Morning Musings (San Juan Beach, La Union)
Location: The Circle Hostel, La Union, The Philippines.Climb the stairs up to the common area. Kick off your slippers at the entrance and head straight for the hammock. Gently lower your bottom in the middle, then swing your legs in. You think you look clumsy and laugh inwardly. Wriggle around to get comfortable. Situate the ashtray so that it’s a natural extension of your arms and you can tap your ashes without looking.
Light up.
Look up.
Notice a giant blue sperm painted on the attap roof, swimming in a sea of red. You chuckle to yourself. Later, you learn that it’s waterproof paint, designed to prevent the rain from leaking.
Your arm moves in a lazy semicircle from the ashtray to your lips. Inhale deeply. Exhale. There’s a strange, bitter taste you get from smoking right after you brush your teeth. Let your arm fall back, wide, like a windshield wiper.
A breeze wafts by. Look for the source. It’s a fan that is always moving in slow, calm, circles. It reminds you of something vague, something big, something important, like life itself.
