ALAGAO

Trees

Maybe in our world there lives a happy little tree over there. - Bob Ross

Dirt, mud, puddles, sticks, and tadpoles?

Oh, yeah.

In the original family compound garden on Fountain Street, I had them all - and more. 

Beetles, hairy spiders, and piglet bugs to stash in a matchbox. Dragonflies hiding in covert places in the overgrown talahib grass. Squiggly catfish in the back canal across from Aling Binay's house.

But what always fascinated me were trees, maybe because I had been surrounded by them all through my childhood days. They are, as Khalil Gibran says, poems that earth writes upon the sky.

So, I'll talk about some of these in this series.

Do you know what an alagao tree is?

Nondescript, small, and hairy, it was the source of what to me at the time was my most creative venture.

I didn't know then that its seeds were considered effective for lowering cholesterol and increasing blood circulation.

Or that its raw leaves could be used to wrap up ingredients the way a tortilla or fresh lumpia wrapper was used.

I did know I could make beautiful colored ink from its fleshy, dark purple, round seeds.

The process  was straightforward. It didn't require the use of any special equipment. Here was how I did it.

1. Gather the alagao berries

2. Place a few berries into a strainer

3. Crush the berries until they have all been squeezed into juice

4. Use the ink

How's that for a sustainable and biodegradable ink? 

I was channeling how ancient civilizations made colorful dyes from natural pigments. 

Genius, don't you think?