You thanked me for lending an ear to your story,
which you have said you will not tire of telling.

I can listen to your story a thousand times
or even for a thousand years,
because it is one of those stories that really matter
in an age when stories are rarely stories anymore.
Any story that tells
of how one can look the enemy in the eye
even though the very thought of him
sends shudders down the spine;
of how an almost-bloodied head can remain unbowed;
of how knees badly bruised can refuse to bend;
of how one can continue being a spark
even in this darkest of times
and even after almost being seized by the darkness -
any such story
is worth listening to a thousand times
or even for a thousand years.

For Melissa Roxas