Meeting Invite: “Kainan at Kuwentuhan”.
Tagpuan or Makilala? Meeting invite accepted.
Lumpia, ginataang langka, kaldereta? See ya!
Inquirer! Philippine Star! Manila Bulletin!
Crusty bills folded in between his knuckles.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
Ma'am, sampaguita? Ten pesos lang. Sige na po.
Beeeeeeeeep! Hoy, gago! Tang$na!
I'll never forget the wall of cold air that welcomed me,
“Hello, bonjour!” *silence*
This must be… YHZ. Where are you from? "Oop! Sorry!"
Treading carefully, overthinking. Buntong-hininga.
Made invisible, other, excluded. Hingang malalim.
Realizing, reconnecting, reckoning. Hinga ulit.
Forgiving, reclaiming, grounding. Breathing means... surviving?
Who would have thought that the thick, heavy, polluted
Manila air
Would be the atmosphere I needed to draw strength from?
For my being, my becoming...
Basura burning, my gaze traces the plume of black smoke,
Up, up, up to the sky above, planes with anxious bodies float
from A to a “Better” life.
In their wake, dirty kitchens, BBQ, bananacue, and blaring
telenovelas draw bystanders
Dighay pagkatapos kumain. Salamat.
In the resto, the sari-sari store unbreaks my heart. Karaoke plays 90s slide transitions.
A parol flashes and glows filling the air with nostalgic energy. Maligayang Pasko!
It’s different here, though. Malamig. Raptor toques and black puffer jackets.
Toronno/Tkaronto/Toronto has chill, but our people manage it all.
Air blows through my hair, the motorbike kicks up dirt.
In Capiz, the mountains are lush. Do Ati live there? They’d have the best view.
It’s a borrowed helmet and I worry about lice.
Between rice paddies, the sky opens. Ginhawa. Nabinyagan ka ng ulan.
Being watched. Disciplining ourselves to
become–belong.
Hayaan na lang (let it go). Sanitized, cleansed,
washed white.
Hinto (pause). Suffocated by injustice, we long
for hininga.
Hinga (breathe). Halina (let’s go).
One bill, and three takeaway boxes, please.
Are you sure? Yakap.
Text me when you get home. Ingat!
Credits
Photo 1: (food spread) was taken at Makilala restaurant (105 Church St., Toronto, ON) on November 7, 2025. Photo credit: Giana Tomas
Photo 2: (dining hall and parol) was taken at Makilala restaurant (105 Church St., Toronto, ON) on November 7, 2025. Photo credit: Kimberly J. Lopez
Photo 3: (L-R: Giana and Kimberly) This photo was taken at Makilala restaurant (105 Church St., Toronto, ON) on November 7, 2025. Photo credit: Kimberly J. Lopez (right) and the individual dining next to us, whom we asked to take this photo (thank you!).
Ginhawa Collective
Ginhawa Collective organizes a series of gatherings for bodymind reprieve to recuperate from the demands of capitalism. Giana is a learner, community partner, and scholar who advocates for wellness of arrivant and diasporic communities. Kim is a story archivist, community organizer, author-researcher, and scholar who engages in a variety of storytelling practices.