Hall of Inspirations 2005
-
Participating poems from 3rd DPS (S) Poetry Writing Competition.
Participant 1 (Rhonda): What can I do to draw you closer?
What can I do to draw you closer?
Catch your eye and hold your gaze?
And as we get mesmerized,
Drawn into each other's world
Lose our focus in all else
The sea of people around us
Fades, becoming insignificant
Obscure backdrop
I see only you, and you alone...
What can I do to draw you closer?
After the first flush of attraction
Comes the romancing
Can't have enough of you
I just need to see you everyday
Weave our lives together
Do little everyday things together
Declare to the world that we're one
Comfortable in our unity, seemingly inseparable...
What can I do to draw you closer?
Things start to fall apart
And can it be that I find someone else
Attractive, magnetically drawn to him
So it's true then
There's no such thing as 'The One'
I've learnt it's possible to love another
At different times of our lives
We let in other people...
What can I do to draw you closer?
Truth is a double-edged sword
Wield it and see what gives
Whilst truth can bring one couple closer
The very same truth can also draw another couple apart
Can you handle the truth?
I want to be truthful but I fear
How will you respond?
It was never supposed to be this hard...
What can I do to draw you closer?
Keep you alive in my memories
Retrace our steps in the places we used to go
You and me, timeless, in that place in time
Revisiting our special moments again and again
How can it be, that the truth can create a ravine between us
So deep, so dark, so final
I see you once more, walking away
Drawing yet another one closer to you...
Participant 2 (The man who was death): Starcrossed
Starcrossed lovers they were
Seperated by more than a mere
Forces they couldn't defy
Neither could it petrify
For they were young and bold
Strength with the love they hold
Bitter sweet and sorrow
Death, pain and misery soon follows
The consequences takes it's toll
Always out of their control
Banished by the plague
The walls that are opaque
Just when everything turns to despair
Always their love was there
A rose by any other name still has thorn
Still it didn't stop the beginning of a new dawn
The death she did fake
The poison he did take
A fatal stab
One giant step
Fear the reaper they never did
Families' words they never heed
Capulet, Montague united in one bow
Kinship formed by lovers' vow
Particiapnt 3 (poetic_soul): Sad Old Story
It was a sad movie i watched with her
Which ended while the night was still young
So were we, so young
I only remembered it as
"the sad movie i watched with her"
Indeed, it ended just like the story
And we are no longer young
No longer young
Participant 4 (tare): The lure of dark passion and love in a strange land...
the lure of dark passion (Winning Poem)
my voice reaches to you,
soaring through the night,
though my face unseen,
you hear it clear as daylight.
my soul longs for you,
the beauty in my mind,
to see your face,
and hold your body near mine.
with my voice i lure you,
into the darkness of the night,
captivating and arousing,
you came under my might.
our spirit unite,
as passion ignites,
no one knows me but you,
this ghost of the night.
from you my face withheld,
scarred by hatred hidden in disguise,
i could not bear to see myself,
in the reflection of your eyes.
though i desire to be with you,
spirit soul and mind,
yet destiny has its voice,
our bodies will be forever divide.
love in a strange land...
across the oceans i came,
to a land of elephants so tamed,
exotic arrays of spices,
filled with beauty and vices.
being brought into your presence,
it is almost hate at first instance,
your arrogance infuriates me,
and my openness provokes thee.
strong and powerful you may be,
yet stubborn and proud as can be,
and the occasional cruelty,
is what triggers me to leave.
i threaten never to return,
yet i saw your children as i turn,
with wide eyes so enchanting,
i was refrained from departing.
patiently i teach your children,
so eager to listen and learn,
even your many wives are curious,
of this lady from another custom.
daily with your family i venture,
into the differences and similarities in culture,
through them i know more of you,
your strengths and courage unyield.
both fascinating and captivating,
we draw near yet withholding,
as we dance at the glamourous banquet,
our deepest passion finally uncage...
Participant 5 (KittynMeow): The Game
Numbers and algebra, facts and figures,
aligned in formulas that defines fascination.
Link one to one and two plus two,
LifeÂ’s theories become just an equation.
Snooker and drinks, dateless and lonely,
At the bar a game I formed in my head.
Slowly and surely, with wit and cunning
I goaded the guys to date her friends instead.
Diligent and dedicated, loyal and true,
I devoted myself to the work that I do.
Caution and suspicion soon taught me to see,
a conspiracy in the game around me and you.
Words and phrases, letters and newspapers,
Piece by piece the connections begin.
Day by day as the game progresses
a dreaded fear grows stronger within.
Friends and family, lover and kin,
all but one IÂ’ve left aside.
Codes and secrets, thoughts and doubts,
alone in Charles my friend I confide.
Fast and bright, flashing and fleeting,
Shadows in the dark in every place I go.
Dangerous and daring, by night and in stealth,
I delivered to a lone house dossiers of the foe.
Restless and stressed, worried and worn,
Alicia sought to make the game desist.
Sudden and shocking, without a warning,
Point blank I fainted, unable to resist.
Images and visions, dreams and apparitions,
These were the reality of what IÂ’ve seen
Marcee and Charles, ageless and undying,
Diseased delusions of the game they have been.
Trembling and weak, resolute and determined,
I fought to regain my life and stand.
Eventually and successfully, the game is won,
And a Nobel Prize rewarded me at the end.
Participant 6 (sleepycat): the room & to anything that is you
the room
1.02am
she smells its orange,
shadowed in pouring caresses;
of others' flooding presence,
of many memories whitened into yellow.
2.01am
she feels the yellow,
rusting in its throbbing gushes;
crushing every breath,
writhing each limb,
she twitches and trembles.
There,
on her sealed lips where her urges seal,
she erects
dreams within walls,
cemented.
to anything that is you
i hate you and all thoughts of you,
that lick and suck my mind;
that rape and burn my soul;
that steal, that kill, that ever destroy.
And yet,
you,
with your sweet fake smile;
with your moist sweaty palms;
and your thick ugly-looking glasses,
do touch
me,
in a place
where even angels miss. -
a jester shows nv his face
it is his job to keep his audience smiling with grace
his thoughts are kept deep within his safe
waiting for someone to unlock it without a trace
but how can one invade when mysteries fills the place
thoughts are hindered as they move thru another phase
nv to know what the jester might embrace
*can just post rite..? feel damn lousy now
---------------------------------------------------------
DP: Just this time.
Have a good sleep, hope you will feel better tomorrow.
-
By The man who was death posted on 6 May 2005
Tragedy is her
Take heed, my fair lady
For the moon paints you vulnerable and pale
Take cover, my fair lady
For the sun burns your pretty skin
Wolves lives not in wild but in darkness
Foxes are cunning and leaves you in sadness
Beasts lusts for your beauty
Do not let their paws stain your chastity
Lead astray the gazers
The further up your seducing skin
In the bed of roses
Every rose has its thorn
Like every night has its dawn
A sin for him, a tragedy for you
Come pleasure haunted by fear
Come closure haunted by tear
Beware of desires within
Falling in love with their deep dark sin -
By LazerLordz posted on 7 May 2005
History of my muse and I
1.
I remember the cold air
on your face
as you looked out
and watched the raindrops
fall like gems on a velvet cloth.
I sat with you
but you cried.
My fingers in your moist palm
entwined like fireflies.
You held on tight
but I felt no pain
and I was content
just being here.
The sky was grey
when we walked down
and bought us some ice-cream
but you smiled a little
and I was glad.
We cradled the tub of vanilla,
you licked and I looked
and the setting sun
gleamed in your eyes
whom I worshipped.
But I still saw a
solitary
tear.
Somehow I woke
with the phone in my hand
and your soft voice
in my ear.
I turned in a sea
of grey masques
and you had a plaid.
Cute.
Many afternoons
I would stare at the clock
2 meters above me
as you silently pored
over the politics of
Siam and her Kings.
Then we would go
and get more
ice-cream.
2.
Somehow, we never
got out of your clouds
till the day
you huddled against me
with the silent Boeings
as witnesses to you.
and I cradled you
in muted silence
We soared beyond
the muted sky
upon wings made of wax
and I fell like Icarus
why didn't you catch me
why did you let me slide?
My angel flew
and I slumped.
I heard the bad news
surrounded by fish;
and one bus stand
out there in the South
still bears my scar
of immovable faith and love.
And I saw the clouds
looming.
The thunderstorm's party
wrecked me clean
like a scouring brush
leaving me with
one-thirds of a coconut's
hairy husk
and no juice.
I sallied forth to my crusade
but the walls of your heart
repulsed me a la Saladin
at Al Quds.
But inside
you were pure of soul.
I came out of my tunnel
one dandy day
and I saw you.
No more wings.
But I think I could
make us a pair
to fly above those
grey clouds above the
old school
where
we used to
dream. -
By fudgester posted on 13 May 2005
Greener On The Other Side
We jump from planes and into the air
We rise from the swamps and hit whatever's there
We smile and stand tall as we proudly say
We are the commandos of the read beret
We slide down ropes from hovering choppers
We slice 'em and dice 'em from Light Strike rovers
We mock them Commandos as we proudly say
We are the Guardsmen of the khaki beret
We walk long distances in heavy battle gear
We just do things even when orders aren't clear
We show the finger as we deridingly say
We are the Infantry of the green beret
We rush down the flanks in a surge of thrill
We blast our enemies from behind walls of steel
We mock those Infantry walking in the heat of day
We are the Armour of the black beret
We blast shells into the air and into the ground
We annhilate whoever has the misfortune of being around
At the very sight of our guns they all run away
We are the Artillery of the blue beret
We carry pink cards and they call us 'Mister'
We have heads full of hair; there's no need for the barber
We pity those NSFs who don't have the right to say
We are the civillians with no beret. -
By LazerLordz posted on 13 May 2005
Blurbs of the Green
We sit around all day
When our PC comes we pray,
But he just smiles in glee
For plain OOC dudes are we.
The RPs all know my name
Even the MPs had my picture in a frame.
Silence and a yellow shirt they gave me.
Did I actually slap my CO? Gee.
My monitor is turned away
My head begins to sway.
Lunch is in fifteen,
But tonight we're doing OT till Nineteen.
I hear the 84mm fire off.
In Neo Tiew's lallang my helmet I doff.
I see my men sitting under the tree
But I see more than one killer bee.
The mynah perched on my head,
Feels like it's crafted from lead.
The rain fell for more than a day
Yet my finger rests on the trigger bay.
Today is one of my last trials
My eyes are fastened on the dials.
The sweet Australian air sings
And I might get my first wings.
I have come back for you,
My long lost pal in blue.
When I leave the green behind
You shall turn pink in no time. -
By dsnake1 posted on 15 May 2005
Unnamed Track, Sarimbun , at Noon
Somehow
i drew sentry duty
what &$**ty luck
the old tattered red flag
hung limp
in the hot noon
who will notice this warning
in this free-fire zone?
i yawned
while the blazing sun
burns mud, churned up by creaking V2s
baked soil to fossilized
furrows
i lay belligerently in the tall grass
swatting mosquitos
chain smoking
dreaming
of my village girls
their smiles, their thighs, their etc
as 20mm Oerliekon shells
shattered wooden targets
Somewhere
*** 01-12-89 *** -
By dsnake1 posted on 8 May 2005
Dawn Comes (noisily)
Six o'clock
the night sky daintily lifting its veil
& blotches of iron-grey smeared
like peeling paint on an ancient wall
& cauliflowers of dark clouds
splashed around
like flak.
No rooster crow
this is the city
but dawn comes noisily
sporadic janglings
roused struggling brains
& carried over the morning air
throats clearing
bawling
& somewhere a metal plate falling
On the streets below
smoke-belching buses
toiled through overworked gears
never sleeps
and people scurrying through
hard streets
feet wearing asphalt
sleepwalking
to factories to schools to ports
Seven o'clock
The street lamps
sodium sentinels of the night
extinguishing
the duty guards
dismissing.
*** 01-08-1988 *** -
By dsnake1 posted on 8 May 2005
Coffeeshop , 6.45 a.m.
From here, in the morning's half light, I can see the school kids
saunter across the street
while taking my daily fix
of beehoon, tea & cigarettes.
Of course this harshly lit sorry-state place is no Starbucks
not with its battered fiberglass tables
the cat on the floor.
eyeing discarded butts.
Sometimes the old cleaner ambles around rubbing the tables with an oily rag.
The TV's on, blaring
No one's really watching
Who cares the Yanks' in Baghdad?
The guys, they are talking about the BIG one that got away last night
The 4-D winner the losers almost bought
Wrong numbers, tough luck
Five tables away you can hear their collective sigh
A moron meanders amongst the tables coughing, wheezing loudly
We were spooked silly
Strung tighter than a bow
The idiot might find a fist in his belly
My friend the cabby, took a gulp of black coffee and stares with murderous eyes
He's scared of the SARS bug
He's taking home peanuts
Lately there's nothing nice.
Reminded my friend, between bouts of paranoia and hokkien expletives
I have to catch the 7.30
buses don't wait
there's another mad day in the office.
*** 10-04-2003 *** -
By dsnake1 posted on 8 May 2005
Mt. Vernon , at Qing Ming
It seems like only yesterday
that we lost them
the memories are so fresh
We lit the candles and the incense
rearranged the fruits and food
and with clasped hands
bowed to loved ones long gone
remembering sweet secrets we shared
& licked by hungry flames
paper offerings
their ashes fluttered
like unfulfilled dreams
& shifting in the wind
with the smoke and the chatter
a hint of fragipanni
It seems like only yesterday
that we lost them
the portraits are so new.
*** 09-04-2001 *** -
By dsnake1 posted on 10 May 2005
Jalan Bukit Merah
Panties on bamboo poles
like battle flags
Lifts eternally reeking
of urine and sweat
The dusty stairs are stained
with vomit of heroin.
The graffiti on the walls
speaks for all.
Packs of young punks with nothing to do, except
smoking, bragging and cursing their blues.
"Shall we lay a girl or two, bum?"
"No joe, go home get your parang."
Some poor bastard gonna lose an arm or two.
*** 1st Oct 1978 ***
( i lived there once..) -
By dsnake1 posted on 10 May 2005
Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital , 6.15 p.m.
I hate it
Who likes the stench of dried spit ?
the stuffy air of ageing wards
the stares of the old pitifuls
eyes blank as lost memories.
But can't leave Mother
She lies helpless on that bed
The stroke was that horrendous
Have to change her sheets
Bits of rice still sticks to it
The attendants are so careless.
She smiles when I came
There can be joy at such places.
Strength in adversity
Light in darkness.
I hold her frail hands
smiling my plastic smile
the grief in my heart
all bottled up
seeing her wasting, bones & all
like that peeling paint on the wall
Who likes the stench of dried pee?
not you, not me.
*** June 1998 *** -
By dsnake1 posted on 10 May 2005
Tampines Bus Interchange , 7 p.m.
Off the #10 bus
the driver thought
he was transporting perishables
instead of passengers
the aircon was THAT cold
Of course my lenses fogged up
like an atlantic mist
as I walked into a wall
of incessant chatter
pneumatic drills yammering away
on roadworks that lasts forever
crowded bus terminus
people hurrying to
who knows where
or bored in queues
trying to read papers
clip nails
as smoky behemoths
rumbled obscenely close
the PA screeched in hokkien
exhorting tardy drivers
to get the hell to their buses
& glib touts
tried to sell me xxx VCDs
no go pal, bad mood
rough times
still stacks of bills
THIS high to pay
Somehow
at the post office
again bored in queues
trying to decipher TV ads
ogle at girls
scratch stubble
as the growl in my belly
goading me to the KFC.
*** 17-11-98 *** -
By dsnake1 posted on 10 May 2005
NightSky&Stars
What myriad secrets you hold up there
we can only boldly guess.
Your mysteries, time-locked
& unwilling yet to share.
What light i saw
could have been born a billion years before.
You are ancient legends, retold over glowing fires,
domains of the gods, we are told.
In time, as we grew wiser,
we dared, we probed your dark canvas.
Your depth, i could not fathom
the immense distance you span
If I could live a million reincarnations
i guess I could not traverse you from end to end.
Tonight, on such a cold night,
in a miniscule niche on a blue planet,
as I lift my eyes to the vastness above,
the stars, they spoke to me in lights of life.
On this planet, spinning, are we.
Solar planetary system, # three.
ashes to earth to life to earth to ashes
trilobites in shale, archaeopteryx in amber
Beatles on wax, memories in silicon brains
man chasing gold chasing dreams chasing fame
now what light I saw
could have been me a billion years before.
*** DEC 1987 ***
---------------------------------------
( this is one of my favourites) -
By The man who was death posted on 25 May 2005
My mind is like my foot
So lost easily in the woods
My foot is like a island
So easily lost in the world
Oceans surround my island
Imprisoning me in solitude
I'm not high on altitude
Not even a lighthouse can help me see
Beyond the vast ocean and sea
Wait for the siren's call
That's my last and only shore
Until i find the shell broken to its core
How can there be solitude without even a cage?
The ocean pulls me under
My mind tears me asunder
Unfair the despair
Lonely and the melancholy
Might as well kill me
Peel me from the skin
Tear me from the rine
Break me from the bones
All detached and desolated -
By BigDaddyCool posted on 25 May 2005
This Year Valentine
You used to hold me close
On ValentineÂ’s Day
But now you are holding someone else
Leaving me alone to stay
With Sorrow on my left
And Misery on my right
All I want is to have you by my side
My world will be alright
When you hear our favourite song
Do you still remember our first kiss?
When you see the summer clouds
Do you still remember my first gift?
I long to see you one more time
On this year Valentine -
By LazerLordz posted on 25 May 2005
The PlaywrightÂ’s Tale
Sometimes my grey matter
Gives out air and lather
And nothing of note
Besides this dire quote.
Maybe itÂ’s warming up
Perhaps IÂ’m dreaming
Of trophies and gold
Oh why am I so bold?
Could the cold velvet
Cushion my quoted words
Or would I, the West End bury
And eventually surviving on curry.
Would my creaky computer
Churn out an ocean
Or would that darn printer
Force me to hunt down a painter.
This art has given me
Notable pain
But sorrow is the song
That always makes me feel wrong.
Where is my muse?
That made me good black coffee?
Did she get lost in Bishan Park?
IÂ’ll bet its because I scream like a lark.
Yesterday I placed a flutter
Down at the local betting outlet
But blue, blue Everton
Led Arsenal to seventh heaven.
The script had bugs
I told my heckler friend
Reformat it he said
I angrily punched my mate.
And now I freeze
And soon I will sneeze
But this play that sleeps
Still makes me weep. -
By xking posted on 25 May 2005
Thanks for being great friends
Sleepless tonite so write i shall,
Another day's gone, another night's here.
Chatted with some friends who really cared,
So we all spoke, and with advices we shared.
They shared their experiences,
and they were words with wisdom.
I knew what to do but can't seems to do them.
Its under control and i don't want more problems.
This is what i told them,
I guessed they understood.
They told me "even if it's solved today,
in the long run the problem stood."
I guess they've got a point,
But it's not as if i did not tried.
Its not as easy as a toss of coin,
Not easy to make it right.
I thank them nevertheless,
to listen when i needed listening.
For the advices they've given,
For their love, care and concern.
Thanks to those two friends,
Thank for the helping hand.
Glad you people were around to share with me,
Thanks for being great friends -
By LazerLordz posted on 6 June 2005
Void Deck Day
The sun bears witness
To the strolling cats
And yelling children
Who kick their feet
Screaming like a lady robbed
And refusing to board the bus.
The plump Ah Soh waddles
Around the void deck
Leaving an invisible trail
Denoting irritation
Towards the patient Sun
And his brother Humidity.
Chattering away like leaves stirred,
The three kids of 4th Floor
Slump head-first on the stone table;
Hands dealing out magic
“Lightning Blast!”
and their nimble fingers
surpass even the noodle seller.
One cat stretches and yawns
The postman is here.
Ah Soh has returned.
The sun turns white
And the smell of fried fish
Waketh the little kitty.
The sounds of basketball
Bounces off the whitewashed walls
And distracts the studying girl
Who looks up
And swoons at her man,
But the Os are a jealous rival.
The sun sets in a blaze
And the rays light up
Even the dark corners
Of letterboxes and lift landings.
A cat stands and stretches
Her day has just begun. -
By Rockhound posted on 12 June 2005
Cataract
Peering out
I see white
Clear, bright, white
Paralyzing my senses
Mesmerised by the painless cancer
I look deep within
And all I see is a little boy
quivering
shivering
hyperventilating
with a muted scream he tries
tries to escape from the ties
ties which keep him by
by the rusted pole
which is found deep within my soul
letting him out i try
but i even cry
unappreciated he must feel
for nobody cares about him still....
all he wants is her
her soul...her love...her smile
her time..... -
By Othello_Red posted on 12 June 2005
Why can't i just fly away?
Why do I feel so caged?
Why canÂ’t I just fly away?
Must I harden my heart?
Must I stay so numb?
To stay sane
I must cut
Feelings and emotions
Rather than keep than all wrapped up
IÂ’d rather feel numb
The pain is only temporary
But the numbness
Will it remain?
When it sets in, I can bear the pain
Without it what would I become?
What can I do to feel alive again?
What must I do to feel alive again?
I long for life, for freedom
Everyday, I long to be set free
From this seemingly endless misery
When will my day come?
How much more must I take?
Why canÂ’t this all end now?
Why canÂ’t I just fly away?
Dying Inside
Tears welled up inside
Tears I always hide
Why do I feel this way?
There are things I just canÂ’t say
From time to time I have tried
To surface these emotions that I always hide
But they are simply too painful when they show
Or maybe I just donÂ’t want to know
How it feels like when I explore fully
What they mean, truly
IÂ’ve probably tried and failed
One too many times but to no avail
Am I afraid that they will swallow?
Me up or leave me hollow?
Or have I simply chosen this way
To let the pain just slip away
The result is being numb
Intellectually smart, but emotionally dumb
That is just so not me
IÂ’m turning into an emotional zombie
By choosing not to feel, IÂ’ve become so dead
And yet, I still dread
To feel the way I feel inside
But what else can I do to hide
All the frustration, anger and hurt
Keeps building up without an outlet
How much more can I take before I die?
All I know now is that I just want to fly
Away from all this hurt and emotion
Out and away, across the ocean
To a place where I can be truly free
Free from all this misery -
By LazerLordz posted on 24 June 2005
The Goodnight Poem
The night feels more than black
O how empty looks my sack
Fill it with pillows?
Or maybe my aching elbows?
Now one and all I bid adieu
Morning's call coming soon I feel. -
By pipi & poot-poot posted on 24 June 2005
I pursue an angelÂ’s shadowÂ…
I pursue an angelÂ’s shadow,
Through life and in decayÂ…
In search of the perfect being,
Whose love will never strayÂ…
I pursue an angelÂ’s shadow,
Every hour of every dayÂ…
Afraid to even close my eyes,
Struggle not to lose my wayÂ…
I pursue an angelÂ’s shadow,
No matter come what mayÂ…
To reach her before my soul departs,
SheÂ’s the light in my world of greyÂ…
I pursue an angelÂ’s shadow,
On the deathbed where I layÂ…
Drew my last breathe with a silent tear,
IÂ’d pursue you againÂ…no matter what they sayÂ… -
By tare posted on 12 June 2005
Candy
Candies of many flavors,
Swirled in different colors,
Clearly you know what makes me tickle,
And woo me over with sugar....
Savoring its sweetness,
I can feel your tenderness,
This formulae you derived by chance,
works like magic all the time....
As the sun blazes on,
Sweetness soon turn sticky,
Sick with too much sugar and cholesterol,
Candy i want to see no more....
-------------------------------------------------------
-
Posted by fudgester on 14 June 2005
The Jetty
The jetty
Stretching out into the wide blue ocean beyond
A vision for the aspiring man
Wishing for something more
Out of life
Out of the world
Men tossing their nets into the sea
A search for untold treasures
For untold wonders
Swimming freely in the crystal blue seas
For the chance to be someone
Who can do what has to be done.
The sun soon sinks and darkness falls
Stars shine brightly in the night
The full moon rises, shining rays of hope
Illuminating the majestic jetty
Standing proudly in the distance
Reaching out into the sea.