To J (2007)

I wrote this soon after the Sipadan trip in 2007. I still like it.


To J....

She charms me so...
How?

Is it her scent?
Perhaps.

The nearness of her fine slender body?
Could be.

Her electrifying presence as she is sits next to me?
Might be.

Her walk as her sarong embraces her graceful hips?
Mmmm... may be.

Her smile when she looks at me playfully?
Yes, indeed. 

Most definitely.

Psalm 118

The Lord is my companion; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is with me; I will look in triumph over my enemies.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

Bible Psalm 118: 6 - 9

Maidens of the Sea

As I sail
I see the maidens of the sea
Hear their syren song
Their singing voices how it allures me
I listen and am seduces
But they do not sing for me
they do not sing for me
...

Thought of the Day

Examinations encourage rote learning. An exam education culture creates students who are good at answering questions but may not be so good at solving problems.

A Princess' Tale - for Aila

(I thought of this story recently)

A long time ago there was a beautiful princess named Aila who lived in a desert land. It was hot and dry like all desert lands. Occasionally it would rain and the strange and wonderful desert flowers would bloom. Those were the happiest times for her. But those times were few and far between.

She longed for a green land, a land where rain would fall often, ... not too much though. Her cousin was nearly drowned in such a deluge.

She wanted to be in a land filled with summer flowers and autumn trees. A land where the roads were lined with Cherry Blossom trees in constant bloom. A land with the tall African Plain trees with their wide shady branches. A place where she would across endless fields of golden wheat and travel across vast plains of green grass like a ship crossing the sea.

One day a dreadful demon in the guise of a whirlwind passed over her land and drank up all the water. Everything turned to dust. There was little to begin with and once he had finished there was even less.

The Princess stayed in her castle, its stone walls protecting her safe from the demon. But she knew she could not stay. At night, when the air was cool once again and the demon was asleep, she made her escape.

She walked through the night, guided by star light,
In the cold comfort of the dark, she found respite

... to be continued...

With Words Unspoken...

With words unspoken
With secrets untouched
We pass by each other
Like ships at dusk.

(I wrote this in 1990 when I was in my 2nd year at University. I was infatuated with a few girls on campus but I lacked the boldness to go up to them and talk. I was also a committed conservative Christian back then and considered any relationship outside the church circle as wrong.)

My parents killed me today

I read these two horrible stories in The Australian (newspaper) recently.

You can read the stories here and here: THE AUSTRALIAN. I couldn't stop thinking about the kids. I wrote this below in response.

I think all of us should consider joining the Foster Family Care program and try and help disadvantaged children or some other similar outreach programs.

At the same time, we should be voting for politicians who give a damn about society's problem and who have practical solutions to fix them- as opposed to simply giving more money to bad parents who end spending it on drugs and alcohol.


My parents killed me today
My parents killed me today.
...
Finally
The sobbings can cease
The pain is now gone
The social workers can go home
The judge can get another stiff drink
The defence lawyers sing another song

My parents killed me today
My father broke my skull
My mother broke my heart
Hammer
Heroin
Hashish
It wasn't our fault your honor
We know not what we done.
The jury agree and set them free
Its Society's Fault.

My parents killed me today
In my bed
I begged to be carried
My legs bones were cracked
In their drunken stupor they didn't care less
I crawled
They kicked
Wasn't fast in time
I had to be punished
Had to be taught a lesson

My parents killed me today
Bashed my skull in
Broke my slender arms
Cracked my ribs
Ruptured my organs
My Liver was torn in half
Why was I still breathing when the ambulance came?
Why were our neighbors' lights not on?

My parents killed me today
Broke all my bones
I told my teachers I didn't want to go home
They told me they understand
But I had to go home
Be a good boy and all will go well
But they whisper
They know.
My bruises and scars - they show
And still they insist: go home.
Go home.

My parents killed me today
Where love should have been showered
Malice was shown
Where kisses should have been given
Curses were thrown
A tender word, a loving touch
All quite alien in my father's heart

My parents killed me today
My parents killed me today
My parents killed me today
The public wail, the journalists sigh
The politicians shrug their shoulders
And tell more lies.
Tomorrow they will not remember me
All will go home
They'll talk about the footy.
And leave my cold body alone
Yau Chiam July 2007