DEFINITION OF TERMS prepared by Sabrina Ysabelle C. Ledesma inspired by the poetry, stories, and themes found in this folio anemoia, n. The world is never as we see it. There is always more beneath the surface and beyond the cracks that we are yet to unravel. Soon enough, we’ll realize there is no war between man and life; or time and existence. No matter how far we pull at the limits of these strings, we could never fight an enemy we can’t even begin to understand. All that is expected of a human being is to see the earth and every moment it spends through their eyes. Let sight record every encounter of time and life, experience the best of every side of existence through someone else’s memories, and come up with our own mundane conclusions. But still, all we can do is just observe––and never understand. Not even when these forces fight tooth and nail for greater control, nor when they smear themselves into our own paths. No, in the end, all we can do is sit down, watch, and long for a day where we would finally understand. astronomy, n. In retrospect, it’s all really just ridiculous. How can four stars, who shouldn’t even be aware of each other’s existence, determine one’s fate? How can the distance in between outline the shape that dictates who a person is? How can the perfect placement of these celestial bodies make everything make sense to someone? Oh, of course. Of course, the answer is still you. I guess I can’t really question the stars when you’ve been lightyears away and I’ve been adjusting every beat of my heart just to try and get over you. It’s hard seeing you around, this constant reminder of what I lost. But I don’t see you as I did before. No, you’re different and I’m...well, exactly as the four stars foretold—brash, impulsive, and all– too compassionate—all because you were at the right place and just at the right moments. atlas, n. We’ve all been there. Nobody tells you, but it happens to all of us. It’s not like the stories we hear, though. The world doesn’t crash down on you out of nowhere until you suddenly become the hero amongst many. No, it was never that simple. Like a heavy heart, the odds will stack against you, weigh you down day after day. There will be forces that will entangle you in uncertainty, people that will burn your life to ruins, and moments that will leave you stuck in the retelling. But the world is still yours and it is you who carries it. To be the titan who holds up the earth is one thing, but to be the fickle heart who braves through this sphere of doubt is the true victor. So live this, every second of it, and command weight into your existence. You can only rise from here on out. axis, n. I don’t want to keep yearning for a lifetime with you. This was never just something to pass the time. When I said I was meant for you, I meant it. And there’s no more pretending here. I can’t go on with the lie that I’m not helplessly in love with you… because I am. What I feel about you isn’t just some wish on a shooting star because it is like the axis that my world turns on. So even when the world shatters itself, I can always rely on this probability of us meeting. But for now, I’ll spin madly on until I wouldn’t have to. big bang, n. They say the world was born from this cataclysmic explosion, but mine just started with you. In the midst of silence and chaos, it all led to now. To my existence constantly yearning to be pulled into your orbit. My heart has now grown to be the singularity, the crash site of every feeling you’ve brought upon me, like cosmos that rush down to my very core, stretching more and more every minute spent with you. You truly are something, aren’t you?
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