Letters to the North [TAG/ENG]

After leaving Bangui, our protagonist writes unsent letters—part confession, part prayer—to the North he can’t forget. "Letters to the North" blends Tagalog verses with English refrains, tracing the quiet ache of healing and the faith he rediscovers in her memory. A collaboration with Elvorin; based on the novel, Orange: The Color of Sunset. Orange: Songs from the Sunset (Deluxe Edition) album: https://suno.com/playlist/2002af28-6a94-4473-b0e8-595e60ce5ee3 jpbbantigue.com / orangethecolorofsunset.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Isinulat ko ang pangalan mo sa taas ng pahina, gaya ng paglapag ng umagang liwanag sa mukha mo noon. Ang Bangui ay malayo na, pero pareho pa rin ang katahimikan, parang pintong paulit-ulit kong binubuksan, umaasang nandoon ka pa rin sa likod nito. Hindi ko alam kung panalangin ba ito o pagtatapat, pero ito lang ang paraan para kausapin ka ngayon. Naalala ko ang ngiti mong hindi mo sinasadya, at kung paanong lumalambot ang hangin kapag malapit ka. Sinusubukan kong bumalik sa mundong iniwan ko, pero mas bumigat ang Maynila matapos kong makilala ang katahimikan mo. Kung maipadadala ko ba ang mga salitang ito—may saysay ba sila? O talagang itinakda tayong manatiling sandali lamang, hindi pagmamay-ari ngunit hindi rin malilimutan? So I write to the North, to the wind that once carried your voice. I write because some truths feel safer when they stay on paper than spoken aloud. May himnong narinig ako kanina na nagpapaalala sa’yo— banayad, matatag, at tapat sa pananampalataya. Naisip ko kung bahagi ba ng pagkatuto ang pait na ito, o alon lang ng sampung araw na hindi ko naman pinaghirapan ngunit binago ako. Wala kang sinabi noon, ngunit naunawaan ko: ang pag-ibig, kahit mahinahon, marunong ding kumawala. If you were called to grace, maybe I was called to change. Some journeys return you home, but not with the same footsteps. And maybe that’s what the North gave me— a way back to who I’d forgotten to be. So I write to the North, where my heart first learned to breathe. I write, not for an answer— but hoping these words reach you gently. Your silence was never empty to me. Dito ko narinig ang sarili kong puso.