Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Betrayed

Picture Credit: Google Images

Intrigues

Abandoned by love and business failures
Of Romeo and Juliet, of young lovers
As Shakespeare would have it rightly flavoured
A tragedy of sorts that long hovers

Outwardly seen and seemingly oblivious
Of what outcome on unpaved lanes
Isn’t it out in the open, and pretty obvious
Wrought with sorrow and lots of pain!

Cast a blind eye and sadden with laughter
Regretfully betrayed in a web of intrigues
Wild flashes and staccato bursts of gunfire
Enemies within hidden but well in league

Submitted for d'Verse OpenLinkNights Week20

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Many Hands

 Picture Credit: Google Images

A college professor was in the middle of his talk when there was a sudden blackout. The professor then announced in the dark. ‘Can everyone please  remain seated and put your hands up!’ Everyone did that. Suddenly the lights were on  again. Then the Professor proudly announced, ‘ many hands make light work’ and continued with his talk.

Believe it or not!
That many hands make light work
Turned out to be true

Haiku Heights prompt #96 'Lights'

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Best Left Unsaid


Picture Credit: Courtesy of Tess Kincaid's Magpie

Discarded

Abandoned sofa
Vagaries of the weather
Lashed heaven’s fury

Smacked the ungrateful
Wild times or relaxation
Conveniently lapsed

Secrets abundance
Speak and reveal I will not
Was wild and vicious!

Submitted to Magpie 93

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Water Power


Image:1 A flood scene - danger to life!

Image:2 A flood scene - danger to life and property!

Image:3 A flood scene - danger to life and property!

(Picture Credit: Google Images)

Pristine in the dawn morning
Shiny and bright on tip toe
On the window sill dancing
Breaks into droplets flow
Pierced of sharp rays of the sun
Darken on the horizon  
Of rainbow colored hues
Rain drops rushing through
Running  between cracks
Faster than a quarterback
Would love for more
No!

Saturated in hollow truth
It begets flood on the plains
Tugging misery through the mush
Shadowy in likeness
Shallow in thinking
Inundated in a blink
The opening of the sluice gates
Water power!

A wild dance 
Given half a chance
Madness begins
Destruction within!

Submitted for:  3 WordWednesday- with prompts hollow,misery,shallow and
                       d'Verse Poetics with prompt - Wild

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Talents Abound

Picture Credit: Brian's

Process note:  After a year in poetry writing and still groping I am inspired by the prolific writings of Brian. Brian’s prompt above led me to respond in a few lines of verse at his blog. I later thought  it would be great to extend  the few lines here and create  a proper posting.

In the spirit of gratitude and appreciation this Thanksgiving, thanks Brian and Happy Thanksgiving to all in the blogging community!

Brian

A little patch, a bit of grass
Struggling hard battling the unjust
At a spot where it so thrives
Against all odds just to survive
Proudly it announced its very presence
Others would trip that instance
To realize realities of form
Are not all that cushy and warm

Brian has that uncanny streak
To match and offer some great tweaks
Of taking on the ordinary on pavements
That others passed off and trampled on
The treasure trove that comes alive
From his pen given that will of life
Of graffiti and witty snippets
On car bumpers or walls of toilets
All didn’t get pass the watchful  eyes
Of the mind that jives

And surprise of surprise
A recent Mohawk guise
Reveals a roving talent out of the ordinary
Of no bounds nor boundary
Just to lead the pack
For what  ordinary folks lack
Prolific by nature
Hovers above in stature
For loads of reason and rhyme
That’s Brian!

Submitted for d'Verse Giving Thanks

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The School Holidays


Image1: Norman and Kimie at the Club pool. It is a hot day.They like it here, it is the bigger pool now, no more wading pool for them.

 Image2: Chow-time at the Pool Terrace. A welcomed tuck in after the swim.

Image3: From Left : Dickson (Chinese) Kimie, Big Daniel ( of Malay/Australian parentage)
Small Daniel (of Portuguese/French parentage) and Norman, resting in between takes

 Image4: Play Station with Small Daniel, Kimie and Norman at other times

 Image5: Kimie with Naqip, my youngest grandchild

The school holidays are here
Let’s give a big hooray!
It affects one and sundry
The kids for a start
The parents having a respite
Snow elsewhere would be common
Visiting for the next few months
But in  our part of the world

It is clear, sunny and warm
An occasional shower and thunderstorm
Or when the heavens erupt
With Bangkok getting all the floods
The end of year is often notorious
Heavy rains a normal recourse

At other times hot and sunny
At the club Norman and Kimie
No more the kiddie wading pool
Being allowed in the big pool is cool
Frolicking in the hot sun
Of noodles and rice an early lunch
Into the Club Library they then adjourned 

Later in the afternoon
The neighborhood kids came on
For their ‘sessions’ of  PS2 or PSP
Or a game of Monopoly
They’ll be around now more often
Staying on till late afternoon
A mixed potpourri of a peer group
Sometimes alone or at times a crowd
Small Daniel, Dickson,
Imran, Big Daniel their friends 
Sara Ayesha, Naqib and Nabil
are of  my third generation

Such a crowd forgetting themselves
on certain occasions
A little rowdiness quite rarely
Otherwise like other kids
they are exemplary 

Submitted to d'Verse week#19

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Whodunit!

Image1: The motorcade 2 mins before the shooting. The President with Jackie at the rear and Governor Connally and Mrs Connally in front.

 Image2: The motorcade moving along Houston St

Image3: The motorcade moving along Elm St.The moment the President was hit. The outrider looking back, and the 2 Secret Service-men  looking up to the building at the back.

Image4: From another angle.The President slumped forward and Jackie moving towards him

Image5: It says in smaller prints 'Confessed assassin of President John F Kennedy'. The book and the DVD

(Photo Credit: Google images)

Process Note: The prompt calls for one that relates to change personally affecting oneself. I thought one that changed the course of world history makes a suitable option. More so it is just a couple of days to its 48th anniversary. Just a short one though. Google for more pictures and stories.  

An Assassination

Whodunit, honestly!
Was there a conspiracy
Or a  cover-up probably?
The mystery of the century
Nov 22, 1963
the untimely
demise of President Kennedy
A sad episode, a tragedy

‘Ask not what your country…’
The call rings crisps in memory
A second  assassin, also one a trigger happy
By the knoll not just Oswald at the Book Depository
That is one theory
It gained credence in notoriety
A confession recorded for posterity
In a book form and an accompanying DVD

Oswald gunned down by Jack Ruby
Was it then a futile necessity
He was not acting alone was he?
Impinged not just on the citizens, the country
The demise of a great leader sadly
Changed the course of world history

If only there had been no assassination, if only
I just wonder really
The course and make-up of the world politically
Would have been much different in all probability  

Submitted for d'Verse  

Human Nature

Procrastination

Urn full of knick knacks
Storage of items not used
Life is just as true

Change for the better
Always possible but then
Just human nature

Beyond redemption 
Bane of the disciplined soul
Procrastination

Submitted for Haiku Heights with prompt #95- Urn

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Limericks 6

These were submitted to Mad Kane's Humor blog at various times as per dates indicated. 

kaykuala says:
November 17, 2011 at 4:54 am

A woman who went through a phase
Of untold pleasure and was amazed
What did she do right
Try as hard as she might
Just couldn’t figure she was better than best

kaykuala says:
November 8, 2011 at 1:00 pm

A fellow was famous worldwide
There was nothing for him to hide
Reputation preceded him
Had not acted on whims
Level headed when skirtchasing  pretty maids

kaykuala says:
October 30, 2011 at 9:41 am

A fellow who just let it slip
He was making out on the last trip
His live-in got to know
And sadly to his horror
She left in a huff without batting an eyelid

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Paradise

Image1: A typical houseboat  similar to the one we stayed in (rented together with meals). The owner stayed in another houseboat nearby.The owner's 16-year old daughter (with fantastic rosy cheeks) would invariably arrive in the early evenings (rowing a small boat) with our meals. This went on every evening for the seven days. She was given a small golden chain which one of us had around the neck in appreciation ( all for the extra smile every time she came with the meals)

Image2: Typical mode of transport

Image3: Picturesque serenity of the Himalayas I imagine
(Picture Credit: Google images)


This was posted sometime in October 2010 in my 'birdhouse' blog (but was not linked any where) This is in nostalgic remembrance of the week's stay in the house-boat..

Remembering Kashmir 

Much maligned, holiday blues
What am I in for?
Set me free, morning dews
Droplets , shining , pierced by the Sun
Tell me more!

Rivulets of clear streams
Gushing down the mountain side
in the Kashmiri landscape
Say, am I dreaming?
No, say no more
A story that’s no ending

Fly onwards, Gulmarg and Pahalgam
Bring me back the flowers, the blue sky,
the snow,gushing streams crystal clear
of lovely maidens, and rosy cheeks
of house-boats and Dal Lake
Kashmir, I remember thee once of yesteryear

Undisturbed , decidedly picturesque, untouched ,
yearnings beyond,
markedly wishing
for Srinagar again beckons!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Duped



Picture Credit: Courtesy of Tess Kincaid's Magpie

Alone?

Let's play musical chairs!
But where is everybody?
Strange!
No! I'm not being duped right?
Yes! someone's going to shout
'Surprise!' right?

(140 characters)



Submitted for Magpie #91

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Elvis


 Image1: The King of Rock in his young days

Image2: With wife Priscilla

(Photo Credit: Google images)

Idiom Presence

This is A Blessing In Disguise
Long in the Tooth
Looking through the list (here)
I had forgotten
Most of the idioms

Is it just plain simple language
I just can’t tell which is which
Used frequently
In a New York Minute
Now part of everyday speech
Until I came to:
Elvis has left the building
Never  had any inkling
Never heard this before
But rekindled fun memories
In Like Flynn

Of fast rock and roll
A precursor to the genius
Of others that followed
Cliff Richard, Michael Jackson
Found guilty the personal physician
But it did not bring back Michael
Elvis has left the building, that’s final!

Note:  Elvis has left the building = the show has ended

Submitted for d'Verse with prompt - idioms

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Over the Horizon





Note: This is an outsider's reading of what's current. I stand corrected

Political Consequence
Mortgages, bailouts
Spiraling economy
Shrinking job market

Eurozone mismatch
Reelection woes
Wall Street obsession

Holding to ransom
Political tsunami
Slowly apparent

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Birds


Image1: The mother bird perched on the branch  and the baby bird clamoring with beaks open

Image2: The mother bird came back again this time with what looked like  a cherry


Note: We're to pick a prose and then convert it into poetry. I decided to re-post 2 postings on how I came about writing my first poetry from my own prose.

Process Notes
This is an actual drama which happened in front of my eyes. I had it posted as a prose on June 01,2010 (here) Sometime in Oct, I was encouraged to go into poetry by 2 wonderful bloggers (Ninot and Pak Cik) I searched myself on how to start. Short on ideas, I decided to turn the prose that I had written 5 months earlier into poetry. At least I had something tangible to start with, I thought. I had the poetry posted on Oct 10,2010 (here).

At that time my understanding of poetry was that the rhyme at the end of each line must be maintained. So this poetry has that traditional trademark and it took me the whole night and the wee hours of the next morning to complete it - my very first effort in poetry writing!

The Prose
Birds had always fascinated me. Nothing prepared me to what happened this morning though (June 01,2010). It was a rare occurrence, a rare opportunity.I had a chance to snap pictures of a mother bird feeding its young all at my front porch.

I’ve been told there’s a bird’s nest just outside the house. It was pointed out to me a few day’s ago but I didn’t give it much attention. It looked empty anyway. However, this morning my domestic helper called out to me, excitedly ‘ Bapak, ada burung! (translation: Sir. there's a bird)
I rushed down and had a glimpse of it before it flew out again. I then rushed back to get my camera and stood at a strategic corner where I could see the nest and waited.
I waited for the better of 15 mins before I heard the chirping sound of the bird. It grew louder and it suddenly jumped into sight. I froze, careful not to reveal my presence. I had never stood still, upright and quiet this morning ( not since those days on the parade grounds back at the College) It was painstakingly a stiff neck posture holding the camera with unsteady hands.
It jumped about but still not nearer to its nest, apparently to make sure the coast was clear.Then suddenly it jumped into my camera’s sight and I just clicked and clicked. This happened for quite some while, it bringing little tit bits for the baby bird and I snapping every so often.

The Poetry

A Little Bird 
What a stroke of good fortune
I’d not with such luck be blessed?
One morning , 2010, the 1st of June
A little baby bird stirred in a nest

Not unlike a flower in bloom
As on a silver platter it dropped
There in front of the living room
A drama unfurled, unrehearsed sans props

Our Indon helper had spied movements
She just couldn’t believe her eyes
In a nest that appeared unwittingly dormant
A baby bird suddenly comes alive

She rushed to tell me, ‘Bapak , ada burung!
A little amused , I thought she’d turned randy
But, lo! In all innocence, she wasn’t wrong
A baby bird right in front of my eyes to see.

My turn it is now to rush , and praying hard
From a vantage position behind the curtains, I hid
Still as the night, and stiff as the palace guard
I stood, camera at the ready, quietly for my first bid

Pray be, mother bird come back to roost to thy nest
I’m waiting, I’m waiting, had never been into bird-watching
But favour me, fly in, on your crown that upright crest
Just swoop in, pray be, my camera will be clicking

What do you know, my prayers were answered
Not once ,not twice but that many that I had hoped
‘twas click, click, click,click, was I flustered?
No, a better part of the hour, my patience aptly rewarded

Mother bird, swooped in, a tiny insect in its beak
On a tiny branch it perched, just above the nest
Baby bird, neck stretching , beak wide open ever so quick
So hungry and impatient, it gobbled and chomped at nature’s best

I waited again the morning after hoping for more
Mother bird never did appear and true to form
Unlike the swallows that are faithfully back to Capistrano
The baby bird flew off a few days after never to return

Submitted for d'Verse, Meeting the Bar - Prose to Poetry


Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Check!

Fun And Games

Sensation of fun
Check! Never play with fire
Advocacy reigns

A fleeting moment
Fulfillment without regret
Dare I ask for more?

Submitted for  -  Sensational Haiku Wednesday with theme ' Fleeting' and
                       -  d'Verse OpenLinkNight Week 17

Sunday, November 6, 2011

A Game

Image:1  Hank teeing-off in a competition many years ago


Birdie

(In Golf birdie has a special meaning. It refers to 
the score of one-under, one better than par for the hole)

14 clubs, that’s the maximum  allowed
Steeped with rules and regulations than most
Timing to be on the tee-box to the dot
Not to be late for any scheduled stops

The young and old if you have the will
You can start at the cradle for the feel
Of clubs or the myriads of balls available
You can still swing at 80 if you are able

A game most fair to all irrespective of skill
A handicap system creates a level playing field
A lower handicapped can still win the match
The system supports fairness the way  it is played

It is the easiest of games so said the Pro
The ball is stationary that you must know
Just take your stance and tee-off as normal
The same all the way until you reach the 18th hole

Not the whole truth as the game is not just physical
The difficulties are related more  to a game of mental
Scores of pars, birdies, eagles albatross or a hole-in-one
Nerves of steel are needed but that ‘s where all the fun

It is a frustrating game as we all had sadly experienced
But the prize-money of sweat and tears count into millions
The new Tigers, Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng are on the rise
Lurking in the shadows though Woods can still spring a surprise


Submitted for One Single Impression 
with prompt #193 'Birdie'

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Limericks 5

These are Limericks that I had submitted earlier to Madeleine Begun Kane's Humor Blog (here) at the specific dates as recorded. These were not linked anywhere else. I thought it is game to post in this week's OpenLinkNight since form is not indicated. In all instances Mad Kane gave the first line as the prompt and we are to continue.

kaykuala says:
August 24, 2011 at 9:48 pm
A fellow who telecommuted
Was doubly fast when he tweeted
Thumb worked on the HP
Crossed the road in a jiffy
Pall bearers later had him hoisted

kaykuala says:
August 22, 2011 at 4:33 am
A fellow who tended to brag
Could never readily hold back
His random boasts
Didn’t come close
As his exploits were just a drag

kaykuala says:
August 16, 2011 at 4:03 am
A woman who always seemed game
Had a fearful reputation to her name
A guy who tried to get fresh
Was on the behind thrashed
She was of a black belt Tae Kwon Do fame

Submitted for d'Verse Open LinkNights week 16