skylines

Originally posted @ my Eng11 class' yahoogroup.

[At the corner of Aurora and Katipunan]

Street level.

The chorus of Manila the fair's multitude of horns blare from across the asphalt ways. I play patintero with the metal-skinned beasts of the street, their riders trying to outwit and outmaneuver each other to claim the title "King of the Road". Shielding myself from their black breath, I make my way to the riders' bay along with many others, hitching a ride as well for a token fee.

Jeepney.

I try to sneak a gaze out of the open window. But in this sardine tin can barreling down this stretch of road, had I not known by heart these paths, I would've missed my stop. The riders, after all, have to survive the race. Only the wind, with her silent ways, manage to flit in and out of our consciousness as we run on, hopefully unhindered.

Car.

Cocooned in steel and glass, I am shielded both by this shell and the music blaring from the twin blackboxes succintly hidden in the folds of this plastic-and-metal body. Let them riders fight over the ways--my rider, an expert rider in his own right, can outmaneuver and outrun them all. Besides, there is no need for us to fight for prey--our hunts concern not these small tokens that they give.

The lesser gods look down upon us, their well-lit altars consuming the stars.