Monday, January 27, 2014

In The Nick of Time (3)

                                                                                                      Attribution: Hank
Image:  Rahman is standing extreme right (with arms akimbo) Hank is sitting extreme left. Sham who was saved from drowning is standing 2nd from left (wearing beret) Aziz Rahman (Tan Sri) is sitting next to Hank


This poem was written by my buddy Rahman in remembrance of an episode that happened during our Kelantan River expedition way back in 1963. Rahman was the skipper of the bamboo raft christened 'The Kon Tiki'. We were then just teenagers cruising downstream.  Hank was the one who jumped into the swirling waters and saved one of our buddies Sham from drowning. A narration of the episode was posted earlier on (here)

Hank had connected with Rahman a few months back. Surprises of surprises Rahman had the inspiration to pen this poem somehow and extended a copy yesterday. Hank felt so elated and took the liberty to post it for our OpenLinkNight with Rahman as a guest poet.


A POEM FOR HANK

On a bamboo raft
Pretentious Kon Tiki
A teen’s plaything
Barely afloat
On a river of memory
So far… so long ago

Things we do
Cause we have to
Heaven knows
Hell to pay.

And you among sordid
Souls laugh at
Mortality as teens do
Swam and swam until
Fate intervenes, endures
The frailty of muscles.

Things we do
Cause we have to
Heaven knows
Hell to pay.

At once Hank jumped
“In the nick of time…”
Into waters deep
To hell, with
Fangs of denizens,
There’s a life to keep
Things we do
Cause we have to
Heaven knows
Hell to pay.

What Hank ought to do
Save his life too
Yet Hank denies
The one future soul
Then, away from Azreal
Was it for real?

That instant some dreams sank
And remain there to this day,
Perhaps the life we saved
Was our own, resurface
Today as solace to soothe
Tragedies of having grown old

Things we do
Cause we have to
Heaven knows
Hell to pay.

Rahman Daud
Kuala Lumpur;
26 Jan 2014.

Submitted for d'Verse OpenLinkNight week #130

22 comments:

  1. the adventure filled days of teenage! so much to cherish

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  2. A very beautiful poem brings back those sweet memories.

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  3. Must have been quite the adventure indeed, you saving him when in need. The things we do when we have to can surely be extraordinary as well

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  4. What an adventure ~ Happy to see lives are saved & your friend pens this for you ~

    Thanks for sharing Hank ~

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  5. What an amazing story, Hank; and wonderful that the friend you saved is also a poet like you. Yes, for sure, a lot of teens do things without thinking of the consequences...glad you were there for him!

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    1. A clarification, Mary. The poet is Rahman but the one saved was Sham. Thanks

      Hank

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  6. oh heck... what a story...i'm so glad that you jumped in there and saved his life... a beautiful and honorful poem as well by your friend...

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  7. Beautiful story and memories. I really enjoyed that. Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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  8. Good going Hank, a great verse by your friend to

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  9. Hank,

    That was one adventurous story and you were the hero of the day..saving a friend..it must have been a magical moment when you first read your friends poem.

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  10. Yes, that surely is a day not many would forget...one friend saving another. Loved this poem by your friend, Hank. I hope he gets to see all the wonderful comments made on his behalf.
    Gayle ~

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  11. Hank is a good man for sure---oh yes you are! So glad you have shared this treasure of yours to us or we wouldn't know about this hero by the name of Hank... i loved this... smiles...

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  12. good for you, and your friend, that you jumped! ~

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  13. Great memories of an adventure-filled youth.

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  14. That was nice of your friend to write an account of it for you and keep the details. You have a new way to remember the even now.
    Feel free to visit sometime, Hank.

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  15. Hank, what a wonderful tribute to that day. Fate intervened in a good way, here :-) Loved that line "on a river of memory, so far so long ago". Thank you for the kind words at my blog.

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  16. there is much in life that we do because we have to...
    it is cool that he wrote this for you to remember the day
    what a friend that is...

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  17. You are very lucky on many levels.

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  18. What a friend you have in Rahman... and what a friend you are to Sham.. what a story.. wonderful, thoughtful tribute.

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  19. adventures are the food of poets and song writers - It seems this was a worthy meal - bw

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  20. the repeated chorus holds the story together so well.

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