Journey


The aftertaste of a chocolate cake
Still lingering within my mouth,
We set off after dinner;
On the road through the deep, deep night...

The motorcycles zooming past
(Music from a crackling fire within the inglenook’s palms);
The sound of rubber on glass
(The hoot of a caged owl);
The music of the saxophone, gently caressing my ears
(The soothing voice of a cabaret singer upon the stage).

The orange light from Singaporean street lamps
Staining the tar roads with hues of orange-brown
(The parquet floor; the wooden pillars and walls)...

A journey through the darkness,
Back to the time of an early-winter night,
When I was not so old, and not at home either.
Then the wheels screech and my voyage comes to an end.
Back to reality, only memories remain-
Memories that slowly fade into the black, black night.

The Water Spirit

I am here on the earth, still I have never been
Seen by the creatures inhabiting it despite
My respite upon this planet since the beginning of creation.

Cast to damnation, perhaps I have been
Deemed worthless.

So I have learned, the art
Of slipping through one’s hands and heart
From the light and into the night of the cave
And its railway cart.

My form is shapeless- ‘tis a blessing
For I can evade all exorcising. A sliver,
A thread like a river, a pearl, a bead.
Sweet it is to be free, sweet as mead.

But now have the humans become envious of my freedom.

So have they done all to restrict me- they have chained
Me to their lands, enslaved and made me insane,
Forcing me through eternal cycles of joy and pain.

Rare it is that I am released
(Once or twice in my immortal life), back to the sea
To my brethren.

Untitled

My heart is fluid, fluid.

Flowing
Like water which runs off a leaf,
I am whole, yet empty.

Gone, evaporated.
I see no more.

Silhouette, shadow,
Like light, I have none.