he is trapped in a hexagonal prism
it’s not obvious as a hamster wheel
he thinks he is going somewhere
for it stops and starts
at the edges
he wonders
why
he is tired of going uphill
why
he feels nothing at the peak
why
his tomorrow feels just like
yesterday’s old socks
he is trapped to live his life
through the prism of
what he lacks
I love the quiet
But I prefer birds sing
I am tired of listening to people
But your speaking makes me happy
Someone is so full of enthusiasm
It isn’t what I am used to
Someone is so full of life
It is what my heart desires
How satisfying
A life filled with birds singing
And you
Her hands
traveled a great distance in time
from her mother’s nourishing bosoms
led by her father’s sturdy palms
Her hands
was given away to a trustworthy man
whose gentle touch unlocked her heart
overflown with joy
Her hands
were latched on by tiny fingers
fragile and angelic
never ever letting go
Her hands
traveled afar in the land
from the touch of life giving soil and rain
to the production line and paperwork
the wrinkles told of her life long hard work
the sun spots apprised her of a blessed long life
You are remembered on earth here
where the land meets the sea
Your ashes and bones vibrated
by the waves battering the rocks
unending
and yet
you are begging for more
to remind you that
your life is ongoing
after its last breath
till the ocean erodes the land
You go under the water
and be free
Photos by Cassa Bassa, Waverly cemetery, Bondi beach, Sydney, Australia
I don’t know what to do
except sobbing with you.
I would love to give you the world
God has intended for you.
But I have found myself
standing in a place
living the wrong life
or
I am taking up a heart’s space
by being in the wrong time.
Life is fragile when we think it will go on.
Do things you always want to do and you don’t need to be ready.
Go places you always want to be without planning.
See people you want to see just because.
Say I love you to someone special and not worry if you hear it back.
Life is fragile and you live it as intended.
A collaboration with Jonathan Swift Pines
There are things she sees are pretty
They go beyond her basic needs
The sun is warm and cheery
Too much of it
freckles gather on her cheeks
Charming freckles, like those on a child
whose innocent heart would burst with a smile
The rain is soothing and musical
Too much of it
sadness floods on her soul
Raindrops can harmonize with memories
Too many and the mind is adrift
The world of art is beautiful and enchanting
Too much of it
inadequacy breaks down her creativity
Happiness makes her vulnerable
The more she has, the more she has to lose
There are so many lows after the highs
When all that is stripped away
She realises how much satisfaction
she has in a mundane life
I don’t know
how do people live with
not knowing
if their love one
is alive or dead
I can only imagine
they are like a blowfish
keeps every possibility inside
I have been like that
for the last few days
until today
I come to know that
you are alive
This news is like
a gentle hand
gives me permission
to cry
I can only imagine
the other news
would be like a knife
stabs and twists
all the possibilities
to bleed out
5 year old Cassa
quiet and reserved
keep singing in the shower
nobody needs to know
13 year old Cassa
still an ugly duck
keep wearing boy’s uniforms
nobody gives a fuck
18 year old Cassa
boys are gross
books smell much better
write your raw heart out
spill it on pages
who cares if
they never ever get read
21 year old Cassa
good on you
pack your bag
go as far as you can
chase a place called home
for your unsettled heart
30 year old Cassa
I know you are tired
sitting with your feelings
is never comfortable
if you don’t
they will be burried further
and the scars become deeper
it will take longer to heal
40 year old Cassa
you are exhausted
aren’t you love
there is a way out
you know love
you just need to
take the first step
then the rest follows
50 year old Cassa
you are laughing at yourself
always taking things so seriously
remember the 5 year old you
sang in the shower
when you first found your voice
keep that childlike free spirit
and innocence
life is funny, laughable
and joyous
60 year old Cassa
slow down
no one is watching
and competing with your vigour
the kids understand
that you can’t catch up
with the grandkids
and he is even slower than you
so relax Cassa
70 year old Cassa
by all means
glue to him
just like when you first met
be the couch potatoes together
let him rub your feet
give all your best
in a killer blow job
cos any day
could be your last
why not live in climax
everyday
In a blink of an eye
farewelled my childhood
there was more life’s demand
than playing in the sand pit
In a blink of an eye
waved goodbye to school years
there were more knowledge and learning
than burning the midnight oil
In a blink of an eye
jetted off in an aeroplane
there were different palletes of colour
than painting the same lanscape of my motherland
In a blink of an eye
so longed the selfish me
there is another life far more precious
than my own
In a blink of an eye
grieving the passing of my youth
there is room for more wisdom
than recounting the once undeniable outward beauty
Between these blinks
a curious mind explored the world
an earnest student looked for answers
a restless heart searched for a home
a woman strived for being whole
a hunger soul is still seeking peace
