THESE FIGURES I MET

I was one huge of a word nerd in grade school, if you would ask me; you would hear rhythms of amusement and awe if you were to enter my unconventional point of view during classes, amidst the sneaky would-be snores and yawns of some of my classmates.

The interest eventually grew. Each time the words “The Figures of Speech” departed on the blackboard, the feeling of excitement had always instilled in me. It was—and probably still is—my favorite lesson in English class; something that sometimes makes me want to re-travel the epoch of good ol’ high school. I was amused by the bag of beautiful enigma these figures carried. It was a personal mandate that I, in all of my writings—may it be a reckless ramble or a to-be-passed-on-time-with-all-formality treatise—should always use at least one of those figures.

But I moreover came across with the fact that these figures are not just meant to be on paper. I caught sight of it, inculcated on people, too.

There are these similes who, with their self-acclaimed knowledge on ‘weighing’ people based on varying incoherent criteria, did their job: to compare me to another person. “You should be LIKE her. Wouldn't it be so much better if you were AS GRACEFUL AS she is?” The similes always carry that flaw-catcher eye to despise me and control me, but not the good kind of control. These spoken words may seem like a dash of encouragement, but they’re actually a dead end. I should be an original drawing; one that doesn’t need any pattern just to be called “good enough”.

Ah, hyperboles—the lads and ladies which are not generally in to control me, but in because they have uncontrollable states, which they think will affect at least more than half of my being. They are these wrecked faucets who never run out of water to produce. However, of course, I’ve always kept in mind that I should do the best in avoiding getting drowned by their exaggerated mindsets and perceptions—I thought, if I’d swim out of the water once I feel the tingle of danger, I’d be in for early safety. Even your pace, the elders say—truth be told, if I will not make a big deal out of something, then it would not add bulk to my bruises after all. I should be stiff enough to juggle uncertainties.

Next are the personifications. One word: pretend. They will flash faultless smiles, do things far from what they actually do, and become my own vagueness; my overshadowed thingamajig, just to please me and eventually get something from me for their benefit. They may become one of the greatest actors people will ever bump into; slipping their feet into the shoes of someone else. Because of this, I pondered that trusting my instincts will always be a plus, and I should always be careful, considering I am in a world of concealed whatnot.

Nonetheless, meeting up with these figures did not make me hopeless, entirely—because I also bumped onto those on the good side.

The misters and misses of metaphors made me realize that I could never be in the exact verge of lonesomeness, because basically, one thing will always equate and relate to another-- we are all connected in this planet. One simple thing can uphold bigger, deeper meanings eventually if we will dig through it thoroughly. We complement; we supplement. We are in a vast, beautiful world of differences that also never fails to bridge plates from south to north.

I also would like to applaud the modern-day apostrophes for being ever so real and genuine about what they want to articulate, even if it means risking their own fragile voices. They are the epitome of ground-breaking bravery social change needs for it to be refueled. Their presence is an open book that can be best-sellers.

Oxymorons teach us that hey, opposites do attract in a lot of cases, and contradictions do not always end up a disaster. We have been constantly struggling about the series of wars we have in ranging continents, all of which have, I bet, rooted from disagreement because one would always oppose to another. I wish they would see the greatness in an upside-down combination instead.

And by saying all these, I have found out that goodness gracious, I am quite a paradox.

I am a paradox because I constantly wake up the parts that have been long awake. I refute, agree and refute against patterns of agreement. I see the bittersweet and the nobody in me. I want to change the world, but am still desperately scared to take on the search for a step-by-step guide on it.

The thing is we all have something to do to fix our faulty puzzle pieces. And these figures have been in the back of our heads or on the chalkboards because they would like us to know that we have to FIGURE something out in ourselves as well, so as to perhaps-- we could act everyday with the right amount of living.

Let’s figure out our own figurative fate, and make the best out of it.

Written by Jelou Galang

Art by Gabrell Guazon

Editor-in-Chief twitter: @jeloughee12

          Jelou Galang instagram: @jeloughee

Sometimes in outer space
(But maybe just spaced out)
Full-time rockstar alien on Earth

Contributor

          Gabrell Guazon

Visual Arts student from UP-D
Will draw for food