Poems for you: August 2014

Mistaken identity

By May Kwek

Today I went to the botanic gardens

And there were a lot of things to see

Flower, ducks, pond skaters

And butterflies flying free

Exploring I ended up

In some place fairly new

Walked around, took pictures

Of things I never even knew

Then a bunch of foreigners said out loud

From behind a wall of plants

“Look! A bunch of caterpillars!”

Now that’s a sight I want

As soon as they left

I hurried over to see

Looked and then departed

Even more hastily

For instead of caterpillars

Lounging and munching around

I saw too many centipedes

Crawling on the ground

What to write?

By May Kwek

Some take a long time to write a poem

They antagonise over it day and night

Strangely not for me

I write fast under the moonlight

In fifteen minutes or less

A poem I produce

It looks like the others I have here

An easy skill to use

For to me poems are no art

No celestial melody

But a simple skill

I use for you and for me

A skill needs to be honed

As a knife needs to be sharpened

So to write more and practise

Should be my clear mission

But poems need topics

And often I have none

So alas tell me

What is to be done?

Hot hot hot days

By May Kwek

The days are so hot now

The skies blaze with light

Blinding, dazzling

Brighter than a sea of sunlight

The air hangs like a heavy curtain

It is so still

Stifling, choking

A tree would wilt

The very atmosphere glows

Like an golden mist

Oh how it makes us long

For the rain’s sweet kiss!

What am I doing out?

The birds are wiser than me

Look! I see some sparrows

Wisely hiding in the shadow of a tree

NTU’s Teas

This was written in early June. I was rather late in putting it up.

NTU’s Teas

By May Kwek

About a week ago

I was invited to NTU

No, actually, the Mandarin Orchard hotel

“Specially invited are you”

So said the invitation

And being curious I went

I came back sore and tired

But the hours I will not repent

The bus ride there was long

The timing was all wrong

But I made it just in time

And what did I find?

A huge ballroom

With silly speakers

A personalised place card

For each of the sitters

I took my place

At the front of the room

Just left of the stage

There was plenty of room

We had a professor at my table

And so did the rest

Some had alumni

Wonder which was the best?

Questions were tabled

And each one answered

The professor was real friendly

I stayed while it lasted

But it was rather strange to find

On my way back home

That I had my tea in a hotel

And my friend in the lecture room

The Forbidden Hill

May Kwek

A long time ago

In a land right on my back door

There was a hill

Forbidden to all

It was the home

To Kings and to Queens

Where the whole island

And the bay could be seen

There was palace there

So very long ago

It is gone now

From mind and memory too

I wonder what happened there

What stories took place

Who grew up there?

And were they in the King’s grace?

Why was it abandoned?

What crisis took place?

What would cause the royal house

To fall into disgrace?

The hill is no longer forbidden

Now it is open to all

Yet when I visit

I still see royalty’s fall

Dinner at Rendezvous

May Kwek

It has been a long time

Since we have been here

In fact the last time

Was longer than my years

Its location was charming

By the Singapore river

And food was not too bad

Compared to my expectations much better

However the method of ordering

Was frankly inefficient

Though I suppose it may work in some ways

Speed can’t be their mission

The cuisine is distinctly local

With curry and spice

And gravy and chili

Which is supposed to be nice

Chicken cooked

In many different ways

And many dishes

Whose names I can’t say

Here I must profess my ignorance

In my dealings with food

But I know that if I can eat it

Usually, it is good!

Poems for you

Pages

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Mistaken identity

What to write?

Hot hot hot days

NTU’s Teas

The Forbidden Hill

Dinner at Rendezvous