Poems for you: 2018

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Confronting Time

By May Kwek

Oh ask me not, not today

For my spirits have quite flown away

It flew out the window, into open air

And where it went, I know not where

For it told me not before it left

And it's left me quite bereft

For here I have to sit alone

And to the hours quietly roam

The hours pass, where've they gone?

For time just ticks on and on

And it cares not what I have to say

I cannot plead it to stay

Oh time! Oh time! Oh ruinous time!

Thou shall be my enemy I find

For you steal from pleasure and add to woes

When I find that you must go

And leave me not with a quiet hour

To just enjoy the present's power

As I rush from task to task

It did not seem too much to ask

But no, you will not listen to me

You cannot talk, you only flee

Treating my words as if not heard

Oh time, you're a hopeless coward!

Sunday, November 11, 2018

A Rainy Afternoon

By May Kwek

The rain hums just outside

The world’s cast in a grey light

As the clouds shift in the unshifting sky

And the wind passes sleepily by

The air is cool, the breeze is sweet

The earth and rain in rhythm meet

To form a soothing symphony

Which fills the ears so pleasantly

To this stage bold birds fly

Between the rain, against the sky!

And to those peering through windows

Their forms appear as darting shadows

That dance and rise, that swoop and fall

There for a moment or maybe not at all

For the rain provides its own curtain

And behind its veils the dancers are hidden

Till the rain eases and all we can see

The buildings, the people, the birds, the trees

And with one last chord that strains and falls

The symphony sounds its final call

For the wind soars high and blows away

The clouds to rain another day

And as they drift away without a care

They leave a memory that they were there

Monday, October 8, 2018

The Train Station

By May Kwek

I wait at the station

My ticket in my hand

For this paper tears and sweat

And years of my life were spent

So now I can take a train

And go off into the unknown

To the places I’ve never seen

And every hope that’s grown

A train arrives clad in gold

It brightly shimmers and shines

Surely it must go somewhere

Really great and fine

I hand the conductor my ticket

He does not allow me inside

For he says my ticket

For this train isn’t right

So with regret I watch the train go

And vanish into the mists

And wait for yet another

Certain there’ll be nothing amidst

A train of silver comes

Sparkling like a dime

I hand the conductor my ticket

But this train isn’t mine

So I go back to waiting

Watching people come and go

So many board, all going somewhere

While I am waiting so

Stuck on the platform

Watching wrong trains go pass

Platinum, diamond, even lead

Hoping they’ll be mine at last

But they’re not and I have to watch

As I stay despondently still

Watching as people move on and go

And wondering if I ever will

Again and again I try

But the answer always seems to be

“This train does not go where you’re going”

“So wait for the next please”

So I wait and I wait

Agony eating at my soul

I’ve spent my life on this ticket

Is it as worthless as fools’ gold?

But each conductor tells me wait

The train that is mine will pass

For surely this stillness in time

Cannot forever last

And finally a train rolls in

Its carriages beaten and old

I hesitatingly hand in my ticket

And up on board I go

Surely there must be some mistake

This train is a wreck

I did not work for years

To ride in something like that!

But then the train leaves the station

And where others turn right it goes left

Out of the concealing mists

That leave so many bereft

It leaves it all behind

And ahead I see fields of gold

Oh. Now I understand

That’s where I’m meant to go

A Life Lived

By May Kwek

Eat and drink for tomorrow we die

So the old saying goes

But how can food and drink ever satisfy

The constantly yearning soul?

With its yearning for the beyond

And dreams of the blue sky

Of the stars and all its wonders

Where dear wishes could fly

With its hopes for tomorrow

And its fears for today

With its constant wish for a light

To show one the way

With its aching for a kind word

And hearts which understand

With its inexplicable desire

To reach out and lend a hand

For all these a soul yearns

In words felt but unspoken

But if one could simply reach out

And to the heart’s beat listen

They’ll know food and drink won’t satisfy

For a soul needs so much more

And to give it all up for brief pleasure

Is to die before death falls

So yes tomorrow we die

But let us at least have this

A life not shrouded in mindless pleasure

But a life lived!

Mars

By May Kwek

Lightning strikes, the wind blows

The leaves on high are laid down low

And in the gap of sky amongst the stars

There shines alone, the planet Mars

Silent it watches the battle below

A flash and with it, a million souls

Cries and shouts as the thunder roars

Agony, pain and so much more

The battle rages and men cry

Spirits wilt and spirits die

To overcome the need to flee

Seems beyond a soul like me

I look up, up to the sky!

To Mars shining aloof on high

And as I girdle myself to run and flee

I tell Mars sometimes it’s destiny

It remains silent, it won’t reply

Nor descend from the night sky

There’s no change in its red light

As it shines on the battle tonight

Yet as it gazes down on the field

I feel a spirit that will not yield

Always strong in the face of pain

Which falls only to stand again

Down it looks, down on me

And in its light there glows eternity

And a strength within I gain

To raise the sword once again

Mars! Mars! That unconquerable soul

Shining on high to those below

Unmoved by fears whatever the age

The shining hope of courage

The Mirror’s Smile

By May Kwek

I met a mirror today

And it waved back at me

A smile graced its face

And I wondered how could it be?

So I asked it and it laughed

Before it sat me down

And asked me, really

What was the reason for my frown?

So I sighed and I answered

In a tale of my woes

Of a world dark and battered

Torturous to behold

Of clouds of grey

And stormy wintry nights

Of sadness and of pain

Of illness and of fright

I then looked at the mirror

And I did not expect to see

A smile still on its face

Was staring back at me

And then it looked to the sky

Where the warming sun shone

“Tomorrow” it whispered

“Will bring another dawn”

For it cared not for grey skies

And it could bear any pain

So long as tomorrow the sun rose

It would battle and stay sane

And so the mirror looked at me

Without a single trace of guile

Before it softly whispered to me

“Courage dear heart and smile”

Monday, August 20, 2018

Dancing leaves

By May Kwek

The wind blew today

As I stood beneath the trees

And I saw a single leaf fall

To the whispering of the breeze

Small and light it was

Green without a care

It left the mother branch

And leapt into the air

The wind caught it as it flew

And danced in flight's ecstasy

Glimmering it shone in the shifting lights

Sparkling for all to see

The others must have seen it

For its joy was simple and plain

And they joined it in the air

Till leaves danced like rain

And so the wind blew today

As I stood between the trees

And the leaves heard its song

And leapt to its melody

The Bridge

By May Kwek

Here on the forest bridge

I quietly sit and stare

At the leaves and the rippling stream

At the life everywhere

Some children run pass me

Waving as they go

Off they are to adventures

Daring, brave and bold

A young man returns

His eyes determined and grave

He is off to make his fortune

He says so as he waves

A young couple then come by

Lost in each other’s eyes

They don’t see me in their dreaming

But that is no surprise

The moss grows on the stones

As the people come and go

From budding leaves to summer flowers

Autumn leaves turn cold

Till at last an old man comes

And sits by my side

Looking about him in wonder

At all in his sight

“It’s beautiful” he says

In a voice soft and low

“How have I never seen this?

For I’ve passed here often so”

And so we sit side by side

Where the river’s song does not cease

And there on the bridge between moments

We rest in contented peace

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Stars

By May Kwek

Each night I stand at my window

Looking for the stars

Those sparkles of dreams and of fire!

So close yet so far

In the scattered night they smile at me

In playfulness they wave

Out of the inky blackness

At once solemn and grave

Yet the night has no power

Over these points of light

Scattered and hidden maybe

But they shine ever so bright

Oh dear stars twinkling in the night

Shine on as hope’s beacon light!

For if you can shine in depths so dark

Then I too, can take heart

For in your twinkling lights I finally see

Why the sky is dotted with memory

For when night comes, and it must

We must have a light in which we trust

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Trumpets sound and angels sing!
Behold the triumph of the King!
Death is gone! It’s passed away!
Rejoice creation! In today!

What is death? What is sin?
But an open cage we are locked in?
The Lord has procured the key
Rejoice and praise! We are free!

Rejoice Man! Make a joyful sound!

That can be heard in the whole world round!

The sacrifice made by our great Master
Has made him our loving Father!

Rejoice you new sons and daughters!
Have faith all you ceaseless doubters!

For the one who for all in love died
Does not sleep in a grave tonight!

Barriers are gone! They are torn away!
Nothing save ourselves stands in our way
Rejoice creation! For his goodness has shown

That because of today, we are his own

Yes creation, rejoice! Rejoice!

Shout out with a mighty voice

Fill the air with songs and praise

For today the Son was raised!

Happy Easter!

Friday, March 30, 2018

Good Friday

By May Kwek

It’s Good Friday today

Good! Oh why?

For on this day so many wept

And the heavens cried

A man who had done no wrong

Had to walk to his death

Bloody, bowed and in pain

With every single breath

Good? It did not seem good

It must have been an awful day

For those who followed him

As he walked that lonely way

To that dreaded hill

And on a cross hung

To be mocked and killed

With hate from sin sprung

To suffer, to be torn away

From the one he loves most

To die in the midst of shame

Was what he chose

So why Good? Why Good?

It would not be good at all

If the work had ended there

And there was nothing more

But it was not the end

Just the darkness before the dawn

The willing sacrifice

That brought about the morn

For with his last cry

Death’s power fell away

The devil lost his grip on the world

Over which he had held sway

For the veil had split in two

And our debt ceased to be

Oh that blessed day

When my Lord died for me!

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

A birthday’s joy

By May Kwek

The sun rose bright today

Even as it set my latest year

Warm and good it was

So bright and so clear

The day seemed perfect

The sun shone so bright

The birds chirped in the trees

And the wind was swift and light

I was surprised by well wishes

From so many today

I had never expected

The many that came my way

So yes it was good day

But even if it was not

And the skies were dark and grey

And everyone forgot

The smile I wore

Would still grace my face

Even if to all else

It seemed out of place

For I borrowed it not from the sun

I did not need its mirth

Nor from the trees and the flowers

That bloomed from the earth

It sprung not from the well wishes

I gratefully received

It did not come from the blessings today

As others may believe

For the joy I felt came not

From my happy circumstance

What’s based on fact cannot

Be swayed by winds of chance

For its roots were planted years ago

And today when I beheld the morn

I thanked God for his blessing

The gift that I was born

A redwood’s time

By May Kwek

Strong, alone but not alone

In a forest of equals I stand

Reaching for the heavens

With all that I am

Centuries pass in a blink

Forever lives in a day

I’ve seen empires rise and fall

I’ve seen men born and passed away

And yet here am I

Standing in the light

Away from the world’s troubles

Serene and bright

The centuries which’ve passed

And their troubles seem so small

For they lived but for a moment

And still! I stand tall

What is a day

In a thousand years?

What’s a brief cloud

For centuries clear?

What of the fire that burns?

Though it scars my side?

Will my leaves still not shine?

In the morning light?

For they can touch me not

They which do not last

Except in clouded memories

Of an inconsequential past

Oh look on me you men

For in my years you’ll see

How fleeting your troubling moments

In the face of eternity

I've been there

By May Kwek

“Look at that land over there”

The others with me cried

“It looks so bare, so empty

Hidden from the light”

“Who goes there?” They asked

And a voice answered from the air

“Those who don’t belong

Are banished over there”

A shiver went down their spines

And they stayed away

The barren land a haunting memory

Every single day

They huddled together in groups

Each trying to be the same

To not belong was a horror

A fear without a name!

So anyone who couldn’t be

Who just wouldn’t belong

Were cast aside quickly

For indeed, they must be wrong!

So no one noticed when I left

Never to return

Except the voice who whispered to me

“Why won’t you learn?”

“See that land over there?

It’s desolate and cold

The chill bites not your bones

But even your soul”

“You will be sent there soon

If you don’t hurry and join the rest

It’s easy, just be the same

And your true self repress”

I turned to reply

And the voice seemed surprised

As I turned towards the land

And a smile met my eyes

“Oh Fear,” I replied

To that voice in the air

“You can’t scare me with that

You see, I’ve been there”

Saturday, March 3, 2018

The swift night

By May Kwek

I saw the moon

Race across the sky

Faster that the swiftest bird

Could ever dream to fly

"Where are you going?" I asked

"Why hurry along your way?"

"Because I am running," it replied

"To bring back the day."

"Not so soon," I cried

"The day can afford to wait.”

“Not so,” declared the moon,

“It can never ever be late.”

And with wings of purest silver

The moon flew across the sky

And the night was gone in a blink

As I started to wave goodbye

The forest stream

By May Kwek

Let us pause here my friend

Where the trees and waters meet

Where the air is silent and clear

And the breeze is sweet

For look the forest stream flows

Treading through the trees

From the highest mountains it roams

To the intrepid seas

Oh how different the forest is

From the shinning shore

The stream shall know the forest’s quiet

And the ocean’s roar!

Yet listen to its song

So joyful and light in the sun

In the moment that it is here

The forest and it are one

Its sparkle lights the gentle banks

And carries the fallen leaves

And the song which it plays forever

Is the tune of the breeze

In this moment, yes a moment

A moment is eternity

For the sea is miles away

And all around are trees

Pages

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Monday, October 8, 2018

Monday, August 20, 2018

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Friday, March 30, 2018

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Saturday, March 3, 2018