Crickets, Fireflies and Absolute Silence at Poona Piagapo

A week ago, I spent my energy walking through the mountain
to see the bakwits from Poona Piagapo return home.
Like them and those tagged farm animals, we walked
7 hours to reached barangay Tangclao.
We are all exhausted.
We passed through barangay Nunungan, where the former
encampment of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
led by Commander Bravo was stationed that was subse-
quently 'conquered' by soldiers when they launched the
punitive action after rebels attacked the civilian communities
in Kolambugan and Kauswagan towns of Lanao del Norte.
If bakwits situation in the evacuation centers are deplorable;
their situation in their villages upon return remain the same,
specially that many of them are rendered homeless in this
conflict... except that their return
is also a reconciliation too with their economic base.
I wrote stories about this in MindaNews (please find links below
because I'm getting lazy lately to paste the whole story:)
a. Poona Piagapo evacuees: no more homes to return to
b. Soldiers repaint defaced mosque in Lanao Norte
c. 265 evacuee-families return to Poona Piagapo
d. CHR worried over deplorable condition of "batang bakwits'
e. Children suffer in the war in Lanao

All are said in there.
With all the weariness and exhaustion, my consolation was the
fresh air of the green forest and its serenity.
Its however ironic that I found peace in this conflict-affected
communities.
No music, no noise.
Just the wind blows and the scorching sun on my face.
In our journey back home, darkness loomed in the sky
and my eyes need to re-adjust its pupil at a macro level to see
the right muddy way back home.
Along the way, I found a tree wrapped with thousands of
fireflies surrounding it. Made me stop to gaze at the nature's
best Christmas tree in Poona Piagapo. Beautiful and
behold... could only be seen by travelers who'd wander in
these areas at night.
It made me seriously thought that only the fireflies
refused to evacuate when armed confrontations ensued in this
place.
They are there; remained there.
Uh, of course because fireflies could only dwell on trees
and places that is totally absent of any air pollutant.

I am enticed by the loud songs of crickets although I

shuddered at the coolest wind creeping on my skin.

My hands and my feet were cold.
I wish I recorded the conversations of crickets
and make it as my cellphone's ring tone.

But maybe, when someone is engrossed listening on it,
you'd lost in its deepness and forgot to record a
remnant of such moment.

I was indeed tired. But the crickets kept me on.
Thanks crickets for experiencing such peace.
Back home, my whole body is aching in pain...
and I felt that my bones are twisted for such a long
walk.