from a live journal of a person named:kaftig

Clouds (Excerpt)
Aug 28, '04 5:25 PM ETfor everyone
"Palaging may ulan ang pamamaalam..."

Michael Coroza's words were booming in my head...like a mantra meant to assuage the tempest of emotions raging within."You can at least turn on the radio."I pulled on the knob. No sound came out of it except for static. I wanted to turn it off, but her hand stopped me."Some static is better than this silence."I stepped out of my car, and looked at the summer sky. The absence of clouds made me want to create some of my own. I made thin, wispy ones that smelled of tar and nicotine. Perhaps if I created enough clouds, they would absorb the tears that I could not shed. I was waiting for the storm that would never come. Soon, I grew tired of watching my clouds swirl into each other. I threw away my cloud-maker, and watched it roll across the black sea of asphalt."There's no rain cloud in sight, yet you're saying goodbye."I waited for a reply, but not a single word was spoken. It was as if I was alone with the cloudless summer sky. * * *I often dream of the rain. As I listen to the sound of falling raindrops in my mind, I could not help but remember the dimness of the streetlights, the silence of the city streets on that cold rainy night. Images flash inside my mind like a kaleidoscope of forgotten memories, raindrops cascading down her tresses, the wet blouse clinging to her breasts like a second skin, her lips touching mine in a sensuous kiss. Hesitatingly, I pulled away from her lips and stared at her face drenched in the November rain."What is it?"My fingers played along the length of her wet hair. "It is raining," I replied, "How many people are saying goodbye at this exact moment?"She looked into my eyes, searching for the right answer to my question. When words failed to form in her mouth, she drew me close and rested her head on my chest. Suddenly, I felt the warmth of her tears seeping through my shirt, burning my skin."You've been waiting for this," I told her, "If you do not say it now, the rain clouds will dissipate. How long can you wait for another rainy day?"