Sky Wish

 Sky Wish

By May K.

What a view. What a sky.

I wish that I could fly up high

And catch the clouds in my fist

If I do, will they grant me a wish?

To fly like they without weighty wings

Up there where light and shadows sing

To dance with the wind, to sing with its song

All the day and the whole night long

Will it be granted? That wish to fly?

Up where the heavens touch the sky?

If I could get there, perhaps I'll know

And so I'll try climbing the next rainbow

Copyright © 2025 by Kwek Yi Zhen

Trees in the Light

Trees in the Light

 By May K.

A marvelous thing seems to happen
When trees are touched by light
One moment they are just sleeping
And the next they awake so bright

 

As the sunlight drapes over their leaves
Some lift and begin to sing
‘Glory! Glory!’ dances on their petals
And their voices to the sunlight they bring!
 
Others are ever so quiet
Indeed, I would say almost shy
They hide their faces in modesty
As if they aren’t worthy of the sky
 
Yet the sunlight touches them still
And so in humility they glow
Softly, gently, yet undoubtedly gladly
The light its beauty bestows
 
Some are even stranger
In the shade they seem soft and sweet
But in the light turn to regal statues
So greeting all that they meet
 
They seem to grow still
Somber and oh so quiet
So to these I give their will
And leave them in themselves mired
 
For my eyes and attention turn
To the ones I love best of all
Who when the sun shines upon them
Gives to it their all
 
Every leaf becomes a flame
And every flame sings in song
Oh the whole tree sings ablaze!
And I could listen all day long
 
Listen as it dances
Listen as it sings
For in the light it becomes a light
And to the light its whole self brings
 
But alas the sun comes and then it leaves
And the trees return to their quiet wait
So I too must retire to wait for the next moment
For the sunlight is never late

Copyright © 2025 by Kwek Yi Zhen

Will Be

Will Be

By May K.

Despair knocks, indeed it does

It seems to be right outside

Knocking, knocking, knocking

Desperate to get in on this night

It begs me so incessantly

Indeed I fear I might

In a moment of weakness or perhaps of madness

Give in to it and its fright

For it speaks in lies that don’t seem to be lies

It speaks only from what I see

Horrors, shadows, unthinkable things

That somehow have come to be

It is true that they have happened

Alas, it’s true they exist

So despair knocks and knocks and knocks

And whispers ‘do not resist’

But it is a lie. Truly! A lie

For since when was the future only what I see?

Even snow on a high mountain top

Shall one day reach the sea

And a seed buried deep in the dark earth

We know will one day grow strong in the sun

So how can the now, the now that I see

Tell me ‘Give up! It is done!’?

For sight lies, don’t you see? It lies

It continues only on straight paths

But life? Oh life is a miracle!

That at the trend merely laughs

For in life impossibles happen

Remember! You’ll know it’s true

Something that shouldn’t have been

As happened to me must have happened to you

So laugh with me! Come laugh!

In the joy of the miracles before

And when despair comes knocking, laugh again!

For where there was one miracle there will be more!

Living will be to walk by faith and not by sight

For only by faith can one truly see

And trust and hope and keep on believing

In the miracles that soon someday will be!

Copyright © 2025 by Kwek Yi Zhen

Rejoicing

Rejoicing

An Easter Poem

By May K.

Come laugh with me! Oh laugh!

Come sing with me! Let’s sing!

Singing is too weak so let us dance!

Oh what joyful news we bring!

The tomb is open! Open!

The stone has been rolled away!

Night has ended, the sun has risen!

Our God has won the day!

Ha! Oh how can I not laugh?

Even my weeps of joy seem to sing

The Evil ones danced yesterday

But look! Look! The light now rings!

He lives! He lives! He lives forevermore!

The darkness has fallen away

The day shines new, it shines forever

Oh blessings on this day!

Come run with me! Come Run!

For nothing can contain our joy!

Run to him! Let’s go meet him!

The reason for our joy!

The time of waiting is over!

The night is over. Silence has passed

The world now sings in an endless laughter

What a glorious thing has come to pass!

Death’s blade has been broken

The grave is forever no more

We thought He had fallen. Not so

He reigns forever more!

So let the light overflow this day!

Come! Now all is new

He lives! He’s won! He’s saved us all!

Oh praise the Lord, it is true!

Forever and ever will we remember

These past days shall be forever retold

How he came to save and died to live

Oh to our Lord let us sing an ode!

Amazing Grace! Amazing Grace!

A victory by his blood won!

He lives! He breathes! The darkness flees!

The work is finished! It is done!

Ever a remembrance. Ever a celebration

Ever a reason for great joy!

Whatever trials, whatever temptations

This certainty we shall forever enjoy!

So laugh with me! Come laugh!

Sing with me! Oh sing!

Dance with me. Oh dance with me!

It is the day of rejoicing!

Happy Easter!

Copyright © 2024 by Kwek Yi Zhen

Waiting

Waiting

A Holy Saturday Poem

By May K.

Waiting. I am still waiting

Waiting and waiting still

For what exactly? I do not know

But I’ll keep waiting still

Light of lights has fallen

They say darkness will now reign

Somehow the world seems a shadow

And waiting is a silent pain

That aches, that burns, that slumbers not

Long it makes the hours

Yet we must wait. Wait!

Victory will yet be ours

There was a promise he made before he died

But now I cannot remember

Why does it seem important though?

Is Death not forever?

Light of lights. Light of lights

Into the darkness did descend

No. No, it cannot be

This is not the end!

So wait. Wait. Keep waiting still

Waiting is the hardest thing

To keep hoping, to keep believing

In whatever the Lord will bring

When there is naught but silence

Naught. Indeed, nothing

Good is quiet while Evil dances

With victory drunk it sings

It seems the world has ended

Even before it has begun

Whipped, killed, crucified

Oh! They killed God’s son!

But no! No! I’ll keep waiting

Waiting and waiting still

Despair will take all it can

But my hope it never will

So wait, somehow, wait

Another minute, an hour, a day

Wait! Give me strength to wait!

Are the words with which I pray

For darkness cannot vanquish the light

Though, really, it seems we lost

I am freed. I am redeemed

But oh! At what a cost!

Please. Please. Please

Let us wait not in vain

Give us strength for this agony

Near drives us insane

Hope is coming! It is coming!

But I don’t know yet when or how

It’s not the end! I don’t believe it

But victory? How?

Never mind. Time answers all things

My task is simply to wait

Wait for an answer, wait for a moment

Wait for the truth?

I will wait.

Copyright © 2024 by Kwek Yi Zhen

Darkness Falls

 Darkness Falls

A Good Friday Poem

By May K.

I am nothing. Worthless
Not even worth a thought
Or a tear, or a moment
But that’s all I’ve ever sought

Did I perhaps sense the gulf?
The heartbreak? The isolation?
That though without memory, my heart knew
Something dearly precious had broken?

Leaving a great sorrow, a stain of pain
A black so black it overwhelms the white
That can’t be removed, that can’t be fixed
That just can’t be set right

I can almost see it
That whiteness turned to black
Not only see it but feel it
What’s lost cannot be gotten back

For we’re nothing. Nothing.
A man’s life is but a breath
The wind blows and it passes
And then there is nothing left

So how can this be repaired?
Who would bother? Who would care?
Evil ones even laugh and chuckle
Then mock and hurt with their stares

But before my very eyes
I watch as the black fades away
With a drop of red, too vivid to bear
It turns as light as day

I look up and behold
A sight too terrible to see
My Lord bleeding to his death
To fix the brokenness in me

Drop by drop, pain by pain
What was broken is renewed
Remade, reformed, not just white but bright
Into something we never knew

And I hear a voice say from above
‘Come home! Come home to me!’
Then to my Lord it says alas!
‘For her wrongs I punish thee’

Drop by drop, pain by pain
The blood continues to flow
I fall to my knees, tears fill my eyes
Oh Sorrow. Sorrow!

For only his blood could return to white
That black blacker than night
For a mere breath, for a mere nothing
My Lord hangs there, crucified

His life ebbing away with every drop
Wretchedness in his every breath
Pain – It ought to be mine! – Pain!
Until the moment of his death

His last words are ‘It’s finished!”
And the Enemy laughs in glee
And I find that blackness gone entirely
At long last, I am free

But he is gone. He has paid
His life for a mere nothing, for mine
But it’s no longer worthless, not anymore
His blood now flows in mine

I was broken but now restored
Lost and alone but now found
Even so, the Enemy still declares
That it has won this time round

But a white whiter than white
And brighter than the brightest light
Has now descended into the darkness of hell
Does the Enemy think it’s right?

No, I’ll wait. I’ll wait
I’ll wait and wait some more
Hope is not lost. It’s just beginning
And I shall see the darkness fall

Copyright © 2024 by Kwek Yi Zhen

Christmas 2020

 Christmas 2020

By May K

Empty chairs and vacant halls

Lonely streets and quiet malls

Christmas is here, the façade's the same

But oh everything seems so changed

Absence and echoes where there were none before

Missing footprints on the snow fall

A screen on a phone for a smile to our face

A meal alone instead of a gathering place

Oh where's the Christmas heart and cheer?

Where’s the spirit that rejoices the year?

Where's the laughter? The joy? The fun?

Where's the promise? Where's the Son?

Sometimes it feels to ask in vain

In the silent tomb of pain

Sometimes it feels like empty space

Is all the fills this gathering place

Yet as the lone meal is set

I hear a voice saying, “Don’t forget!”

And somehow it seems to me

This place isn’t quite so empty

For a promise has filled the void

A remembrance I can’t avoid

Of times now past, of times to be

That our now is not eternity

And at the table, across time and space

I see into that eternal place

Where all are gathered together as one

To celebrate the birth of the Son

I see them there, our family

Unbroken by sorrow or misery

Cheers and laughter with glasses raised

The air singing with songs of praise

A promise, a remembrance, as the vision fades

And before me the lone meal is laid

For though this moment we must be strong

It’s to that hope that we belong

So as I sit alone, I’ll pray

And say thanks for this Christmas day

For that promise to which I hold on

And Thank God for my savior was born

Merry Christmas, Everyone. Still. 

Copyright © 2020 by Kwek Yi Zhen

The Chair beneath the Tree

The Chair beneath the Tree

By May K.

How forlorn that chair is

Resting there on its own

How sad and grim it is

That companionable seat, alone

There ought to be a soul there

Content beneath the tree

Where with the souls of nature

It could be set free

Or perhaps two souls could rest

On that plain old chair

For to talk of pasts and of futures

Requires a charming air

Or maybe three could cast

A lovely and joyful spell

One for the past, one for the present

And one for the future as well

But whatever it is

Leave not this chair alone

For a place meant for others

Should never be on its own

Copyright © 2020 by Kwek Yi Zhen

Hoping and waiting

Hoping and Waiting

By May K

Days come and nights pass

The sun rises and the moon sets

Time flows with terrible consistency

And all is soon! But not yet

Not yet. The time has not come

But who knows when it will?

For how long will I stand by the door

And continue waiting still?

For a sign, for a promise

For a tomorrow I still believe

Will come if I keep on waiting

And grant my heart some relief

For it’s burdened with hope as I stand

Waiting at the door

And until the last second falls

I’ll hope and hope some more

In spite of fears, in spite of doubts

For hope’s a tenacious beast

That has latched onto my heart

With a hold it will not release

But oh it’s trying to wait

To see the sunset and nothing more

To let hope fade and then grow

So I can wait some more

To fall with pain, to sooth with sighs

To stand up with a persistent smile

But I’ve done it for years

What more’s a little while?

So I’ll stand by the door

For lo! Tomorrow’s coming

And so long as it comes

I’ll keep on hoping and waiting

Copyright © 2020 by Kwek Yi Zhen

Castles in the Sky

Castles in the Sky

By May Kwek

I should like to lie in a garden

And look up at the sky

Where the clouds would freely roam

And the gentle birds would fly

I would watch the changing colours

The varying shades of blue

And when the sunset comes

The reds and yellows too

The sun would shine his radiant rays

In bursts of angelic light

The sky would seem a paradise

Singing in glows dreamlike

And I shall watch and I shall see

The clouds and time roll by

And while watching spent a while

Building castles in the sky

Copyright © 2019 by May Kwek

Winds of Memory

Winds of Memory

By May Kwek

The wind sings with memory

And I remember each time and place

When I closed my eyes in appreciation

As it blessed me with its grace

For as it whipped through my changing hair

And sang into my ear

That old song that has never ceased

Throughout the changing years

I saw walks alone in gardens

Or amidst bustling crowds

I saw peaceful times at home

Or times by streets loud

I lived as a child again

As carefree as the sky

I lived as a youth once more

Growing wings to fly

And the wind brought back these times

With a smile upon my face

And though I stood and moved not

I breathed in many a time and place

Copyright © 2019 by May Kwek

What God is

What God is

By May Kwek

People tell me in times of trouble

To trust in God above

That he would give me what I want

With kindness and with love

Well forgive me my skepticism

For I’ve read too many tales

To believe God will do as I want

And that he always will

Abraham was promised a son

He had to wait so many years

Jacob, his claim to his birthright

But only after much pain and tears

Everyone would bow to Joseph

But first he bowed as a slave

Moses was to lead a nation

But narrowly escaped the grave

Job was to lose everything

And then regain it all

Ruth would be the mother of Kings

But lose her husband and more

David was anointed King

But ended up running for his life

And if that wasn’t enough

He actually did it twice

Elijah was the prophet

Who would never know death

But in life was alone

Without friends and bereft

So don’t say because my prayers aren’t answered

That it means I’m alone

Is the God who gives me all I ask

The only God I’ve known?

Paul was executed

And Peter too

Mary was shamed

Would you say God left them too?

For I know he never left

In trials he was by their side

And you know God is never wrong

Somehow this must be right

So don’t tell me God will do as I want

For the years have taught me this

I will not trust in what God does

I will trust in what God is

Copyright © 2019 by May Kwek

A careful view

A careful view

By May Kwek

The sunset slants into the halls

Turning gold the exquisite walls

Illuminating the gentle arches

As nearby sway the tree’s branches

By a table, two people rest

Drinks in hand, dressed to impress

A book lies carelessly on the table

Unintentionally, to them label

The scions of society, the best of the best

Rich, relaxed, and with no stress

Able to enjoy with ample leisure

The evening and the sunset’s pleasures

I saw them as I hurried along

Moving to the pace of a working man’s gong

And in brief folly wanted to be

Exactly as they seemed to be

But then I turned to the view

They seemed to enjoy in their purview

And saw a road and common stacks

A certain charm it certainly lacked

But perhaps it was aptly placed

To remind these people of their place

Standing on high with nothing they lack

Supported by many an aching back

Copyright © 2019 by May Kwek

Choices

Choices

By May Kwek

To each one’s fortunes it is given

A little of hell, a little of heaven

That their choice they might decide

And choose as their wills might

But it’s a choice shrouded in mists

Bad roads to mountains, good roads to cliffs

What seems good ends up a waste

And the good has a bitter taste

The hours pass and life runs down

While the choices run round and round

Yet time is the only way to see

What each choice was really meant to be

Perhaps that’s why the young aren’t wise

With too much time to blind their eyes

While the aged though their years are spent

Each choice’s true nature comprehend

So now young I to my fortune am given

A little of hell, a little of heaven

But how to choose what’s bitter but right?

I guess I’ll borrowed aged wisdom’s sight

Copyright © 2019 by May Kwek

The Fallen Meadow

The Fallen Meadow

By May Kwek

They were off to war! The merry men

At long last, to bring an end

To their enemy, that hated race

And return home in song and praise

By day they crossed long mountain roads

Their nights were filled with glory and hope

For they were a brave and noble power

And this, now, was their hour

Then they came across a blooming meadow

And their forms cast a dreadful shadow

On the blooms; pure, bright and fine

That in the sun, did glow and shine

They paused, for it was in their way

They could not go, they could not stay

Beyond was their dreams of glory

But before them was a living story

For a long time, they stood and looked

Till, at last, the General spoke

“Onward men! For the greater good!”

And the blossoms were trampled underfoot

They went, they won, they returned in praise

Many toasts in their name were raised

But the meadow they trampled in their power

Never again bloomed a single flower

Copyright © 2019 by May Kwek

A Million Cranes

A Million Cranes

By May Kwek

Fold me a million cranes

A thousand is not enough

To get by in this crazy world

So unpredictable and rough

For it winds and it bends

In shadows and in mists

Nothing clear, nothing certain

But that it exists

So yes fold me a thousand cranes

And then a thousand times more

For with so many living wings

I’m sure no one could fall

For their wings could bear up a dream

And spark a perennial hope

And with stubborn dreams despite anguish

And with faith we can cope

And find a way to go on

Despite the trials of life

The dark moments, the silence

The conflicts and the strife

So yes fold me a million cranes

And give them wings to fly

Up to the heavens to shine as stars

Against the world’s night sky

And there let them fly forever

Yes, forever and a day

Until our faith is strong enough

To bring us the rest of the way

Copyright © 2019 by May Kwek

Confronting Time

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!

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

A Rainy Afternoon

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

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

The Train Station

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

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek