A little bit of hurt

I keep a little bit of hurt
in the corner of my heart.
Sometimes
it still smarts.

But I don't want to heal
or forget the past.
Because I'll always want to
remember you.

So that little bit of hurt
shall stay with me,
and so will you
in my memory.

I hope it counts
as love.

Slipping

We would talk all night
Just the two of us
Until the soft dawn light
Then leave we must

I keep hoping that
It would never end
But yet it's your heart
That I want to defend

Your skin on mine
I wished you won't let go
Just one more time
I wished a wish you know

I'm slipping too fast
The tide has turned on me
Before I know it
This feeling flowed so effortlessly
I think I might be slipping slipping

Maybe maybe why don't you tell me
That I'm just imagining things
That there isn't much rush

He is for you.

Swept along

In a world that’s dancing

to a meaningless beat

The current is strong

Can you hold on

To the one song

Your heart used to sing.

Your ideals

Swayed by reality

Your goals

Now lack clarity

Be still and know

You, in your world,

orbiting a star -

one of the millions

in a galaxy -

one of the millions

in the universe,

are loved.

By none other

than the Creator.

Not Enough

Sore limbs

Bruised knuckles

Bloody eyes

Ragged breath

Jagged teeth

Man in motion

As fluid as poetry

Senility of the sentry

Residing in the sanctum

Sanctions and semantics

Cerebellum cerebella

Erasing data

Like an impulsive medula oblongata

Itchy chin

Explosion of emotions

Tired of these songs

On this boring radio

Can't Stand

A song I composed in the solitude of Brunei, where friends and family (and at that time lover) were out of reach. Perhaps, someday, I will video myself and post it on YouTube or something.

****

The orange glow from the setting sun

Crawls up your soft arms

You look at me with those beautiful eyes

And capture me once again

The purple skies and radiant stars

Remind me of your gentle voice

I draw you close enough to hear your breath

But still, you're just a dream

And you've got me sitting here

Thinking about

You

I want to hold your hand

I want to hear your laugh

I can't stand

These lonely days without you by my side

I can't wait

To see your face again

I can't stand

These lonely nights without you by my side

I can't wait

To hear your stories

I miss you

Second Hand Seven

Grab a helium-filled balloon

It could be blue

So it could hide among the skies

Take a jump and never look down

Let's fly and fly to the moon

If you're tired then let's rest

A tight slumber up in the clouds

But meanwhile I'm in bed

Itchy uniform and pin in my wrist

Sounds a lil silly

But still it was something she said to me

That Seven is a magic number

Now as I'm about to close my eyes

I start wonder

About this Seven the Magic Number

Can I just get one for myself?

Like my sky-blue balloon

I won't mind even if it was

A Second Hand Seven

How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, -- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning-

You and Me

It's like a

worn-out tee,

not much variety.

Frayed threads,

easily snapped,

a little holey

here and there.

But it's comfy,

Just what I'd wear.

I don't have to put on airs

You know me.

Thinking Of You

Pitter-patter of raindrops…

On the window ledge
Faraway whooshing of cars
driving into puddles
They used to walk in the rain
Skipping along hand in hand
A gentle lip-lock
Wet smiles and shivering giggles
Hair glistening underneath
the shimmering curtain of
grey-tinted showers
*************************
Sleepy growling
The skies threaten to
pour on this land
Mouse cursor blinking
I read these lines
I wonder if I’m on
your list.

The Prerogative of Pain

I lash out

to cope

for dictate emotions

uncontrollable actions.

I gloat at your distress,

flinch at your lack

of remorse,

angered that retribution

doesn’t make

a difference

to the hole in my soul.

Every lash becomes

a backlash

but I cannot

stop.

(Something I wrote a while ago and posted in my blog. Just exploring the extremes of rage.)

Mess

What a mess the room is

Paintings strewn all across the floor

Bed sheets tossed aside un-ceremonially

Chairs not in their proper places

Documents with neat handwriting in disarray

Curtain billowing from the gentle wind

Wrinkled clothes abandoned in the basket

Boots and stockings unattended

Outside, the brown rustle and fly around at random

Pleased to just run aimlessly

To laugh unrestrained

We roll in the meadow

Not worrying about the dirt

Nor minding the grass stuck in our hair

As long as we can hold each other

In our arms

Our lips touch gently

We blush and you giggle bashfully

Who cares

Let this mess

Be the evidence

What is Love?

What is love, I asked

A little boy of seven

“When she lends you her favourite pen,

and smiles like an angel from heaven.”

What is love, again I asked

This time a spunky young maiden

“Oh, when he sends you flowers and gifts,

and phones you twenty-four seven.”

What is love, I questioned

The middle-aged man on the street

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I’m running late. I can’t

lose this job, I have mouths to feed.”

What is love, I wondered aloud

Old Grandma passing by heard

“It’s hearing tenderness in the gruff,

forgiving seventy times seven past hurts."

What is love indeed?

the lie

She tosses her pretty head in the crowd

Every single pretty curl in place

Spent hours this morning, for crying out loud

Deciding which dress - satin or lace.

Oh, what to don, what to wear

What matches and what doesn’t

A thousand ways to do up her hair

Only look unkempt she mustn’t.

She casts her angelic smile

On the undeserving passer by

More than her perfume, her sense of style

They wonder where she gets her joy.

Flawless skin, mesmerizing eyes

The shades and hues of her make-up kit

Her perfection, however, belies her lies

They cannot know she cries herself to sleep.

Listen

Hush.

Withdraw from the overwhelming

pain, the confusion within

Abandon

Loneliness as companion

and

listen.

Seek refuge

amidst the chaos

of a pining heart

and

listen.

Listen

for the gentle reminders

in your heart hidden

Listen

you do know

the what's, the why's,

the reasons for.

Listen, and let in Peace

Home is where the heart is.

You belong with me.

Teardrops in an ocean
Gathering dust
Smooth like silk
Is the long winding road
Down to the depths of despair

My arms aren't long enough to reach
My strength isn't great enough to lift
To rescue you
From the inexorable movement
Of the cascading avalanche
That buries hopes and dreams
In the storm of confused fury
That is reality

So distant yet so near
The future screams its rage
And will not be ignored
The fangs of uncertainty are sharp
But the poisons of regret seem more sinister

Yet still outside
The birds shake free of the frost
And the flowers of early spring bloom
In the glory of the returning sunshine
The gift of the present
Must not be forgotten

Que sera sera
Que sera sera
Que sera sera

You belong with me.

Light up the skies

I hear the crackles

From lightning bolts tickling dry leaves

Sparks and flames

Dancing in the moonlight

Casting faint light

In this cursed twilight

This sun wishes me goodnight

I wish it wouldn't

Be this way

All of the life that's left in me

Brings me to an unknown place

Where with eyes wide shut

I sing a song with my lips

A duet with the silence of ghosts

Flickering lights coming

From the fireflies

An assuaging

Better than howls and cries

Of a hundred nymphs

I feel dirty and alone

Zig-zagging the dust floats

Like a bubble tossed in the sea

My life flits around

Like a fluttering butterfly

Or a rose waiting to say goodbye

The scars on my knees

Match the damage

Hidden on my heart

Wearing it on my sleeve

I am exposed

Tears stream down my cheek

Because there's nobody here

With me to celebrate

The new year.

Open your eyes

So vivid the memory
I can still see into your eyes

So sweet the scent
The smell of you lingers

So soft the touch
Your fingertips glide and I shiver

So powerful the emotions
I can still feel you tremble

So loud the silence
The empty spaces between my fingers mourn in desolation

So far you are
Your secret smile blazes across my mind

Less than I

I wrote my apology
On this yellow piece of crumpled up paper
But I keep it in my pocket
Unable to decide what to do
Indecision grips my heart
And my mouth holds fast

I admit I am corrupted
Mind, body
Spirit and soul
Swallowed completely
Swallowed whole

I'm sorry
But I'm not who you think I am
I'm lesser than he

I've heard of that special spark
That ignites one's soul
Inflaming the spirit
Permeating the mind
And galvanizing the body

That special spark which gives all the chance to be the best versions of themselves

Maybe I once had it
But maybe don't anymore
I've been going through the motions
An empty husk with a fake smile

With my tiny hands
I fumble to patch the holes in my heart
The blood leaks
Is this it; is this the start
I am draining

Like a candle in the wind
Like foam on the stormy waves
Should I hold on to dear life?

I've lost the Spirit
I've turned away
The was-once cooling oil
Now burns me
Like coals being heaped on my head

I lie on the dusty ground
A corpse; dry and rotten
Within me
Worms that never die
And fire that never burns out

But if you really believe
In that spark
You aver about
Is who we really need

Then
I'll try.

Teacher's Day

Teacher

You have put in me

The thirst for knowledge

Teacher

You have birthed in me

The curiosity to learn

Teacher

You have instilled in me

The drive to advance

Teacher

You have taught me

The courage to dream

But above all

Teacher

You have given me

The will to succeed

Teacher

You were with me

Every step of the way

As I learnt to be

The person I am today

Teacher

You held my hand

Led me through

Your sacrifices I understand

So I thank you

Happy Teacher's Day.

***

Lol this is my first commission. I shall not reveal who requested for this poem.

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down and a time to rebuild.

A time to cry and a time to laugh.

A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

At ime to embrace and a time to turn away.

A time to search and a time to lose.

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear and a time to mend.

A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.

A time to love and a time to hate.

A time for war and a time for peace.

***

P/S This is not an original piece. Who can guess where this is from? Don't cheat, no Googling.