Category: Poetry and Prose

新城忆旧

现在的城市镇都漂亮了

我童年的记忆也模糊了

找不到旧城的商贩店铺

也找不到祖父母的微笑

Happy Place

Sea Life Sydney Aquarium

This is my happy place
watching you
go about your day
nonchalantly

My eyes are filled
with your graceful presence
My heart is full
of today’s gift

Griffiti Rocks

Memoirs griffitied on rocks
along the breakwall
recording life events
of locals and visitors

A celebration of a new born
Loneliness of a young man
A girl sad about unrequired love
A declaration of love
A marriage proposal
A strong bond of siblings
An unwavering friendship

Griefing parents burried a child
Loss of a best friend
A widow’s sorrow in a poem
A young man mourns his fellow soidiers
An old man laments his life

They gave these rocks flavours
Besides the salty seawater
In return
The rocks gave them blank pages
For their stories

Griffiti rocks along the breakwall of Town Beach, Port Macquarie

Blue and White Porcelain

The blue and white porcelain
Reminds me of your eyes
You made evey floral print dress
Look beautiful

Remember my wardrobe was filled
With black, white, cream and grey
You gifted me
Floral print scarves
Van Gogh’s sunflowers
And almond blossoms

Now I wear floral print dresses
In memory of you
And our friendship

The blue and white porcelain
Reminds me of your eyes
Long shut into your rest

Road Trip

The happy sun, the story telling clouds, the birth pain pink sky were inspiring.

Landscapes pulled me over with their outstretched arms along the highway. I read my book by the cows and sheep sharing their green pasture; I drank by the brooke with rainbow lorikeets; I hid from the storm under sugarcane plantation; I yarned with the locals at the grocery store.

The smell of the artificial ocean air refresher, dark roast coffee, MacDonald’s Happy Meal in the car brought me back to reality.

A road trip made my mind escape into the world outside the car window, some real, some imaginery, the rest was just an uninspired poet trying to make the most of a recent event.

Stormy clouds over Park Beach, Coffs Harbour

Poverty Doesn’t Discriminate

I read your application
Of a scholarship
You said
The scholarship
Would help you
Get new stationery
You said
You long to have
New pencils

I remember
In grade school
I wrapped paper
Around pencil stubs
To make them last longer

That’s four decades ago
In China
Back then
A third world country

We are in 2023
You are in Australia
Facing the same poverty
I can’t help
But cry

Time Apart

The space between us
Allows
Anger to be exhausted
Resentment to be overdone
Sadness to be evaporised
Memory to be filtered
And love to return

Uninspired

The nib is dry
Scratches through
Paper thin motivation
Leaving incoherent words

Suddent Panic

今天
我突然
心惊
在想
如果
我死了
你不知道
怎么办

后来
我想了想
觉得
没事
反正
我现在
生活得
怎样
你也是
不知道

Suddenly
I
Panic
Thinking
What if
I don’t know
About your passing

Then
I
Shrug
Realising
Nowadays
I don’t know
Anything about you
Anyway

I Don’t Know Your God

I have never hated anyone or anything, but I hate wars, and I hate more about wars fought in God’s name.

Rulers! Are your sons and daughters in the battlefield fighting alongside the innocent youth who are someone’s sons and daughters? Are you in the frontline to witness bloodshed and taste the metallic blood? Are you fearing for your own life?

There is no winner in wars, there are casualties, widows, fatherless, motherless, PTSD affected addictions, homelessness, destruction of families, deterioration of society.

The God you serve and fight for, it is not the God that I know, love and serve. What kind of parent would take delight in their children’s rivalry? What kind of King would be fuelled by their ego, insecurity and fear to watch their people suffer?

My God is gracious, righteous, merciful, loving and full of compassion. I grief for my God for every life lost in wars.