Category: Poetry and Prose

Lies

The lies he told
to remain in the Christmas Island
to stay in a foreign land
labeled as a refugee

He told the officers
that he was homosexual
a Christian,
a Muslim hater

Five years
he had been in a refugee process centre
learned to speak English
to play the guitar

And yet
the paperwork had not come
he would have to be sent back
to his homeland
where he witnessed
his father and brother’s limbs
being blown up
his mother trapped in the burning thatched house

He gathered all the courage left
in his fragmented heart
let the bleach burn his esophagus
He felt the flame and the heat
just like the bombed house fire

In the end
his desperate bravery
granted him a bridging visa
on medical grounds

He learned to play the guitar
with a voice to sing no more
He sleeped with
his plastic special passport
undeaneath his pillow

He still lied about
being homosexual
a Christian
a Muslim hater
just in case
Immigration sent him back
to a place with hellish furnace

Until You

I was never enough
for them.
They looked past me
and allowed their eyes
to wander.

I was too independent for him.
I was too far away from him.
I was too stubborn for him.
I wasn’t calm enough for him.
I wasn’t making enough income for him.
I wasn’t a good enough writer for him.

Until you, my love,
I am enough,
not just for now,
but into the eternity.

F

Many times I have fallen short of men’s expectations.

Not all Failure is the Mother of Success.

Only Faith carried me through the dingy alley of life
so that I could see the light my Father shone on me.

Colouring

I love losing myself
in these intricate designs
They are more captivating
than good movies

I feel like a child again
presented with blank pages
of the world
where I give life to fantasy
using full spectrum of colours

Blog Reading

I want to tell a story
that touches you
without giving away
the intimate part
of my soul.

But,
without a piece of my soul,
how would I reach you?

Would a story worth reading
if it is told
in a soulless way?

I guess,
without sieving through
all the dirt,
I would’t come across
gold.

Mask

Things I learned from wearing a mask:
My own sneeze has a foul smell so most surprises are unappealing.
Tolerating my own noisome grime may help ease my fellow human’s anxiety.
It’s affirmative that I prefer to be unseen and blend right in the crowd.
Being able to stay sociable is worth the risk of wearing a mask.
And yet I still rather stay home more.

Eulogy

Six Sentence Story prompt – Zip

We have been close since we shared a seesaw on the playground at kindergarten.
I always remember as teenagers, we lied on the lawn in your backyard to count clouds. You said my head was always in the clouds so I was destined to be a sad poet, and I said you were as dramatic as an unpredictable downpour so you belonged to the stage.
You have been zipped in and out of my life, some times as exciting as a celebrity rash, at times like an annoying mosquito. I hold dear the fun time we shared and forgive you always stole the spotlight.
Today, we are here to celebrate a life lived fully and a soul brighter than sunshine.

Baking

Following the same recipe

The apricot cakes taste chalk and cheese

The same path for all to live

The fulfilled life is always with love

The same goes with baking

Fun Time

Around the table

Little faces learning the rules of playing Uno

Little do they know

This is the training ground of our life in victory and defeat