Epiphanies.

Everything has become, at once, fragile and salvageable. Like the
arms of the snowflake that grew to enfold me. Or the one, with the
broken arm, that chose to rest on my lashes. If I were to map out its
life, it would probably be a lot like mine—the product of a complex
chain of events, from vapor, to dust particle, to water droplet, to
crystal; with less stable links at higher temperatures, and stronger
bonds near freezing point; morphologically imperfect by the time it
falls to the ground.

Once, I ran, in my woolen socks, to test snow at melting point— whether it would allow me to be six-sided and fancy, and insulate me from the freezing weather. I forgot that I am not an arctic animal, and all I was allowed to build was a snow fort.

Our WINTER issue is a moiety of introspection and revelation. Here,
we tread lightly on snow-dusted ground in GALLERY. Poets Luisa Igloria and Ed Maranan contemplate on winter. Contrast this with film reviewer Jonathan O.Susvilla describing the dust and heat of pursuit in Cavite, the film.

Short story writers Criselda Yabes, Theresa Jaranilla and Amalia Bueno build on varying narratives far from the wintry scene. (Click here to read about the IVY TERASAKA SHORT STORY COMPETITION.)

In our continuing series of Portraits we feature the all-women performing artists, the Mebuyan Peace Project headed by our own Geejay Arriola based in Davao, Mindanao.

To sit on a bench. Wait for arrivals. Feel the weight of distance.

Maybe, just maybe, we are perennial, after all.

Aileen Ibardaloza
December 2006

EDITOR
Remé-Antonia Grefalda

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Aileen Ibardaloza

ART DIRECTOR AND WEB DESIGNER
Geejay Arriola

MANAGING EDITOR
Victoria Paz Cruz

2006 RESIDENT POET
Luisa Igloria

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR FOR THE ARTS
Eileen Tabios

CONTRIBUTING FICTION WRITERS
Nikki Alfar
Oscar Balajadia
Carlene S. Bonnivier

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Maan Chua
Gauss Obenza

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Lynn Cadorniga

copyright 2006