ANNUALLY, PEOPLE go to cemeteries where their deceased lie. People take a walk towards where their loved ones rest and pass by a million others sleeping in peace underneath their feet. They proceed to sit on lush, verdant foliage alongside their relatives that live on until this day and place their warm hands on golden tombstones where the names of their dearly departed are immortalized. Everyone lights candles and recites prayers for their illustrious souls that once inhabited this earth. Stories full of life and youth fill the air as people recollect memories with them back in the day. They remember the love and warmth that they gave during their time in this transient world that transcends the cold, decrepit graves that their bones rest on.
As the day ends and it is time to go back home, people tell their deceased beloved how their lives are going. People tell them of their travels and their travails and assure them that everything is going to be alright, being the ones left behind. As people walk away from their departed loved ones’ deep graves, they entrust them to guardian angels to bring them to a better place. F ADRIAN PAUL L. TAÑEDO
