The Purest Of Hearts

title and photos courtesy of emochrome

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I love kids.

Because I know that
I will never have
my own
in this lifetime.

Unfortunately, there are parents who see their -
babies like litters: A woman gets pregnant yearly.
When she's unable to support the child,
she would just abandon the baby in orphanages
like Hospicio De San Jose.


Others are less fortunate.
Some end up being aborted.
The rest you see
everyday wandering the streets
of Manila,
begging for food that they still have to share
with their little siblings
waiting in the shade.


When the pictures were uploaded this morning,
I was moved to tears upon seeing smiling
children in front of the camera.
For someone who have grown accustomed to the
fucks of life - the sight of so many children is enough
to lift my sagging mood today.

They are like potholes in the clouds
revealing a speck of blue sky hidden above.

You see, kids are like rays of light.
They give hope to a people already
indifferent to the boring, self-serving
existence they have to live everyday.

When I see them going to school or playing
in an enclosed street, a breath of fresh air
whiffs through my nose. Their presence reminds me
of my childhood. It gently reminds me that once,
everything was promising.

Life was just new to me.

There is no doubt the outreach program
had touched the lives of those who participated
in the event. It must have created a bond,
among them that will continue to grow and expand until
a promise of another outreach event will be fulfilled.

The sharing and giving of contributions had already lifted
some burdens and guilts, which many of us deny for many
reasons. I for one, has been left resenting that I was only able
to pack the things they would bring to the orphanage the
following day. Imagine those who were able to make it;
I wonder what the guys who interacted with the kids
felt after the outreach was over:

And we had storytelling and some even sang songs. A group of kids danced for the visitors, some performed a short poem, perhaps. There were gift-giving, games, laughter and even some undeniable displays of affection. A touch, a hug, a brief walk hand in hand towards the gate.

There could have been many wonderful things
that had happened but were never retold.

Too bad, all that was left for me

Are the lovely pictures to envy and resent upon.