Love Story - Taylor Swift

This is probably a love story, or a no-love story for the lack of it. I want to talk about Juliet, a girl friend of mine back in college. This song, because it bears the name Juliet (with Romeo) kept playing in my head. Why? It reminds me so much of Juliet.

One thing about her is, she is deep. I have lived majority of my life practically along the sea shore but it was only her who told me the calming effect of just looking at the sea, and feeling its breeze touching your skin. Indeed, I haven't noticed that. All I know, when I am at the sea, it's time to learn how to swim.

She said the sea calms you mind… and perhaps even the heart.

Aside from being a deep-thinker, Juliet is broad minded. How broad? At her teen age, she has already felt the urge of helping this country. When I was her age or even younger, all I thought of was my survival - for our family to survive. But her thoughts have gone farther than her family, her community to the ends of how this country could liberate itself from its known enemies.

I have always been a law-abiding person. When it comes to family curfew, I am to the dot. When it comes to family chores, I accomplish them. I do what I was told. Juliet on the other hand, taught me that there is nothing wrong at questioning those authorities giving such command, including your parents. She didn't teach me to disobey the rules, she just reminded me that it is sometimes healthy to know the reason why some rules have to be questioned and know its purpose.

She seemed to have a very precise mission in life; i didn't. In fact, I could hardly fathom her dreams. For me, they were just too deep for me to ponder on or maybe, as I have always told myself, I am too young for such a stuff. I did try to emulate her; I took her steps, I followed her advise, I learned a lot from her, I admired her so much but for the span of two years that I have known her, I was overwhelmed. My mind boggled for it wasn't prepared to address the issues of liberty, of democracy, of equality and of all that she has taught me and for everything that we did together. I went away and tried to find my own freedom until such time that I would learn how to secure freedom for somebody else. My mind has grown deeper and broader as hers probably have gone deepest and broadest (pardon my word play).

She was deep and I was just starting to learn how to swim. Over a decade thereafter, I am now in that deep water she was in before. I now know how to swim and is so much ready to dive deeper into the sea we call life - she called it life in the third world. Perhaps, 20 more years thereafter, Juliet will still be the same Juliet that I have known. And the Philippines that I have known long before I met her, when I was with her and now far away from her, is still the Philippines as it is.

"We were both young when I first saw you…" and we will see each other again soon, I hope.

LOVE STORY

We were both young, when I first saw you
I close my eyes and the flashback starts
I’m standing there, on a balcony of summer air

I see the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
I see you make your way through the crowd
You say hello, little did I know…

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles
And my daddy said “stay away from Juliet”
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you please don’t go…
And I said…

Romeo take me somewhere, we can be alone
I’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is run
You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess,
It’s a love story, baby, just say yes

So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet, because we’re dead if they knew
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while
Oh, Ohhh

Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter,
And my daddy said “stay away from Juliet”
But you were everything to me
I was begging you, please don’t go…
And I said

Romeo take me somewhere, we can be alone
I’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is run
You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess
It’s a love story, baby, just say yes

Romeo save me, they’re trying to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it’s real
Don’t be afraid, we’ll make it out of this mess
It’s a love story, baby, just say yes
Oh, Ohhh…

I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town
And I said

Romeo save me, I’ve been feeling so alone
I keep waiting, for you but you never come
Is this in my head, I don’t know what to think
He kneels to the ground and pulled out a ring and said

Marry me Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone
I love you, and that’s all I really know
I talked to your dad-you’ll pick the white dress
It’s a love story, baby just say…yes…
Oh, Ohhh… Oh, Oh, Ohhh…
We were both young when I first saw you.