Poems for you: 2017

Monday, December 25, 2017

Christmas’ gift

By May Kwek

Christmas is a time most dear

A time of wondrous giving

When the goodwill of all the year

Fills the air with blessing

When smiles grace every face

A gift to themselves and all

And music plays in every place

And there always seems to be more

When friends send cards and letters

With just simple greetings

But what really matters

Is the thoughts that they are bringing

When family can gather around

And put simply put aside

The subjects that make so many frown

And sit round the fire’s light

Oh yes Christmas is filled with joy

From these little presents

And every little girl and boy

Learns that this is the reason

That Christmas is such a wonderful thing

Because it is always giving

It is the spirit with which the air sings

It is the song of rejoicing

For with Christmas came

The greatest gift of all

The one with the dearest of names

Our Saviour, born for all

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Have you heard?

By May Kwek

There is a gossip in the marketplace

There is a rumour in Bethlehem

Listen! Listen!

Can you hear them?

“Have you heard?” in a voice low

The women quietly say

That the King invited 3 wise men

To dine with him today?

I have heard they carry great gifts

Myrrh, frankincense and gold

Why are they coming here?

What stories have they been told?

“Have you heard?” in a voice of awe

The men quietly whisper

That Zachariah speaks again?

And Elizabeth is a mother?

They say the child is named John

That he will be the voice in the wilderness

Imagine, just imagine

Who he will herald in greatness!

“Have you heard?” in joyous laughter

The children ask as they play

I’ve heard a voice in the wind whisper

That the Angels will sing today!

I wonder why they are singing

Is something happening today?

I have asked mother and I have asked father

But they haven’t heard so they say

“Have you heard?” in exultation

Asks the Angels on high

A miracle is about to happen

Oh let out a glorious cry!

Oh Bethlehem! They cry

As they gather to sing

Have you heard? They ask

You will welcome the King!

“And have you heard?” in a mighty voice

Asks the Almighty God

I have descended from heaven

To with the lowest trod

For tonight I will come

And be among my creation

For you whom I dearly love

I’ve come to bring salvation!

Oh have you heard?

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Give me a Grateful Heart

By May Kwek

Give me a grateful heart Lord

Open my eyes to see

The wondrous things that you have done

For the world and for me

The azure blue sky

The wind in the trees

The good green earth

And the boundless seas

The good weather on a bad day

The message from a friend

A smile from a stranger

When you fall, a helping hand

Oh Lord, give me ears to hear

To hear deeds of your love

To hear and to know

Who you are above

The music of the birds

The rippling of a stream

The roar of a wave

The whisper of a dream

The friendly hellos

The longing goodbyes

Words of encouragement

That bring tears to the eye

Oh Father give me the heart

To feel and truly know

The one to whom

I owe my soul

The one who built the mountains

Who studded the night sky

Who planted the forests

And taught birds to fly

The one who first laughed

The one who the desperate saves

The one who for one and for all

Died and his life gave

Oh give me the heart Lord

So I can finally see

Who you are

And who you’ll always be

Miracles

By May Kwek

He asked for a miracle

In the deep dark night

And somewhere, someone

Switched on the light

But he didn’t see and so he asked again

For a miracle once more

And somewhere on a beach

A turtle laid eggs on the shore

So he asked again, for he didn’t know

And nearby a baby cried

The first sound it had ever made

Before that fateful night

The man covered his ears

And asked for a miracle again

And as the sun rose outside the window

A flower bloomed on the plain

He smiled at the flower but wanted a miracle

So he kneeled down and prayed

And his daughter saw the flower

And rose from the darkness she was laid

He saw no miracle and asked again

For a miracle did he plea

“Hooray! A miracle!” he cried

He had won the lottery

Copyright © 2017 by May Kwek

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Exultation of the sea

By May Kwek

Look out to the sea!

From the unending shore

Look out! Look out!

It goes on forevermore!

Shinning in golden sun

The silver sparkling waves

With the crystal beauty

The glorious day has gave

Ships sail over it

Clouds dance in the shimmering light

Oh wondrous and wondrous!

The sea so bright!

Taste the salty sea air

As it lingers on your tongue

And within lies a song

That the sea breeze has sung!

Hummed by the whales

In their revels deep

Oh the unending sea!

Where beauty never sleeps!

Where the day sings its song

And the stars by night dance

Where the bold, brave and free

Set out to take their chance

Where dreams and hopes

Skip merrily with the waves

Where promises are met

And seeking hearts are saved

Oh look out! Look out!

Let no man pine on the shore

For behold the glorious sea

Goes on forevermore!

Monday, October 16, 2017

Deeds great and small

By May Kwek

He built a tall and sturdy tower

And labelled it with his name

She sat down with a lonely child

To play a simple game

He made grand speeches

That drew universal cheer

She spoke a helpful word

Every day for a year

He ran a glorious race

And held the medal up to the crowd

She cleaned up another’s mess

And never said what it was about

When he spoke, people gathered round

And filled the gaps with praise

When she spoke, the intended heard

And a spirit was raised

When he walked through the halls

People got out of the way

When she walked through the streets

It was an ordinary day

And when he died he had a statue placed

With the wish ‘remember me!’

When she died the world forgot

And she faded even from memory

And so it is till that last final day

When they meet the Master above

And finds he cares not for idle fame

But little acts with great love

Friday, October 13, 2017

Lights

By May Kwek

Our world is filled with lights

From the first blush of dawn

To the golden shining rays

Of the sun at morn

They are beautiful in all colours

Brimming with life and joy

Like the stars that guide the sailors home

After a voyage of toil

Yet they are pensive too

So quiet and serene

Like the moonlight floating down

In gentle shifting beams

Or excitable like fireworks

Blazing through the night

Sparkling like golden dust

With their shimmering light

Or worse still, the herald

To disaster and death

Like the red blaze of a fire

In the midst of its theft

But they can also be life giving

As the rays of the sun

Bestowing growth to all that lives

Until the day is done

For all lights give clarity

Opening our eyes to see

Either the world around us

Or within what we’ll be

And what marvellous lights and wonders

I’ve seen wherever I’ve roamed

And each telling a story

That I have never known

But perhaps the light I love best

Is the one not distant and unknown

But the flickering lights in the night

That tell me I’ve come home

Friday the 13th

By May Kwek

It’s that day again

The worse day of the year

It seems so normal, so sane

But danger is lurking near

And I cannot see it

Nor can you I am sure

This time it just hovers around

Like a curse to endure

So be careful where you go

And watch where you walk

Mind your business carefully

And be cautious when you talk

And if misfortune should strike!

Alas! Your precautions were in vain

Knock on wood three times

Perhaps it won’t happen again

But even if it does

Oh, don’t be surprised

For it’s such a day

When you fear even the sunrise

For this is a cursed day indeed

So remember what you’ve seen

And be watchful always

It’s Friday, the 13th

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Flowers

By May Kwek

Silky soft and in full bloom

The joys that chase away the gloom!

Bright with cheer and generous with smiles

That bring hope and rejoicing all the while

Yes flowers singing under the sky

Land-bound but their melodies fly!

As they seek to bless the day

And reach out to the bright sun’s rays

They are smiles personified

Radiant in the morning light

The earth drapes them on in delight

In a crown sweet and bright

And the world is filled with their scent

As under the gentle winds they’re bent

And they tell the world the secrets they know

And sing them in a whisper low

For hopes, dreams and life in songs

Wrapped in blooms are forever strong

Written are they in a heavenly art

That never touches the mind without touching the heart

So let them bloom and let them glow

And bring joy to every high and low

And in that instant of eternity before they go

They would have lightened many a soul

Sunday, October 1, 2017

For a season

By May Kwek

Once I saw a beautiful flower

Bright, sunny and sweet

And when I saw it I thanked God

That I was so fated to meet

A bloom of such beauty

Which brought laughter and joy

That shone despite adversity

That bloomed in defiance of toil

The days were bright together

Laughter and fun in the sun

And other blooms I gathered

And formed into one

It was a bright bouquet

Which bloomed best when it bloomed together

Meeting life and its adventures

For what I hoped was forever

Alas then that I was to discover

That it was fated not to be

These blooms flew away in the wind

Bringing smiles to others rather than me

And now I have to bid them farewell

As they fly somewhere I cannot see

And hope that at least wherever they roam

They will still be happy

The remaining dry leaves I hold in hand

To keep and remember the reason

That I thanked God for those flowers bloomed!

And I enjoyed them, for a season

Monday, September 25, 2017

He took me

By May Kwek

I stood alone in the marketplace

As the others bustled about

Eager, like all new souls

To join the lively crowd

Some people came and I asked

If I could join them

They looked at me appraisingly

And said I was not worthy to be with them

So to the next group I offered

My love and my care

And they took it but left me

Once they’d had their share

Bereft I offered the next

My skills and knowledge too

They used it greedily

But then they left me too

And so alone I continued standing

Offering all I had

People came, they took what I gave

But left me with a ‘that’s too bad’

Then as the crowds thinned

I saw a different face

It was the Lord of Everything

He had come to the marketplace

I searched my full pockets

But in his sight they were empty

I hadn’t a single thing

I could offer with me

So I checked my appearance

But a hideous visage met my sight

A liar, a sinner, puffed up with pride

That was who I was under his truthful light

I bowed my head as he came near

So I wouldn’t have to see

The just anger and disgust in his eyes

At the sight of one like me

I heard him stop before me

And waited for him to turn away

After all, I had nothing to give

And that’s how everyone had acted that day

But then he held out his hand

And offered it to me

By some miracle, where others left

He decided to take me

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Holmes and Watson go camping

By May Kwek

Holmes and Watson went camping

And in a field they spent the night

Set up their tent, cooked by the fire

And then slept side by side

But then in the middle of the night

Holmes woke Watson with a jab to the side

“What do you see?” he asked as they looked at the sky

“The stars Holmes,” Watson replied

“And what does that tell you?” asked his friend

And Watson bowed his head

Knowing the clever Sherlock Holmes

It had to be something really great

“I see that we’re so small,” he replied

“So insignificant and tiny

And perhaps somewhere in the great universe

There are others just like me”

“On planets that could bear life

And trees that have good fruit

Now Holmes are you impressed?

Aren’t my thoughts good?”

Holmes shook his head slowly

Then sighed and shook his friend

"Watson you idiot!" he cried

"Someone has stolen our tent!"

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Evening’s Beginning

By May Kwek

Have you seen the evening's content?

As the light fades and falls

Things you knew morph their shape

Till you wonder if you knew them at all

A strange darkness descends

Upon the quietening of the air

And with the wind falls like leaves

The burdens of toil and care

And with its quiet comes the peace

Of the darkness of the night

Where what is far cannot be seen

Out of mind once out of sight

For as the sun fades to tomorrow

And the moon comes into view

The day and its troubles are over

But the night, my friends, is new

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Wayside flower

By May Kwek

Oh little flower growing on the wayside

Dancing with petals ever so bright

How you shine in the day long sun

And sleep gently when the day is done

You never notice the crowd that passes you by

For your thoughts reach for heaven’s sky!

For it you dance, in it joy you’ve found

Although you may be earthly bound

Oh little wayside flower, gentle and meek

Yet striving in beauty that which you seek

Little you know the enduring joy

You bring to those who pass you in toil!

So grow on, wayside flower and seek no other view

Than the azure blue sky constant but always new

And in your dreams, bloom ever so bright

And bestow on the passers-by some of your light!

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

- Luke 12:27, NKJV

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

I’ll wait

By May Kwek

Man counts progress in hours

The Lord by years and a day

From the springs that grow into winters

Rather than the sun that fades away

Years though long seem short

Under his knowing eye

A chick that cries now for a moment

Becomes an eagle that flies

So now though it seems glum

And naught is as I planned

I can girdle myself to wait

Until I understand

That everything has a time

And everything has a moment

And until that time, that time

Don’t speak yet, listen!

For there’s a plan in action

Clicking in slowly by the days

From little words, thoughts, actions

That are thrown our way

At the right time they’ll fall in

Exactly as they should

But with a plan stretching years

Only at the exact moment they would

And until the last piece is in place

In days, weeks, years, decades

Because I know he has a plan

I can content myself to wait

Life’s path

By May Kwek

All are travelers on the road of time

Running over life's messy plains

Falling, stumbling, running, striving

Ending then seeking to run again

For our paths were counted

Long ere we knew they exist

The paths we took, those we forsook

All lead to the end as it is

And along the way we forgot

That we’re all going the same way

And both the strong and the weak

End with a last day

So we fought, we struggled

For the ephemeral success

Without a chance or a pause

To consider what’s truly best

We pushed fellow travelers aside

To the glories we ran!

Never cared, never looked

Just did everything we can

But the paths we travel

However long they might be

End in the same destination

Man’s fated destiny

Where all the glories we picked up

We’re forced to cast aside

And we are as we are

Without a place to hide

And at the time and at that end

There is no U-turn at the bend

So now though that time is far from me

What should I do on the path before me?

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Dreaming in the night

By May Kwek

Take me to the moon

High up amongst the stars

For when you dream touching the heavens

Dreams don’t seem so far

The stars twinkle down their good wishes

The night would lend its fancy

And dreams which were so vague

Begin to gain some clarity

The clouds shift their forms

Into the landscape of your dreams

And they seem so real, just beyond

Almost in reach it seems

And you could be content forever

High up in the air

Dreaming dreams with the stars

Without a thought or care

Unknowing to the passing hours

Or of the daylight’s morning ride

They don’t exist, there’s only

You, your dreams, the night

Until you float down to solid ground

As the sun rises and the moon bids adieu

But the hope you found so far above

Will always remain with you

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Ambition

By May Kwek

All men to great deeds aspire

For it some men rise from circumstance dire

Ever they seek to rise higher and higher

If one has run far, the other farther

Aye they seek with chisels of wax

To on Time immortal carve a crack

If possible to carve a name

And lend to it glory and fame

In striving so they’ve shed many a tear

Sweated blood, suffered in fears

Broke their back, lost family and friends

Striving always, till the end

And at the end, did they ever know?

Time’s many notches were infamy so

And those who on Time’s wall blazed a name

Cared more of others and less of fame

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Today is the reason

By May Kwek

It is Easter today

And for the very first time

I wonder why I’ve never celebrated it

With ornaments of rhyme

For today, today is the reason

The reason for my hope’s joy

The reason why we press on

With faith none can destroy

Yes, today, today is the reason

I can bow my head and pray

Call the Almighty “Father”

It’s an audacious thing to say

Today! Yes today!

Is the reason I can live

The reason despite all life’s troubles

Some have heart to give

Today, yes it’s the reason

That prisoners can be free

That all lost souls can be found

And sorrow flees

For it is today! Two thousand years past

Amidst the tears that wouldn’t dry

That Hope rose from the dead

And dried every eye

And today is special

For just one reason

For today, yes today

He has risen!

Happy Easter!

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Evening chimes

By May Kwek

Grey slants strolled down the corridor

As I watch quietly by

The end of the day is coming

And the world’s waving goodbye

The blue sky has turned whiter

Like whispers of mist

The wind blows softly now

Like a goodbye kiss

The trees are losing their shine

As the skies turn grey

Sunset is soon but not yet!

It’s only nearing the end of day

Flowers fold their buds to sleep

The birds return to their nests

The songs of morning are now quiet

As fits this peaceful time best

You would have thought me sad

That a beautiful day had to end

But nay, I still smile

For I have the wind for a friend

And the wind would not let any mourn

Or even frown at the end of a day

For it flew in and sang to me

Before it went on its way

And it brushed the wind chime as it flew

And how those chimes sang!

Crystal clear, bright and light

Like a silver bell they rang!

And as I listened to its song

Each note seemed to say

Enjoy the night and its splendor

For tomorrow’s another beautiful day

Friday, January 6, 2017

By May Kwek

This poem is based off a scene in the 1855 book North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. In the scene, there is a strike and when the strikers hear that their employer had tried to break the strike by hiring non union Irish workers, they riot outside his home and he comes out to face them.

In that time they referred to employers as Masters and I have kept it in my poem.

The situation

The air isn’t dark but it rumbles

The sun shines but there is fear

People run and shout, demanding things

Yet oddly their demands are clear

It’s a strike turned into a riot

“Raise our wages!” they declare

And the Master emerges from his house

And fixes them with his stare

We pause the scene for a moment

Let’s enter each of their minds

The Master and the workers

And see what we might find

The Master

They call me cruel, so many have

Unfeeling, uncaring, proud

Look at them, my workers

What a rowdy crowd

I have done an honest business

Indeed I truly have

But it doesn’t run on charity

Indeed it couldn’t have

It must make money, it must

Or else everything will end

So I cannot raise wages

I am being squeezed on both ends

If I fail, and I might

This whole place will shut down

Everyone here that I support

Will be squashed into the ground

I have hundreds of livelihoods

Dependent on that monthly check

It’s my duty to keep it coming

Even if enough it lacks

I have spent the money

Keeping the air they breathe clear

Lost both pounds and pennies

So that they can still be here

Yet, it’s not enough, it wasn’t enough

I have done all I can

What more do you ask of me?

I am just a man

The worker

I have slogged long and hard

Days and nights I slaved away

To put food on the table

To live till the next day

I cough, I fall ill

I came to work anyway

Life is too short, too precarious

To afford to waste that day

I have given my life

So that I can keep living

If not for me then for my family

Who are at home starving

I have given all I have

For this measly check

These meagre pennies

Aren’t equal what I can’t take back

It’s not enough to live on

My back’s against the wall

I’ve tried everything

Everything! Every and all!

Yet, it’s not enough, it wasn’t enough

I have done all I can

What more do you ask of me?

I am just a man

The Conclusion

The scene is still paused dear readers

I cannot will it to move

For peeking into both their thoughts

I find that I’m confused

For I came here expecting

To support the weak and disparage the strong

But I found a situation so terrible

And no one really wrong

Pages

Monday, December 25, 2017

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Monday, October 16, 2017

Friday, October 13, 2017

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Monday, September 25, 2017

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Friday, January 6, 2017