The Story of Alimohkon

Alimohkon is a bird (not a plane), the spelling is just my invention. This was what I learned from the original Alimohkon, my Uncle Joe Miraflor who lived in an island near the sea, and died a poor but honorable man.

Sometimes during the evening, when everything turned to black because there simply was no electric lighting in our place, our growing family would gather and talk about anything from simple things to relationships to family feuds. What struck me was Uncle Joe's educated talk like he was a guest speaker of a local radio station in Guihulngan, a small remote town in the island. He would relate us, his listening relatives, that he became a regular writer and speaker of that small radio station, and he revealed, finally, his real self because he was hiding under the pen name Alimohkon. He was a good and convincing speaker. I would listen to him - my mouth opened in awe - of his "exploits" as a teacher-educator in that small town where he must have left a mark.

The original spelling of this Alimohkon was done in the vernacular, and when I came to use this, I fashioned this in a rather Muslim spelling, my apoligies to my brother Muslims, and to Uncle Joe who died years ago.

He was funny but intelligent and witty. Like my father, his brother-in-law, he didn't care for many things, just content with the small things life could offer. They breathed the fresh air of the province, full of fish scent, devoid of polluted city life. I liked him much because I knew Papa cared for him, too, being the youngest brother of my Mama.

Alimohkon lived a quite short life but full of meaning and sacrifices. He earned a very small salary as school teacher, sometimes in the private or in the public sector, but was able to sustain most of his more than twelve sons and daughters. I have failed to give an accurate count of his offsprings, my first cousins, because I think there are too many. Anyway, he tried his best to accomodate everyone, but could simply not. And so, that's it, he "exiled" some to his accomodating sisters (who were single).

I may end, temporarily, this rather small tribute to Alimohkon, but this will continue, for sure, in my writings.