A few weeks ago, many trees in our tropical country began to shed and soon many of them were naked.  In the Philippines, falling leaves signal the changing of seasons, and many streets in the suburbs and provinces are littered with dried leaves. The shedding of the trees happens between the cool months and the hot summer days.  The evenings and early mornings remain cool, but the days begin to feel summery. It is as though there is a tug of war between the cold nights and the hot days.

 

 

We know summer is afoot because the egrets that have migrated to the city from China begin to leave…

 

 

And bougainvillea plants begin to bloom copiously…

 

 

But today, we had rain, and suddenly it felt like the rainy season again. Climate change is so noticeable here in the Philippines, and today is a gentle reminder that the weather is ever-changing and has become quite unpredictable.

 

 

The changing seasons seem to mirror the changes in my writing life. I am neither here nor there. There is a seeming tug of war within. And there is an unpredictability about it that I have not yet begun to understand.

I write only because
There is a voice within me
That will not be still.

   —Sylvia Plath