I see you sold out for Him
fervently and relentlessly
without reservation
What is life worth
if we are held back
by our insecurity
and worldly possession
which counts nothing in eternity
and benefits no one
I see you a preacher
a bearer of the good news
the hunger crowd saw Him
hearing your trials and burdens
gravitated by that killer sense of humour
I see you a friend
to many in despair and torment
they know Him through
your presence and kindness
humbled by your past
I see you
I see you from the beginning
fearfully and wonderfully made
a topaz of the royal crown
I saw you
I saw the boy in you
full of love for the world and
the people in it
I saw you
I saw the boy in you fell off
over and over again with
no one dusting you off
I saw you
I saw the boy in you sobbing for
the unheard words
and unfelt love
I saw you
I saw the boy in you trapped in
a shattered glass heart
bleeding into glimpse of hope
I saw you
I saw the boy in you
puffy cheeks and a million dollar grin
fading away in a politically correct world
I saw you
I saw the boy in you
a pure and innocent soul could not be unseen
Truly I saw YOU
I was walking aimlessly and contently
knowing the truth of timing
I spotted a native wilted shrub
I love them for they are scruffy and hardy
I stopped, looking up the sky and asked for rain
The next day, I woke up smiling at the drops
left on my window pane
I was walking towards the shrub intently
knowing the truth of prayer
I squatted down to check on its trunk and crown
with satisfaction they are still bendy but supple
I stood up, looking up the sky and gave thanks
The next day, I woke up smiling as my heart
filled with warmth
I was walking towards the shrub with excitement
knowing the truth of reaping
I skipped down the path to match my anticipation
from distance it greeted me with full bloom
My heart fluttered, looking up the sky and murmuring ‘I have found it!’
wiry eyebrows
jaundice eyes
downward mouth
callus hands
hunched back
buckled knees
worn shoes
portrait of a grumpy old man
velvet hair
button nose
dimple cheeks
chubby arms
round belly
cutesy feet
giggling laughter
picture of a happy boy
what happened in between?
is time the only tyrant?
the bruises on his mother
inflicted upon by his father
she ran for her life
he was left sobbing
in grandma’s arms
a new mother came
the family growing
leader in the pack
took all the beatings
motherless and wounded
dreamt to be a pilot
flying away from all the pain
freedom on the horizon
stringent exams green light to go
ecstatically ready
the Red party shattered his dream
‘your father is a National’
‘your mother is a runaway wife’
‘the party needs you to reform’
‘you are going to till the ground’
10 years of cultural revolution
dirt, leeches, and buffalo manure
10 years of youth, poof
in rice field landscape
bamboo forest by the stream and waterfall
a boy’s broken dreams
after hard day of work
let out in the smoke pipe
evaporated in the mountains
echoed amidst the dejected souls
– dedicated to my father
The rain whipping on the window panes all night long
like your wailing across Africa
it woke me like a Tibetan bell
My hair saturated in haze mist
I curled up in fetal position
longing for your embrace
There is no distance in oneness
the void between us is your haunting past
and my imprisonment
My love
I am calling for trust in timing
to be, or not to be
I would hug you so tight
Squeezing this sogginess out of your pores
I would shake you ferverishly
Shedding rotten leaves from your frame
I would strip you bare
Teethmarking a new kind of love to your skin
I would dress you in a garment of praise
Celebrating a new life with you
If I could I would
dwelling in pristine squares within four walls
immaculate, spotless, and orderly
not a trace of mess, clutter or chaos
no sharp edges in my mind
lack of trail in my thinking
turmoil fails to construct meaningful sequence
dramatic contrast of within and without
my heart pacing around
blinded to egress
my soul refuses to be quietened
within walls
sitting in silence
waiting for life to vanish
with the blood floating in the fingertips
loneliness is for the conformist but the strayed heart
my heart meditating to will through the walls
inhaling life in abundance
cure for smothering and suffocation
四面围墙
生活在方正的合子里
秩秩有序
整整有条
沒有丝毫紊乱的痕迹
头脑里沒有棱角
思绪缺乏轨迹
凌乱无法溢出规则
墙外墙內的反异
心四处游走
跨不出墙外
安静不了灵魂
四墙之內
靜坐着沉默
等侍生命的流失
从暖流血液的指尖
流漓的心沒有寂寞
寂寞是方合
心在沉默的静坐里放飞
穿透微薄方正的围墙
呼吸天空里的生气
让心无法窒息
We had no toys
We had no snacks
We had no schools
We had each other
We had the world
Our favourite was
holding hands
lying by the watermelon field
counting the stars
whispering secrets
till dews covering us
then it’s the sun rays
kissing our apple cheeks
You and I
Flicker of Thoughts 