Hidden Light

By Justine C. Tajonera

They say millions of people
pass through this
shopping mall.
I feel lost in a sea
of choices:
shoes, bags,
jewelry, scents,
make-up, jeans,
shirts.
People of all
shapes and sizes
pass me by,
part of a
demographic,
a number
on a chart.
I will not see
their hopes
and dreams written
on their sleeves
or even in their
eyes.
I will not see
the love they
bear their
sons or daughters,
fathers or mothers.
I close
my eyes
and imagine
their collective
hope
beneath all the
surface garment
and skin
and this lifts me
on scented air
across a stream
of stars.


SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City