Birds of Santo Domingo

In front of the Santo Domingo Church along Quezon Avenue, I was quite surprised at a familiar sight so unfamiliar.

A pair of young boys was braving the noontime sun on a crowded, open footbridge which spanned the road. Unmindful of the traffic below, they intently tugged at the sky with invisible strings, pulling this way and that. Even as a hurrying adult crashed into their frail bodies clothed in tattered sandos and shorts, their eyes remained glued to the heavens and their hands steadfastly gripped and yanked the unseen strings.

Squinting my eyes against the glaring light, I finally saw two small kites soaring above the road, casting their measly, dancing shadows on the vehicles below. Grey gusts from countless exhaust pipes powered the kites' flight. Again and again the paper birds darted left to Sto. Domingo's direction, right to an abandoned building fronting the great church, then upwards to the sun. Left, right, up. But never downwards.

I fancied seeing some words scrawled on the flimsy kites. One prayed: "God gimme a jeepney*, and I'll earn many coins to buy a red, shiny car." The other kite simply pleaded: "Let some coins drop from a pocket's hole so I could eat kikiam** today."

Suddenly, one kite crossed its partner's path, then wavered in flight. The other kite followed suit and lost altitude, its diamond frame faltering. Finally, both spiraled downwards like birds shot from the air.

The kites' unseen strings had caught each other.

[recently published in INQ7.net's Expressions]

*jeepney - the Philippines' King of the Road. Public utility vehicle wherein 18 people can be jampacked. Ultimate polluter of the skies. Visit this link for more.
**kikiam - cheap but sumptuous cuisine (at least for me) sold by mini-food stalls dotting the Philippines' streets. Spend a few coins, and your tummy's pleased.