Floating on Batis Aramin

By Justine C. Tajonera

The pond is
quiet
except for
the birds.
A tree extends
its arms
across the
water.
We watch leaves
fall
slowly
as we row
from one end
of a bank
to another.
We have nothing
but time and
the promise of
grilled fish and
a kilo of sweet
rambutan.

Rambutan - Nephelium lappaceum, is a fruit considered exotic to people outside of its native range. To people of Malaysia, Thailand, the Phillippines, Vietnam, Borneo, and other countries of this region, the rambutan is a relatively common fruit the same way an apple is common to many people in cooler climates.

(Batis Aramin, Lucban, Quezon Province, Philippines)