Poems for you: January 2015

Discontent (Rich)

By May Kwek

Oh they say to be rich

Is indeed to have it all

Luxurious homes, a yacht or two

And money that piles up tall

But every where I tread

I must have bodyguards

In case some kidnappers

Seek to with my money part

Relations are strained

They want me to quickly die

So that during the funeral

They can take the money and pretend to cry

My children are spoiled

They have never known want

And because of this wealth

I can never say “can’t”

Then I hide in my business

It is something I can do

Or hide in wealth and splendor

I can do that too

And forget about my troubles

And all the arguments and strife

And for a moment

Say I have a happy life

Discontent (Poor)

By May Kwek

Oh to be poor is a hard life

I for one know it is true

You have never had to worry

About your next meal have you?

What will I do

About next month’s rent?

If I can’t make it....

Can I borrow someone’s tent?

I wish I could provide a better place

For my children to live

With as many toys and books

As I in my heart would give

Cough, cough, oh dear

I cannot afford to be sick

If I get a sick leave

I might lose my job quick

Then what would we do?

The boss has yet to pay me

Tomorrow I must spare a few cents

To go trouble him for money

But for now let me sleep

For it is late and there I can be

Lost in oblivion

And say I am happy

Discontent (middle class)

By May Kwek

So I am neither rich nor poor

I am somewhere in between

I should consider myself blessed

Or so it would seem

But to be in the middle

Is to be squeezed

And seek to go higher

Hoping for release

My boss works me hard

I work long into the night

Perhaps my children

Could recognize me by sight

My ends meet but I have not enough

For the things I want

I want this and I want that

Only the rich can have fun!

And my children run off with their friends

They drift ever further away

Perhaps if I had more time

They would come back someday

Oh if only I could live a bit more

Have a bit of life

Far from this tedious work

And this internal strife

But never mind

A dream is all it shall be

Let’s go to the movies

And pretend we are happy

Summary of discontent

By May Kwek

Well dear readers

Its strange don’t you think?

That despite all their differences

The same tune they sing

Personally I would have thought

That the differences in wealth

Might have mattered as much to them

As the state of their health

But ah it seems we are all caught

In the winter of our discontent

What can I say?

We see things as men

The grass is greener on the other side

So the old saying says

But let’s all cheer up

We still have today

Whether we are near

Or whether we are far

See things as we hope

Or see things as they are

Perhaps for a moment in our minds

Examine our troubles and perhaps find

That they are so small after all

And reasons to be happy are much more

At least I find that is the case for me

When behind pessimism’s curtain I occasionally see

And finally look around and say

“What a fool I am let’s be happy today”

The Haunted Table

By May Kwek

It was a liveliest of gatherings that night

Everyone bore a fake smile

And we all laughed ever so cheerfully

And rolled our eyes all the while

But there was always a certain coldness

And the slightest hint of mistrust

Some when they saw each other

Turned either pale or blushed

Still we carried on and faked blindness

Were good friends for the world to see

In all appearances

A group of friends happy

But the chill seemed to grow ever stronger

And faint whispers of doom

Sent shivers down our spines and raised the hairs of our neck

As they danced about the room

Horrid memories seemed to arise

When we saw someone’s face

So we turned away and made believe

That we were in a different place

But when we were entered the dinning room

We could not run but only stare

For the cold formed ice on the table

And there was a ghost on each chair

Poems for you

Pages

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Discontent (Rich)

Discontent (Poor)

Discontent (middle class)

Summary of discontent

The Haunted Table