Ditumabo Falls, San Luis, Aurora

The journey to find you:

Fields upon fields

rushing into view,

kaingin, the smell of burning,

smoke signals--warning

yet welcoming

the girl from the city

wide-eyed with wonder,

fiercely fascinated,

of the prospect

of an experience--

to explore streams,

to leap upon boulders,

to scale the sloping terrain--

of hiking for the first time.

The mountain air, shaken-not-stirred,

she drank in every breeze,
breathless and thirsty,

freshwater caressed her tired feet,

her face shone brighter

than the mid-morning sun,

on the journey to find you.

And there you were:

Tall and beautiful,

dignified, yet captivating,

you pulled her in and held her,

underwater,

the sound of bass drums

pounding against her own heart,

yet she felt no fear,

enveloped in icy cold,

threatening to drown her,

yet she felt only comfort.

In that one moment,

she held her breath

to peer beneath your glassy surface,

sunbeams danced on every smooth stone

transforming into gold and silver,

rays of light reflecting off sharp rocks,

breaking into emeralds, rubies and topaz.

When she resurfaced to catch her breath,

you kissed her in the mist,

and she was lost forever.