Hall of Inspirations 2005
-
By preya posted on 28 September 2005
surreal sorrow
The teachers frown my way
exams are round the other street
and its raining in my
paradisical life
all the sorrows of the world on my shoulder
and i mope over midday meal
at the kopitiam
a boy my age looks me in my eye
slang thick and learnt from the cradle
asks me for my order with practiced
cheer
i answer in perfect english that i
suddenly feel
ashamed of
his body is wiry
not from gym
he knows kopi-o from teh tarek and
laughs with the coffeeshop uncles
about the gahmen
my order arrives in seconds
and he balances four other cups
to other tables
joking with regulars
trying (failing) to mimic with the ang mohs
but he grins and
tries
he collects my empty glass and
i chide myself for my
surreal sorrow
when he worries about the
rising price of
coffee beans
older eyes smile from a
younger face
and he has my heart which
weeps out for him
but deftly, he opens an old textbook
when business lulls, and his
same-eyed companions
leave him alone
and he chides me silently, for he
doesn't want any of my
surreal sorrow
(for what do i know?) -
By delonicdevil posted on 1 October 2005
Observer
Shifting from one picture from another
Of friends playing on the beach
Or sun tanning at a trendy place-which I do not know
Through the lens of the camera - I take these photos
The relationships of people blossoming through fun activities
While I hide my world behind the camera
Observing the changes of life -
By LazerLordz posted on 2 October 2005
Parallelisms
I would have walked with you
deep through the snow
trudging with boots
made from faith
and come what may
even hail and sleet
will not pass.
I could have hiked with you
And the briars and brambles
Covered from your soul
By my leathery ego
A pain
A blessing in disguise.
I might have flown with you
In the azure sky
Of nihilism
Refueled and re-armed
In the town of Joy.
I should have trekked with you
Through the dust
And watching the blue sky
Swirl like a washer
Gazed upon by a little child.
We might have gotten there
Any way
By candlelight
Or like the faithful touch
Of a blind man.
Would I have lost you
Even if I had dragged my feet
And watched as soldiers die
And live again in our hearts
Where I just stood
Like the Unknown Soldier
Gazing into eternity
His silver rifle abreas.t.
His duty not done
Till we all find peace -
By LazerLordz posted on 4 October 2005
Inside one of many small glass cells
I am trapped within.
yet I am free.
This white snake
leads me towards a path
both uninhibited and unruly.
To you I stretch my palm
but all I touch is glass
and somehow
I see you.
Your breath stains the door
and yet I am but in
one white cubicle
and not in that mosaic-tiled
monstrosity with birth-barriers
planted on the wall,
a god of reality
for all you worshippers
and false priests alike.
I am here
And you are across the azure maze,
a maze of my thoughts
spiced by the anthem of Cuba
which makes me just
a tad bit morose
Because I cannot tell
nor confess but only hint
I fear you to be a bird
that flies the cage
upon seeing the honest sky.
I fear that you might
leave on a road-trip
and become a desiccated skull
on the highway of my uncertainty.
I fear that I might not
Be able to love you. -
By ShrodingersCat posted on 7 October 2005
Grey Morning Good Morning
hey
its a grey morning
and some might say
that it makes them feel
that they wanna stay
in bed all day
but as I lay
and i thought of what may
have been,
between me
and him
was it what it seemed
struggling with a memory
i thought time had dimmed
but the night had brought
uninvited into my dream
so I woke
it felt grey
and i was afraid
wondering if i had lost my way -
By darkprince88 posted on 11 October 2005
This Last Poem Is For You
Pain.
Fills my heart with a wretched stain.
Agony.
it overwhems me entirely.
obviously, we were never meant to be.
Just today,
I looked into your eyes and you looked back into mine.
it was then that i thought of how our fates had entwined.
was it because of some divine intervention by a higher entity?
was he planning to end this in a simple tragedy?
I turned away, leaving these questions unanswered.
For some answers are better left not founded.
Whenever I thought of how things were between you and me,
hope blinds me from the harsh reality.
I admit. I had deluded myself to believe things could work out,
but there never was going to be any shower of love. Only eternal drought.
My heart feels so empty without you filling the crowd.
Honestly,
I had seen it coming.
But upon knowing the truth, I just kept running.
Away and away and away...
You were brimming with joy when I saw you hours ago,
but I wasn't the cause for your euphoria, that I know.
Apparently, I had lacked that extra something that he possessed.
Maybe he had taken a step further? Maybe he had earlier confessed?
All thanks to you, my life has become such a mess.
It was then, I asked myself.
How was it that I could hold back my tears?
How was it that I could conceal it all from my peers?
After all these years,
losing someone precious is still one of my many fears.
Come what may,
"I had loved you" is all IÂ’m left to say.
but after what I saw, I know that there's definitely no way.
absolutely no way I could make known how I've always felt.
how it was so true that your words made my heart melt.
But you're never going to know this.
I've always thought love is what makes people blind.
blind to the extent that they lose control, or even their mind.
but now I know,
cupid's arrows never did undermine my logical thinking.
I am solely to be blamed for my folly to continue assuming.
Assuming that things will work out for the better in the end.
Assuming that to you, I was more than just a friend.
You want to know something?
You had sparked my interest to write poems again.
I only did it for you, never for the sake of fame.
Just as you are the one who started it all,
you're also the one who'll end it all.
This last poem is for you.
You, and only you.
Yuhan -
By darkprince88 posted on 11 October 2005
Whenever
whenever i'm near you,
my heart misses a beat or two.
whenever you enter my view,
the emotions i feel are nothing new.
whenever i hear your melodious voice,
ignoring you is not a choice.
whenever you expel that particular scent,
my mind goes completely blank.
whenver i savour the delicacies you concoct,
i am like 'oh my god!'.
whenver you come over and say hi,
i never want to say goodbye.
whenever you put on that smile,
my day becomes colourful, not dull.
whenever you give me that wink,
i simply cease to think.
whenever you come to me for comfort,
i'll give you everything but grief and hurt.
whenever you need a shoulder to cry on,
i'll be there, even if it takes till dawn.
whenever you need a hand to hold,
whenever you are feeling cold,
whenever you have a story to be told,
i'll be by your side, till you grow old.
Now,
whenever i'm all alone,
whenever i'm all by myself at home,
I wonder,
when will you ever be more than a friend?
when will you ever say 'yes, i can'?
And,
if you ever love me,
when?
---------------------------------------------------
What If
What if the world we live in is an illusion?
What if the feelings we conceive are all a delusion?
What if all our moral values were merely for confusion?
Everything is a matter of perception.
-----------------------------------------------------
DayDream
I often have this daydream.
I'm all alone at the bus stop.
the rain, it just won't stop.
there's no one else.
just myself
and the rain creeping in, with utmost stealth.
there's no one else, no one in sight.
I think to myself, this isn't right.
it's getting dark. soon it'll be night.
I look around,
there's no one to be found.
no one making any sound.
I look down.
My shoes are wet.
Without a hint of her arrival,
I still know it's her. It's undeniable.
She's making her way into the bus stop. so says my gut.
it's just like how she had walked right into my heart.
unknowingly.
gracefully.
is this what they call destiny? -
By preya posted on 17 October 2005
why do we hope
little girls to love
their forever-filled wishes
only come crashing down
splinters piercing illusion-misted hearts
sunflowers to daylight
in their yearning for warmth
follow a weary path in the sky
day to night, night to day
hope, a poison
tiring their pained innocence
moths to a flame
searching for the bright and beautiful moon
only to perish
burning
within their dreams...
why do we hope
when it only makes reality
all the more painful...? -
4th DPS (S) POETRY WRITING COMPETITION
Poem #01: Not His National Day by dsnake1
(Judges’ Choice Category – Gilbert Koh’s Choice)
Not His National Day
he was foraging for tins
in green litter bins.
--------another day of discards
--------and shattered dreams.
overhead in the
--------blue sky
--------five fighter jets roared by
--------------trailing exhaust
-------------------to part
---------------------in
----------------------a
------------s t a r b u r s t
as thousands below
--------in red and white
rippled in applause.
and
just
a few streets away
--------he stoops and gathers
--------old newspapers. -
Poem #02: Ghost by fudgester
Ghost
This is the food
That I eat
Nourishing my body
Giving me strength
To continue
On this relentless journey
This is the road
That I take
To reach my destination
Wherever it may be
Encountering
Crossroads of every kind
This is the mind
That I use
Figuring out an escape
From this wreck
My greatest asset
My only true asset
This is the man
I hardly know
Whom I have yet to comprehend
All that is known
Is that he is there
He is here.
This is the ghost
Haunting me with its omnipresence
The ever-present shadow
Of an unforgiving past
A darkness prescience
A wound unhealing -
Poem #03: Somnambulism by Master - _- (Winner - Open Category)
Somnambulism
Into the unknown,
I sauntered till the road of endless steps.
But I have shown,
I uttered in my own breath of regrets.
Death denies me,
As the blade danced across my jugular.
The morning revives me,
Across the floor with ladles and spatulas.
Showered with sweat,
I awoken with eyes bleeding from fear.
Her absence i dread,
The silence from someone i hold so dear.
Amplified screams,
It echoed across the void of my mind.
Sombre dreams,
I entered across the journey i may find.
Will it end,
I wonder as my vein, i slit.
Death began,
I prayed,for this asylum i may sit. -
Poem #04: First Encounter – Room Of A Patient With Cancer by Bluesky_Liz
First Encounter – Room Of A Patient With Cancer
I never saw the patient,
only the room where she was kept.
I was there on routine orders to collect
the morningÂ’s samples for the lab.
The room itself was white and neat,
one window, plain curtains,
waxed floors and dettol clean.
Her lunch was abandoned, half eaten
on a tray; a cup of water stagnates
but sheÂ’s drunk her milo all the way.
A difficult maze on a well-worn page
lay open, unfinished, on her bed.
Many lines had been rubbed out before,
and the promising new line
had come to an abrupt stop.
On the walls, a mosaic of photos
and cards with “Get well quick!”
or “Come home soon” in silver ink.
And accompanying these were
crayon-drawn portraits of blue
shaded skies and yellow sunshine,
of grass green meadows sprinkled
with purple flowers of five or six petals,
of see-saws and swings,
and children playing. She
is the artist: a box of crayons
was placed on the side table
within reach from her bed.
I picked up the blood tubes,
checked for her number and name
and then walked –
ran –
walked back down to the lab.
“This has to be processed right away”,
I requested to my white coat colleagues
running the blood work machines,
“it belongs to a child.”
The supervisor picked up
a case sheet from a stack,
“This one is too”, she said,
“Just put hers in
like the rest.” -
Poem #05: His Song by KittynMeow
His Song
Softly he whispers in my ear,
Gentle yet wistful, delicately clear,
Lightly it danced on the mild spring breeze,
Lifting the spirit with apparent ease.
Tenderly he sings to my heart,
Kind and loving, deeply passionate,
Subtly it grew, like a rose it blossomed
Glowing like ambers in the bosom.
Ardently he croons to my being,
Intense and devoted, zealously wooing,
Fervently it burned with white heat on its flames
Ablaze, it sets the soul on fire.
Madly he tears through my mind,
Quick and violent, vehemently blind,
Suddenly it rents with the keenness of steel
Slicing the heart like tender veal
Coldly he left my empty shell,
Aloof and distant, eerily hell,
Silently it faded with the body grown weary
Leaving naught but a scar in memory. -
Poem #06: Our Story by Xiao Jun (Winner - Open Category)
Our Story
I turn away from the sunset to see,
the last moments of his shadow leaving me
His smile that once so gently engulfed my soul,
With each of his unnerving frown;
telling me its time to let go...
the whole world seems convinced we were just not meant to be,
But in spite of all our troubles...
I truly believe only with him do my wings fly free....
My wings have long turned stagnant;
since that day he chose to go...
I have traded them in return for a scar,
etched and knifed into my broken soul
My heart still beats and the sunset is still wistfully brilliant,
But somehow the world has lost its shine....
Just as my hollowed heart echoes for his return
I have changed since then,
with an outer crust of hardened expressions
Its not that I no longer cared...
but I do have to shield myself from the poisons of passion...
My will has gone weak from the tears that I've cried,
No more tears I promised myself;
as I left my heart and humanity behind
I still pray for him every now and then;
for his safety and health in a foreign land
And may him and his children grow to see the days,
when a sunset shows a sorrowed glow.....
Perhaps he will then see the wings I've lost...
in the shape of the clouds with thunder as my hollowed echoes.... -
Poem #07: Home Visit by DeadPoet (Judges' Choice Category – Alvin Pang’s Choice & Amy J. Grier’s Choice)
Home Visit
The soup tastes terrible. Not
the first time she adds too much salt
in her life. She pours another,
“I know you miss my cooking.”
You force a smile, your fourth bowl.
There is no rush. The kitchen
is a mini stage; frenzy fruit flies dance
around rotten bananas hanging
on naked wall. Below, bold cockroaches
play hide-and-seek among
unwashed clothes. At least they know
they are not alone. She asks
about her grandson, and scolds you
for not bringing him here. You blame
the long distance, and try to cheer
her up with stories about junior,
how he made a card for your wife
on MotherÂ’s Day. Before you leave
she passes you a packet of instant-noodles
wrapped in crumpled newspapers – a gift
you return unwrapped, together
with rice, sugar, salt, and lies
once a month
when you volunteer
to be her
forgotten son. -
Poem #08: When Daylight Comes by SingaporeMacross
When Daylight Comes
When daylight comes,
I long for you.
You leave me at dawn,
When I still want you around.
At night in my dream,
We are together.
My arms around you,
Your arms around me.
Ah, what ecstasy!
When we are together.
A preview of life,
When we are in holy union.
I beg you to stay,
but night grows old.
You are Cinderella.
One who leaves at dawn!
The glass slipper she leaves,
Is an awful mess.
A mixture of spilt seed and spilt angst.
When daylight comes,
I long for you.
Waiting for night,
Waiting for another dream. -
Poem #09: Broken Wings by O'ren
Broken Wings
Hidden in a corner street
where she moved about discreet
along with the strays of cats and dogs
they were the forgotten child of god
In litter bins she rummaged through
will she find food she had not a clue
and on knees she begged a passing girl
food for the kitten next to her
Then in winter where the harshest winds blow
she sang herself to sleep in the cold
a kitten small and curled in her hold
we all have a guardian angel, so she was told
and this winter was long
the winds were strong
she sang again to forget a hunger
sounds she can barely whisper
but a voice in her heart
kept saying she must not falter
Then one long night
she stopped shivering
In a light she saw a dove
descended from heaven,
with another pair of wings
are wings for what she's worth
Up to the stars she had wanted to soar
but part of her wings she decidedly tore
and covered the kitten lying there still
A guardian angel ..she revealed -
By LazerLordz posted on 2 November 2005
Repost : Thousand Candles
Might you be mine
if I had more eyes than lips
or will that soft symphony escape
like it did one day,
a long time ago?
Told you about forever
and the stars that
were our lasting legacy.
I wanted to fly us away,
break the bonds of this
shattered place.
You chose to leave
and now I'm at the border
where the sun and the sky meet.
God bless my steely soul
for the hurt you radiated
burnt me like a thousand candles
lit up in the Venusian sky.
Might you be mine again
the stars will be our destiny
once more.
For their light is a beacon
and it shines true
true like the fiery passion
which you could never cool.
And like a burnished statue
whose surface bears his legacy
of the lightbulbs of galaxies
I stand alone,
gratified and blessed.
The heat hath made me
tough, serenely tranceful
like a bodhisattva who
looks like a sage
and has seen forever. -
By Othello_Red posted on 4 November 2005
I want to know why
I want to know why.
Why the earth spins?
Why is it round?
These were questions I asked as a child.
The answers to which I have found.
I want to know why.
Why do people smile?
Why do people frown?
Is it just because they are feeling down?
These were questions I asked as a child.
The answers to which I may have found.
I want to know why.
Why my heart skips a beat?
Just because youÂ’re around?
Why do I naturally frown?
Whenever I see you down?
These were questions I asked as a teen.
Exploring a place I had never been.
I want to know why.
Why the two of us must be apart?
Why must this always break my heart?
Why wonÂ’t love give me a chance?
Why canÂ’t I enjoy a simple romance?
These are the questions IÂ’ve asked for so long.
The answers to which are probably that I donÂ’t belong.
In your heart, thereÂ’s simply no space for me.
No time either, as you chase your destiny.
So I can choose to move on or be left behind.
To contemplate what could have been.
And stare blankly into time.
I may have chosen to move on, but itÂ’s never complete.
For IÂ’ll always feel that IÂ’ve missed out on something that couldÂ’ve been so sweet.
But maybe we were just never meant to be.
That seems the case for you and me.
Why canÂ’t time heal this wound of mine?
Just so many questions, I need an answer.
I want to know why. -
By Othello_Red posted on 8 November 2005
Alone
Happiness is fleeting
Sadness lingers
Love is the root emotion
Of all that matters
Love is the root
From which happiness and sadness grow
Which do we get?
We do not yet know
They say luck plays a part
Oh, and fate too
For those who believe, thereÂ’s Cupid
And for those who donÂ’t, what can we do?
Wallow in self-pity
Or feel perpetually lonely
This void thatÂ’s always left to be filled
Remains there, cold, dark and empty
'Till someone comes along and changes everything
Bringing sunshine, smiles and love in abundance
Then the world is spun around in a whirlwind
Love and romance fills the air like some special fragrance
But until that special someone happens
Alone I shall remain and defiant
Against loneliness and sadness
And always giving love a chance to work its wonders -
By darkprincess88 posted on 3 November 2005
I Love You
Hey baby won't you take a ride with me,
It'll just be us two, not three.
Let's go see new places,
meet new faces.
I'll bring you to see new sights,
rainbow arcs and fairy lights.
It'll be really fun,
to sit and watch the setting sun.
And then on the beach we'll run,
into the distant horizon, our hearts merged as one.
Hey honey won't you cuddle up with me on the sofa so warm,
won't you let me shield you from the tide and storm?
And then you look up at me and gaze into my eyes,
it's just pure magic, like watching the sun rise.
There's just this electric feeling,
it takes away all my pain, like some emotional healing.
And we're just sitting there saying everything without saying anything,
cos we both know without each other we'll both be nothing.
And in the day we'll live and miss one another,
while in the night we'll sleep and dream of each other.
Hey darling won't you throw away all your worries,
just leave them all behind and come dance with me.
Just the two of us under the starry night sky,
nobody else around except for you and I.
And at the end my lips will gently meet yours,
I'll never get enough of your love, I'll always want more.
Cos you're not somebody I can live with, but somebody I can't live without,
and in the arithmetic of love, two minus one is equal to nought. -
Posted by Othello_Red on 8 November 2005
Can you stand the test?
Glory, glory, Man United!
ThatÂ’s the cry that rang out when Chelsea was defeated
Never write us off, thatÂ’s a huge mistake
For the titleÂ’s not yet won, itÂ’s still there for us to take
We may have had indifferent form of late
But the pressure is never too much to take
We will rise above it all and soar
Just like we have always done before
We are but a team in transition
From a period of great acheivements to another
In between, there might be a blip or two
But never enough to derail us from claiming footballÂ’s greatest honors
Give us time, and youÂ’ll see
Just how great Manchester United can be
Once in full swing, we play like men possesed
For that weÂ’re called the Red Devils, can you stand the test? -
By HENG@ posted on 16 November 2005
Temptress
Slowly, surely, it encircles,
Draws near, stalks, like a predator.
Wafting, enticingly tickles,
As though a finger crooked come hither.
Crimson allure, scarlet fever.
Beckons it does, reflections,
A portrait of a mirror.
No resistance, no escape.
Firing neurons, but all in vain.
Logic valiant but bowed in shame.
In glory, it is, and the spoils of war,
The victor it goes, the evil triumph.
Haunting call of the sirens,
Like sweet nectar of the gods.
Ancient curses of now and being,
Of human will in submission.
Like mist thru the cracks of time,
Enter its sweet embrace like heady wine.
Of bodies entwined in loveless lust,
And humanity discarded like so much dust. -
Posted by LazerLordz posted on 2 November 2005
To The Rope That Binds..
Sometimes I just
Want to break out of this jail
That shackles me.
This yellowed cell
Of uncertainty
Where the warden holds the cards
And the chief
The ace
Of hearts.
A bell tolls
A man falls
To the rope
And do you and I
Know?
What lies beyond that 6 feet
Of Italian fabric
Is it God?
A mother laments
To the weeds
So that her son
May be resurrected in the waste land
Of her youthful Elysium
Where the grey exists
As sovereign. -
By LazerLordz posted on 17 November 2005
An Appointment With Eternity
Your eyes meet mine
In a place where
Language keeps a mistress
To bear false tongues
And paid witnesses.
you look beyond me
But there are parts of me
Even well-paid spies
Could not even swim
In decadence.
The captain smiles faraway
As he fondles the trigger
"A smoke?"
"Why not?"
I threw him a salute
And the seas of the Med
Engulf me.
I saw the ages
And Granny Smith
Fall like toys
Strewn in haste.
I meet you
In a grove.
Of olive husks and a rusty sky
And we embrace
With eyes aglow
In a purifying blindness