Redge, Karen, Princess & me.
I became a Christian because of these guys.
Entablado, though a barkada,
Was a loosely organized bunch of friends for me.
Depending on what year & what group:
And although, Karen, Loren, Jobert, Joesen, Joy,
Jason, Ama, Bards, Juan, Bombit, Obit,
and so many others
Will always be friends to me,
I felt most times in, but at other times out
& just went my own merry way.
It was the same with work,
I have my Aboitiz friends: Welda, Riella, Jovy,
Chris, Alpin, Arne
My Toastmaster friends.
But I also have a separate life.
Apart from them.
And that's me I guess,
I've been blessed to have had best and close friends
Over the years
But I still prefer to keep my own company
Like a cat, who gets all cuddly with people,
but prefers to walk and explore alone.
And perhaps that's why
Niel
Is my bestest friend of all.
He's been there, for
Thirteen years.
And though we've had our
physical parting of ways several times over the years
The emotional bond of friendship
Has always been there.
The friends I've mentioned here
I've lost, then found once again
through the years.
And once you've let someone
into your soul, & into your life.
They don't ever leave you I guess.
So maybe yes,
I am a solitary soul.
But I have met & needed friends
to get me through all these years.
Was my cousin, who I grew up with
& we even called each other as twin sisters.
We went to Kinder, Grades 1 & 2 together.
But lost touch when we moved to Davao,
& although we wrote each other from when we were young
& now we’re living in the same place & see each other
from time to time.
Things have never been the same.
My second best friend, Melody,
Was my classmate in Grade 3.
And we remained classmates till Grade 6.
We were close, & I can’t remember
How we we became best friends,
But it sure felt good to have a friend
Since I was the new kid in class.
I’m not exactly sure how we stopped
Being best friends, coz I don’t recall
Fighting, we just outgrew each other I guess.
I had my first barkada in Grade 6, with Liza & Jennifer.
We were inseparable, & talked endlessly,
For at this age, we’d discovered boys.
We’d eat lunch together, & they’d both
Go with me, even til high school,
When we’d still troop back to the grade
School canteen to have lunch with my sisters.
We stayed as a barkada from Grade 6 till first year high school.
Then things changed, as it often does,
During high school.
My high school barkada, & I call them such
Are Jercyl, Rowee, Suzette, Arlene, Deanna, & Myrha.
I remember barkada sleep-overs in my house in Lark St.
In college, all through-out, there was our barkada:
Glet, Leah, Celes, Redge, Karen, Princess & me.
I became a Christian because of these guys.
Entablado, though a barkada,
Was a loosely organized bunch of friends for me.
Depending on what year & what group:
And although, Karen, Loren, Jobert, Joesen, Joy,
Jason, Ama, Bards, Juan, Bombit, Obit,
and so many others
Will always be friends to me,
I felt most times in, but at other times out
& just went my own merry way.
It was the same with work,
I have my Aboitiz friends: Welda, Riella, Jovy,
Chris, Alpin, Arne
My Toastmaster friends.
But I also have a separate life.
Apart from them.
And that's me I guess,
I've been blessed to have had best and close friends
Over the years
But I still prefer to keep my own company
Like a cat, who gets all cuddly with people,
but prefers to walk and explore alone.
And perhaps that's why
Niel
Is my bestest friend of all.
He's been there, for
Thirteen years.
And though we've had our
physical parting of ways several times over the years
The emotional bond of friendship
Has always been there.
The friends I've mentioned here
I've lost, then found once again
through the years.
And once you've let someone
into your soul, & into your life.
They don't ever leave you I guess.
So maybe yes,
I am a solitary soul.
But I have met & needed friends
to get me through all these years.
