mother, mother
Manila, 14 May—Well, that was a tiring week, wasn't it?
I know. What were we expecting, right? I wasn't surprised, not really, when the Supreme Court ousted Chief Justice Sereno on Friday, but still when the blow came it was painful and shocking all at once. It reminded me of that time the Supreme Court voted to allow the burial of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani two years ago.
It feels like we've been parrying blow after fucking blow for the past 20 plus months, and it's just exhausting, isn't it? And this is me from way baaack in the line; what more the frontliners, like journalist friends who are duty-bound to cover the President('s nonsense) and his government, or lawyer friends who try every day to follow the rule of law and ensure it is implemented to the letter, or career officer friends and our other friends in the government who are working hard in their own spheres of influence—despite the obvious odds stacked against them.
I see you, my friend, and the good work that you do. These are rough times, and I wish there is more I can offer other than my commiseration.
That time of the year again we talk about mothers because Mother's Day. I took Auntie and Dad out for lunch to mark the occasion, which I suppose was batshit everywhere. I hope yesterday went well for you, however you chose to mark it.
My mother would have been 59 this year, and I just realized I'm approaching Auntie's age when she decided to marry my dad and takeover my mother's mothering duties. She was only 34 when she suddenly became a mother to a 15-year-old, an 11-year-old, and a newborn. I think having another shot at having a mother is a miracle I don't talk about enough, mostly because Auntie and I are more a sister-tag-team than a mother-daughter tag-team, but I suppose after marking my mother's 20th death anniversary last November, perhaps it's time to also celebrate Auntie's nearly two decades of motherhood, even if it's just in this space for starters.
Changing Partners (2018)
Rec alert (re-issue): We caught the Changing Partners staging this weekend and oh my god. OH MY GOD. I mean, the movie was devastating in its own way. I saw that first before watching the play, and when I was asked which version I liked better, I COULD NOT ANSWER.
God, they were so different. I think in the play, the conflict was clearer, more focused. Para akong uminom ng tequila na walang halo. Whereas I think the movie was more like Jack & Coke, pero sa sobrang dami wasak ka rin sa dulo.
But please watch the stage play, if only to get to that climax. JESUS. I loved how throughout the play there was a hint of rain, so that when the climax hits you find yourself in the middle of a fucking whirlwind. Sabi ko nga sa dulo: Mas maganda pa yun sa final scene ng Infinity War. Live pa ang piano.
ANYWAY: "Changing Partners" still has showings at the PETA Theater on May 19-20. My friend is selling tickets for the May 20th/8pm staging for the benefit of the Home of the Golden Gays of the Philippines, so if any of you are interested, I could hook you up, or PM her on Facebook (that link in this paragraph).
PS: The Changing Partners OST is on Spotify. On-demand durugan ng puso LOL.
Angry lesbian post-script: Hayley Kiyoko calling out that song about kissing girls for being tone-deaf is everything.
tl;dr I'm so tired of people trying to make money off appearing "cool" because "hey I can kiss girls for your male gaze" while other women-loving-women still get thrown out of their homophobic homes and women in committed relationships for years still can't get protection for their unions under the law. Gusto ko silang suntukin, parang si M/oira.
ANYWAY. Let's support queer people making queer things.
SPEAKING OF QUEER THINGS
An acquaintance I made from The 100 fandom (ikr) the other day told me about talking to a friend with a married woman situation about a story she read years ago on a similar theme, published in a lesbian folio. She told me that the story stuck with her after all these years because of a vivid detail from the opening scenes: It was raining, and they were drying their uniforms, and when one of them closed the door with a muddy shoe, the mud clung to the edge and it made a grating noise against the floor as it swung shut. "Made everything so vivid," she said. She told me how she was pleasantly surprised to find out that the story was mine. That folio was by Lunduyan ng Sining ("What these hands can do") which was published in 2008. Ten years ago! How time flies.
Anyway, that particular story is not in Mnemonics (na ipinagtataka ko rin kung bakit lol), but it's always good to hear feedback about my writing, they warm my heart as always.
That said, if you have queer/wlw story/compilation recs—Please send them my way! I'm always up for supporting them. :)