CAPSUNIAN ECHO

 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐘 | 𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗬 𝗞𝗢! 

by Marya 

It starts as a whisper, murmured into the pillow at 10 PM., not to relapse from an ex lover or a shadowed friend, but eyes red from readings you barely understand, heart heavy from responsibilities you bear.

It’s funny, isn’t it? How three syllables from 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘯, a content creator, can capture a thousand silent cries. How it becomes our anthem—half a joke, half a lifeline, and entirely true.

You wake up already tired, not from sleep, but from everything else.

Monday pa lang, pero parang Friday na sa bigat ng bitbit.

You scroll through the group chat, hoping for peace, only to find deadlines, PowerPoint slides, ungraded submissions, and a group project where only you moved.

“Leader ka,” they said.

Pero bakit parang ikaw lang ang gumagawa?

“Research lang ‘yan.”

Pero walang signal, walang laptop, walang tulong.

“May quiz pala?”

Oo, at parang ikaw lang ang hindi handa—kahit sinubukan mo namang intindihin, pero pagod na pagod ka na.

So you type it again: “Aray ko.”

Not because you hit your toe, but because you’ve hit your limit. Not because something broke, but because something inside is slowly falling apart.

Still, you submit.

You attend.

You present your slides with a voice that hides the tears you held back all week.

Because that’s what students do, we endure.

With empty stomachs, full plates, and tired hearts.

We endure, even when it hurts.

We whisper “aray ko,” because it’s the only way to laugh without crying. It's the language left when we no longer know how to ask for help.

But in the cracks of this chaos, there is still light.

The classmate who says “same.”

The teacher who extends the deadline.

The message that says, “Kaya mo pa ba?”

The grade you didn’t expect, the message from a friend, the moment you realize: you’re still here.

And maybe that’s the point.

Not to always win, or finish strong,

But to survive this one more day—

With trembling hands and a quiet heart that still whispers,

“Pagod na ako... pero laban pa rin.”

Aray ko.

But still, I go.