Let the dead bury their dead.....

microdot sleeve: An old saying: "A-anhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo?"

Today is what they call "All Saint's Day", and there's a lot of flowers, candles and prayers for people's departed loved ones. I'm glad I'm not part of that old tradition anymore when people visit their departed friends and families graves.

Think about this.....

Do dead people need prayers?

Do dead people need those candles and flowers?

Imagine this.....

A man had sinned for all his life, and after he died, people would go and pray for him.

Will he be save by other people's prayers?

Those flowers which people called respect, will it do anything for the dead? People should respect their loved ones when they are still alive and people should pray for the living and not the dead. But, there are two things which I still remember from that old tradition beside people's hypocrisy or culture of pretense: kite flying and an old tree in a cemetery where I carved some thoughts from the heart.

Kumusta Dear?

Marami ang nagkamustahan sa araw na ito. Mga buhay at mga patay. Marami akong nakitang naglalakad kanina papuntang sementeryo. Ang ilan ay may dalang mga bulaklak na ang pangalan ay respeto. Aanhin kaya ng patay yun mga bulaklak? Aamuyin kaya nila yun at sasabihin, "Wow! Ang gaganda nito at hmmmm! Ang bango!" Sana noong buhay pa yun patay dun siya nirespeto. Mga bulaklak ang nasa puntod niya, pero nung buhay siya, sinisigaw-sigawan lang siya ng asawa niya o ng mga anak niya o ng pamilya niya na sila rin ang nag-aalay ng mga bulaklak sa kanyang puntod kapag dumarating ang araw na gaya ngayon. Nakakatawang kapaimbabawan at pakitang tao. Respeto daw sa mga patay. Mga patay na wala ng malay sa mundo ng mga buhay?

Maraming pinakitang ibat-ibang mukha sa akin ang araw na ito. Mayroong nagsamantala, may basura, may nakatiwang-wang na, may nabubulok pa, may hindi naman mabulok-bulok, may naghambalang na, may nagliyab pa, may artista at nagsasaranggola, may pulitikong namumulitika pa, may nananalangin, etc, etc. Ang alam ko, wala ng maidadagdag pa ni maibabawas man ang buhay sa isang namatay na. Ang buhay, alam niya na siya ay mamamatay. Pero ang patay, may alam ba? Kung nag-iisip lang sana ang mga tao.

Sa katapus-tapusan ng mga pangyayari tungkol sa mga patay, ang sabi sa balita ng isang reporter ay kapiling na daw ng mga patay ang Maykapal. Ang alam ko, kapiling na ng mga patay ang makapal.....

.....Ang makapal na lupa.

Here's Daniel Johns and the rest of Silverchair. Three kids from Australia who made it to the top. They were just sixteen years old when their debut album "Frogstomp" was released in 1995. I remember some years ago, they did a show here in the Philippines at the U.P. Theater. Off their 1996 album "Freak Show," here's "Cemetery," a song about a phone call away, about an escort service and the red light district.

Cemetery
Daniel Johns
Silverchair

Need a change
Not to imitate
But to irritate
All the ones who hate

I may be late
Always seem to get the wrong date
Well, I guess it's fate

I live in a cemetery
Full of good will and integrity
You see, I have no specialty

Here's your warning
I'll give you click click boom

I live in a cemetery
I need a change
Not to imitate
But to irritate

I live in a cemetery