haiga, Marlyn Palmares

 

The Boy Who Wanted to Swallow Santol Seeds

The Boy Who Wanted to Swallow Santol Seeds

By

Melchor F. Cichon

October 21, 2020

 

“Oh, Itsong, why did you come home only now?” inquired his father. “Isn’t it that your classes end at four in the afternoon? It’s already five thirty!”, his father added.

Before Itsong answered him, he first reached his father’s right hand to kiss it.
"God bless you, Anak."

“Tay, we passed by the house of our classmate, Ambeth,”  Itsong answered.  “They have a big santol tree in their backyard with too many ripe fruits. They are so sweet, Father. We even swallowed the seeds.”

“What! You swallowed the seeds? If these seeds will stock up in your throat, you will be gone forever!” his father warned him.

“Not really, Tay! They just slide down into my throat once I swallow them.”

“OK, go on swallowing more santol seeds! Don’t you know that santol seeds grow in the stomach? When that happens, you won’t be able to move. Santol will tear you into pieces!”

“Really, ‘Tay?”

“Yes! Now, go and change your clothes, then work on your assignments.”

“Yes, Tay.” And he proceeded to his room.

Itsong is Grade Three at Lezo Integrated School, in Lezo, Aklan, about a kilometer away from their house in Sta. Cruz, Lezo. He is the only child of Tatay Jose and Nanay Soriang. His father is a farmer and his mother, a weaver of abaca fiber. She turns these into mosquito nets. The wall of their house, which is along the highway, is made of bamboo and nipa leaves with nipa roofing and split bamboo for the flooring. It’s floor is about five feet above the ground. They use bamboo stairs to go up their house.

On school days, Itsong just walked back and forth to their school, although there were public jeepneys and tricycles in their area.  He saved the money being given to him as his fare. He deposited this in his bamboo bank on their wall for his birthday celebration. While reading his science book, Itsong  thought   of what his father just told him. But he believed that swallowing sandol’s seeds while eating it’s pulp, especially the seeds of the native big santol, is very satisfying.

So on the next day, he and his classmates again passed by the house of Ambeth and they again ate santol. Of course, Itsong again swallowed its seeds.  Unfortunately, the last seed that he swallowed stocked up at his throat. He kept on coughing, but the seed would not get out. He got nervous. Ambeth noticed the situation of Itsong. Immediately, Ambeth came to his rescue. He told Itsong to bend his neck, and in just one pound with his fist on Itsong’s nape, the seed came out. Itsong breathed deeply and thanked Ambeth for his help. But Itsong said that if Ambeth will again invite him and his classmates to pass by their house to eat santol, he would still come and eat santol and swallow its seeds.

Five minutes after that, Itsong went home. But before he left, Ambeth jokingly said that they would still eat santol the following day.

“Of course, I will!” Itsong said as he walked on his way home, “And swallow its seeds!”

When Itsong reached home, his father was standing in front of their house.

“Oh, you came home late again, Itsong. Perhaps, you again passed by the house of your friend, Ambeth.  And perhaps, they still have some more santol there.”

As usual, Itsong would first kiss his father’s hand before he would say anything to him.

“Yes, Father. Our classmates and I passed by the house of Ambeth and we again ate some santol there.  I really love to eat santol. I am just taking this opportunity because we can only eat santol once a year,” Itsong said. He remembered what happened to him earlier.

“OK. Continue eating santol and swallowing its seeds. If that seed will grow in your stomach, that’s the time when you will obey me.”

“That’s not true, Tay!”

“It’s up to you if you will not believe in me. But I have warned you. OK. Go inside now and change your clothes and then work on your assignments.”

“Thank you, Tay.” And he proceeded into his room.

After eating their supper, Itsong felt that something was moving inside his stomach. But he did not mind this. He went back to his room and went to sleep.

Usually, he would wake up at around six thirty in the morning. But this time, he woke up at five in the morning. He felt that something was moving inside his stomach. A few minutes after, he noticed that something was getting out of his right ear. He went in front of his mirror on the wall of his room to see what was coming out of his ear. And he saw that a fresh santol leaf was getting out of his ear. He wanted to call his mother, but another santol leaf was blocking his mouth so he could not say any word. He wanted to cry, but then fresh santol leaves simultaneously came out through his two eyes.  Then two other santol leaves sprouted out of his two noses. He wanted to run out of his room, but some hardy roots came out of his anus and penetrated through the floor of his room and penetrated to the ground. He was helpless, so he had to stand still as he felt his body being split out as the tree was steadily growing bigger.  He lost his consciousness.

At that time, Itsong’s mother was preparing their breakfast. And since she was through with her cooking, she went out of the kitchen to check Itsong in his room. She was shocked when she noticed that a santol tree was rapidly growing inside Itsong’s room and parts of Itsong’s body had been sliced into pieces. Her mother rapidly ran to her husband who was sleeping in the other room, and nervously informed him of what happened to Itsong. Immediately, Itsong’s father woke up and walked hurriedly at Itsong’s room and found the growing santol tree with some flesh of Itsong on its branches, hanging. By this time, the branches of the santol had penetrated through their rooftop. Itsong’s father just held his own forehead. And said, “I told him so! But he was hard headed!”

 

Haiga, Sheila Matorre Carillo

 

haiku, a rocky man walks

 

a rocky man walks
on a rocky road
on a rocky day

Melcichon
Oct. 19, 2012

poem, I Live Everywhere

 

I Live Everywhere

After my mother left me
Alone at Plaza Libertad 
I live
Everywhere
Under the waiting shed
Or along a busy street
And beg for my food
Never mind if my only clothes
Will stick with me for months

But I have a dream
I too want to sing
In America's Got Talent
Or write an immortal poem
And have it published in the Philippines Free Press
Never mind
If people will look away from me
When they cross my paths
***Melchor F.Cichon.
Oct. 18, 2020

Aklanon Idioms

 

Aklanon Idioms
As of December 9, 2007; Oct 11, 2016
Aklanon	Meaning
batak ra eawas	workaholic
Abi-abi	to welcome, give recognation
abu ra utok	mahina ra utok
Agam-agam	spy
agawon ro kabuhi sa kamatayon	save live
Agihis	effiminate, from agi
alanganin	bakla, tomboy
Alas onse	last minute; almost too late
Alibangbang sa tiyan	very nervous
alilang pikoy	kabit
alilang sawa	traidor
Alsaha ring siki	Relax; do very light work
ampaw nga eawas	mabahoe apang maeuya
Anad eon karon	used to it
anay	tago nga kaaway
anghel it panimaeay	nanay
Ano gid	So what? What if?
arelado eon ro kilay	ayos eon ro problema
asawa nga tueog	mahueuy-on
bag-ong takas	bag-o sa lugar; ignorante
Baho it Saeong	odor of resin (lacks good relationship with others)
baho't bawang	maeapit eon lang ikasae; maanghit
baho't tsiko	baho't nakainom it whisky
Baid	sharp, keen, intelligent
Bakwangon	tall and skinny
Balikan ko ikaw	warning that someone will take a revenge
balitang kutsero	tsismis; owa't kamatuoran nga istorya
Balulang	tall and skinny
Bandying-bandying	small talk; preliminary discussion before getting into the point
Bangae	shut someone up
bantay-saeakay	manakaw sa butang nga ginpabantayan kana
basa ra papel	maeain ra rekord; indi masaligan
basang-isiw	kaeueuoy
Basi bumagyo	It might storm (off key)
bato nga inugpupok sa ueo	mga butang nga makasamad sa eawas
bato sa karsada	mga tawong owa't mga pueos
Binaebae it husto	so tired that he/she is unable to continue doing something
binawian it kabuhi	namatay
Birona lang	It’s OK
Bitin	left hanging; to break a promise
bukambibig	perming ginahambae
bukas nga paead	mabinuligon
Buldog	dull
Buli mo	up your ass
Bulid	A small child with bloated stomach
crab mentality
Busay	to patch up
Butang pato	no direction
Dunsilya	to devirginize
Dyingol	to urinate
Eapaki ro kalibutan	be successful
Eumapad ra dueonggan	attentive
Eumokso ra mata	extremely admire somebody
Eupok	to blow up; lose one’s temper
Eupok it botse	to blow up; lose one's temper; blow one's top
Eusot	to pass/ get through
Feeling others	feeling different from the group
gaeang	kon sin-o ro kaatubang, imaw ro mayad
Gakaeam ra dapa-dapa	desire to travel
Galibog rang ueo	confused
gapamueo’t kwarta”	spendthrift
Ginabayo ra dughan	fake symphaty
ginabola	ginapaumangan
Ginaeagnat ra talibong (kon indi kaeabo)	the desire to kill somebody with his bolo
Ginagatungan	pushing someone to get more angry
Ginamane-mane eang ron	it can easily be done; or can easily beat the opponent
ginbawian it kabuhi	namatay
Ginlampaso	to defeat someone easily and by a large amount
Gintakpan ra dueonggan	bored in listening to a conversation/lecture
Gintubuan it hilamon ra siki	prefers to stay at home; homebody
haeapiton it buglit	moody
haeapiton it buglit	haeapiton it buglit--moody
Haeo	dull, ignorant, hard of hearing
Haeog ra tornilyo	crazy
hangae it kapaearan	pagsamit it  Diyos
Hanginon	air, boastful
Hueata nga maeansangan ra kabaong	wait until his death
Hueog	to fail ( in an exam or a course)
Hukas-hukas it ueo	no fixed mind
Ibid	idiot; fool; hard in hearing
Ieapak mo ring daywang siki	let not your success or popularity spoils you
Indi magbuhay	soon
Indi mapatihan rang dueonggan	surprising news
Indi matueon	cannot accept
Indi mo ako pagsugiri karon	Unacceptable explaination
Ingko baboy kon magkaon (eumamon)	eat too much
Ingko linabo sa bato	it happened as expected
Inonse	fooled; taken in
inunat nga bitos	skinny
Inunlan	afterbirth; uterine fluid
Isaea pa	furthermore; and also
Isaw-saw ring siki	to try something new
kabuhi't ueang	kabuhi nga owa't kasigurohan
kaeaha it itsura	stern-faced
Kanta kakon	something that makes you very happy
Kat dati	the former; old ways
kinakatlan	sexually excited
Kodego	to cheat; take for a fool
Kon amat	sometimes; from time to time
Kon mahimo	if possible
Kon pwede	if possible
Kon sarang	if possible
Kon sin-o	big shot; highbrow; blueblood
Konsa bagay	well, anyway; if it matters incidentally
Kueabos it paead	unlucky
Kueamog	an illegitimate child
kueang it sang kilo	crazy
kueang it sang kiwa	crazy
Kueang it sang-ilos, mahimong sang-kaeo	moron, inadequate mentality
Kueang-kueang	crazy; abnormal
kumos tae	forgetful, with Alzheimer's disease
limog it kuratsa	indi haeos mabatian
Limpyo nga kunsinsya	not feeling guilty of whatever happened
Linabo sa bato	I told you so; as I said
maadlos nga bayi	flirty
mabaho it saeong	uncompassionate
Mabahoe nga tawo	an important or powerful person in a group or organization
madamoe it uhayon	shameless
maduea ra ueag	to let someone do what he or she pleasesso the desire may die down
maeai’t ginhawa	wicked
Maeamig nga isda	not sociable person
maeapit sa euwag	favoritism, patronage politics
Magtindog it eatayan	to increase understanding between different people or groups
Magtindog ka sa dugalingon mong mga siki	be on your own
mahumok it ilong	easy to get
mainit it dapa–dapa	wanderer
makaeam it alima	thief
Manipis ra dueonggan	undernourished
Manok ag itlog nga situation	cannot be decided which comes first
Mapuga it dugo sa bato	too difficult to extract something from somebody
Maski gakatueog ako	I can do it very easily
Maski gapiyong pa rang mata	I can do it very easily
Matag-od ro kabuhi	Not to waste time on unimportant matter
Matibay ra tiyan	not feeling upset despite experiencing unpleasant thing
Matig-a nga bagoe	hard headed
matig-a pa sa bakud	stingy
May bakog rang tutunlan	difficulty in speaking; somebody prevents me from talking
May bangil	corruption; grease money
May daywang alipueos	a brave person
May iba ako nga ginaprito.	something more important thing to do
may katoe	sexually excited
may mantsa ro dungog	dishonored
May tagipusuon nga bato	heartless
May tagipusuon nga mamon	kind hearted
Mukeat	to realize
nagakurog eon ra baba	magueang eon
Nagdueom ro panueok	lose consciousness
Nagpabombo	to attract attention
Nagtakop ra mga kilay	get very angry or upset
Nagtindog rang baeahibo	extremely frigthened
Namaehan	broke
Nangaha't sangka kaeaeaw	vehemently refused
ninety-nine	crazy
Owa ako kasayod kon matangis o mahibayag	extremely upset on a situation
Owa eon it maeapakan	crowded area
Owa ka pilahi	it did not take long
Owa’t bale	never mind; it’s OK
Owa’t huya	shameless; faceless
Owa't gawayway nga buhok	very neat
Owa't sueod nga tiyan	have not eaten anything
Owa't sueoksukan	one who doesn't care
Owa't ueong manok	doing a thing without proper thinking
Pabadlis	to get ash (on Ash Wednesday)
Pabungoe-bungoei	to ignore someone when they complain or ask for something
Padat-oe	to give up; let oneself be beaten
Padilus-us	to marry one’s younger sister-in-law, after one’s wife dies
Paeanindog ro baeahibo	goose bumps
paeapaea it owa't kasiguruhan	owa't kasiguruhan
Pahilay-hilay	to rest a while, lie down for a short nap
Pahimino	to travel far and wide; have smooth sailing on a long journey
Paligoy-ligoy	to beat around the bush
Palihog	please; may I ask a favor
Palikis-likis	confuse; to get someone mixed up
pangabuhi't hari	buganang pangabuhi
Panimbang	to adjust one’s personality or ways to others
panit it anwang	owa't huya
panit it sibuyas	masinungguron
Pasaguyods	to play a glissando or ru on the piano
Pasugti	give freedom to do what he/she wants to do
Pataktak it bokbok	house blessing
pikoy	pennis
Pilang ka	some; a few of
Pinaead	lucky; fortunate
Pinari	to try to convince people of things actually are not true
Relax lang	keep cool
Sa kapilahan	eventually; ultimately
sa siniad-siad nga kaeangitan	in prison
Saeandigan nga abaga	somebody to lean on; a sympathetic person
Sagap	gathered information; statistics
Sagudsud	to drag one’s feet ; to dance ungracefully
Sample pa eang ron	a tip of the iceberg
Sangkiri it buot	easily gets annoyed
Sangkoe	not enough
Sangkurot	little, few,little bit
Siam-siam	crazy
Siga	someone who shines; a bully person
Sige na	Oh, come on (generally used to get something or get permission)
Singgit sa Pluto	Singgit sa Pluto
Siyam-siyam	“nuts”
Sueay	to brave the rain
Sueopakton	bully
Suesue	to ignite; to enrage; to influence a person with anger
Sumpa ko gid	I swear it; cross my heart
Tabuebog	dull; stupid
Talikod	to turn one’s back
Tama	applicable
Tangis it unga	long crying; cry a lot
Tangtang	a ccept a gift with some reluctance
Tapos gid	be finished
Tin-ad	improving financially
Tinapos rang adlaw	made my day
Tubi pa	not up to the position or a job; not ready; not good enough
Tue-an eon	dead and gone
Tueop sa hangin	impossible dream
Tuli	up you ass (when one gets fed up with a conversation or refuses to hear or believe a person, he might utter that expression
Tumuwad man ro ati	no way!
Tungang gabii	not clear; cannot comprehend
ugabhang ra ueo	stupid
Ulihing tubo	younger generation
Umae	dull
Umalagwa	leave quickly
Upaw	to be flat broke
Urit eon	call it a day
utok bulinaw	stupid
uyahon it Viernes Santo	worried, lonely