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Sunday, December 30, 2018

Confronting Time



Confronting Time

By May Kwek

Oh ask me not, not today
For my spirits have quite flown away
It flew out the window, into open air
And where it went, I know not where

For it told me not before it left
And it's left me quite bereft
For here I have to sit alone
And to the hours quietly roam

The hours pass, where've they gone?
For time just ticks on and on
And it cares not what I have to say
I cannot plead it to stay

Oh time! Oh time! Oh ruinous time!
Thou shall be my enemy I find
For you steal from pleasure and add to woes
When I find that you must go

And leave me not with a quiet hour
To just enjoy the present's power
As I rush from task to task
It did not seem too much to ask

But no, you will not listen to me
You cannot talk, you only flee
Treating my words as if not heard
Oh time, you're a hopeless coward!

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

Sunday, November 11, 2018

A Rainy Afternoon


A Rainy Afternoon

By May Kwek 

The rain hums just outside
The world’s cast in a grey light
As the clouds shift in the unshifting sky
And the wind passes sleepily by

The air is cool, the breeze is sweet
The earth and rain in rhythm meet
To form a soothing symphony
Which fills the ears so pleasantly

To this stage bold birds fly
Between the rain, against the sky!
And to those peering through windows
Their forms appear as darting shadows

That dance and rise, that swoop and fall
There for a moment or maybe not at all
For the rain provides its own curtain
And behind its veils the dancers are hidden

Till the rain eases and all we can see
The buildings, the people, the birds, the trees
And with one last chord that strains and falls
The symphony sounds its final call

For the wind soars high and blows away
The clouds to rain another day
And as they drift away without a care
They leave a memory that they were there

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

Monday, October 8, 2018

The Train Station

The Train Station

By May Kwek

I wait at the station
My ticket in my hand
For this paper tears and sweat
And years of my life were spent

So now I can take a train
And go off into the unknown
To the places I’ve never seen
And every hope that’s grown

A train arrives clad in gold
It brightly shimmers and shines
Surely it must go somewhere
Really great and fine

I hand the conductor my ticket
He does not allow me inside
For he says my ticket
For this train isn’t right

So with regret I watch the train go
And vanish into the mists
And wait for yet another
Certain there’ll be nothing amidst

A train of silver comes
Sparkling like a dime
I hand the conductor my ticket
But this train isn’t mine

So I go back to waiting
Watching people come and go
So many board, all going somewhere
While I am waiting so

Stuck on the platform
Watching wrong trains go pass
Platinum, diamond, even lead
Hoping they’ll be mine at last

But they’re not and I have to watch
As I stay despondently still
Watching as people move on and go
And wondering if I ever will

Again and again I try
But the answer always seems to be
“This train does not go where you’re going”
“So wait for the next please”

So I wait and I wait
Agony eating at my soul
I’ve spent my life on this ticket
Is it as worthless as fools’ gold?

But each conductor tells me wait
The train that is mine will pass
For surely this stillness in time
Cannot forever last

And finally a train rolls in
Its carriages beaten and old
I hesitatingly hand in my ticket
And up on board I go

Surely there must be some mistake
This train is a wreck
I did not work for years
To ride in something like that!

But then the train leaves the station
And where others turn right it goes left
Out of the concealing mists
That leave so many bereft

It leaves it all behind
And ahead I see fields of gold
Oh. Now I understand
That’s where I’m meant to go

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

A Life Lived


A Life Lived

By May Kwek

Eat and drink for tomorrow we die
So the old saying goes
But how can food and drink ever satisfy
The constantly yearning soul?

With its yearning for the beyond
And dreams of the blue sky
Of the stars and all its wonders
Where dear wishes could fly

With its hopes for tomorrow
And its fears for today
With its constant wish for a light
To show one the way

With its aching for a kind word
And hearts which understand
With its inexplicable desire
To reach out and lend a hand

For all these a soul yearns
In words felt but unspoken
But if one could simply reach out
And to the heart’s beat listen

They’ll know food and drink won’t satisfy
For a soul needs so much more
And to give it all up for brief pleasure
Is to die before death falls

So yes tomorrow we die
But let us at least have this
A life not shrouded in mindless pleasure
But a life lived!

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

Mars


Mars

By May Kwek

Lightning strikes, the wind blows
The leaves on high are laid down low
And in the gap of sky amongst the stars
There shines alone, the planet Mars

Silent it watches the battle below
A flash and with it, a million souls
Cries and shouts as the thunder roars
Agony, pain and so much more

The battle rages and men cry
Spirits wilt and spirits die
To overcome the need to flee
Seems beyond a soul like me

I look up, up to the sky!
To Mars shining aloof on high
And as I girdle myself to run and flee
I tell Mars sometimes it’s destiny

It remains silent, it won’t reply
Nor descend from the night sky
There’s no change in its red light
As it shines on the battle tonight

Yet as it gazes down on the field
I feel a spirit that will not yield
Always strong in the face of pain
Which falls only to stand again

Down it looks, down on me
And in its light there glows eternity
And a strength within I gain
To raise the sword once again

Mars! Mars! That unconquerable soul
Shining on high to those below
Unmoved by fears whatever the age
The shining hope of courage

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

The Mirror’s Smile


The Mirror’s Smile

By May Kwek

I met a mirror today
And it waved back at me
A smile graced its face
And I wondered how could it be?

So I asked it and it laughed
Before it sat me down
And asked me, really
What was the reason for my frown?

So I sighed and I answered
In a tale of my woes
Of a world dark and battered
Torturous to behold

Of clouds of grey
And stormy wintry nights
Of sadness and of pain
Of illness and of fright

I then looked at the mirror
And I did not expect to see
A smile still on its face
Was staring back at me

And then it looked to the sky
Where the warming sun shone
“Tomorrow” it whispered
“Will bring another dawn”

For it cared not for grey skies
And it could bear any pain
So long as tomorrow the sun rose
It would battle and stay sane

And so the mirror looked at me
Without a single trace of guile
Before it softly whispered to me
“Courage dear heart and smile”

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

Monday, August 20, 2018

Dancing leaves


Dancing leaves

By May Kwek

The wind blew today
As I stood beneath the trees
And I saw a single leaf fall
To the whispering of the breeze

Small and light it was
Green without a care
It left the mother branch
And leapt into the air

The wind caught it as it flew
And danced in flight's ecstasy
Glimmering it shone in the shifting lights
Sparkling for all to see

The others must have seen it
For its joy was simple and plain
And they joined it in the air
Till leaves danced like rain

And so the wind blew today
As I stood between the trees
And the leaves heard its song
And leapt to its melody

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

The Bridge


The Bridge

By May Kwek

Here on the forest bridge
I quietly sit and stare
At the leaves and the rippling stream
At the life everywhere

Some children run pass me
Waving as they go
Off they are to adventures
Daring, brave and bold

A young man returns
His eyes determined and grave
He is off to make his fortune
He says so as he waves

A young couple then come by
Lost in each other’s eyes
They don’t see me in their dreaming
But that is no surprise

The moss grows on the stones
As the people come and go
From budding leaves to summer flowers
Autumn leaves turn cold

Till at last an old man comes
And sits by my side
Looking about him in wonder
At all in his sight

“It’s beautiful” he says
In a voice soft and low
“How have I never seen this?
For I’ve passed here often so”

And so we sit side by side
Where the river’s song does not cease
And there on the bridge between moments
We rest in contented peace

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Stars


Stars

By May Kwek

Each night I stand at my window
Looking for the stars
Those sparkles of dreams and of fire!
So close yet so far

In the scattered night they smile at me
In playfulness they wave
Out of the inky blackness
At once solemn and grave

Yet the night has no power
Over these points of light
Scattered and hidden maybe
But they shine ever so bright

Oh dear stars twinkling in the night
Shine on as hope’s beacon light!
For if you can shine in depths so dark
Then I too, can take heart

For in your twinkling lights I finally see
Why the sky is dotted with memory
For when night comes, and it must
We must have a light in which we trust

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Rejoice!


Rejoice! 

By May Kwek

Trumpets sound and angels sing!
Behold the triumph of the King!
Death is gone! It’s passed away!
Rejoice creation! In today!

What is death? What is sin?
But an open cage we are locked in?
The Lord has procured the key
Rejoice and praise! We are free!

Rejoice Man! Make a joyful sound!
That can be heard in the whole world round!
The sacrifice made by our great Master
Has made him our loving Father!

Rejoice you new sons and daughters! 
Have faith all you ceaseless doubters!
For the one who for all in love died
Does not sleep in a grave tonight!

Barriers are gone! They are torn away!
Nothing save ourselves stands in our way
Rejoice creation! For his goodness has shown
That because of today, we are his own

Yes creation, rejoice! Rejoice!
Shout out with a mighty voice
Fill the air with songs and praise
For today the Son was raised!

Happy Easter!

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

Friday, March 30, 2018

Good Friday


Good Friday

By May Kwek

It’s Good Friday today
Good! Oh why?
For on this day so many wept
And the heavens cried

A man who had done no wrong
Had to walk to his death
Bloody, bowed and in pain
With every single breath

Good? It did not seem good
It must have been an awful day
For those who followed him
As he walked that lonely way

To that dreaded hill
And on a cross hung
To be mocked and killed
With hate from sin sprung

To suffer, to be torn away
From the one he loves most
To die in the midst of shame
Was what he chose

So why Good? Why Good?
It would not be good at all
If the work had ended there
And there was nothing more

But it was not the end
Just the darkness before the dawn
The willing sacrifice
That brought about the morn

For with his last cry
Death’s power fell away
The devil lost his grip on the world
Over which he had held sway

For the veil had split in two
And our debt ceased to be
Oh that blessed day
When my Lord died for me!

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

A birthday’s joy


A birthday’s joy

By May Kwek

The sun rose bright today
Even as it set my latest year
Warm and good it was
So bright and so clear

The day seemed perfect
The sun shone so bright
The birds chirped in the trees
And the wind was swift and light

I was surprised by well wishes
From so many today
I had never expected
The many that came my way

So yes it was good day
But even if it was not
And the skies were dark and grey
And everyone forgot

The smile I wore
Would still grace my face
Even if to all else
It seemed out of place

For I borrowed it not from the sun
I did not need its mirth
Nor from the trees and the flowers
That bloomed from the earth

It sprung not from the well wishes
I gratefully received
It did not come from the blessings today
As others may believe

For the joy I felt came not
From my happy circumstance
What’s based on fact cannot
Be swayed by winds of chance

For its roots were planted years ago
And today when I beheld the morn
I thanked God for his blessing
The gift that I was born

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

A redwood’s time


A redwood’s time

By May Kwek

Strong, alone but not alone
In a forest of equals I stand
Reaching for the heavens
With all that I am

Centuries pass in a blink
Forever lives in a day
I’ve seen empires rise and fall
I’ve seen men born and passed away

And yet here am I
Standing in the light
Away from the world’s troubles
Serene and bright

The centuries which’ve passed
And their troubles seem so small
For they lived but for a moment
And still! I stand tall

What is a day
In a thousand years?
What’s a brief cloud
For centuries clear?

What of the fire that burns?
Though it scars my side?
Will my leaves still not shine?
In the morning light?

For they can touch me not
They which do not last
Except in clouded memories
Of an inconsequential past

Oh look on me you men
For in my years you’ll see
How fleeting your troubling moments
In the face of eternity

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

I've been there


I've been there

By May Kwek

“Look at that land over there”
The others with me cried
“It looks so bare, so empty
Hidden from the light”

“Who goes there?” They asked
And a voice answered from the air
“Those who don’t belong
Are banished over there”

A shiver went down their spines
And they stayed away
The barren land a haunting memory
Every single day

They huddled together in groups
Each trying to be the same
To not belong was a horror
A fear without a name!

So anyone who couldn’t be
Who just wouldn’t belong
Were cast aside quickly
For indeed, they must be wrong!

So no one noticed when I left
Never to return
Except the voice who whispered to me
“Why won’t you learn?”

“See that land over there?
It’s desolate and cold
The chill bites not your bones
But even your soul”

“You will be sent there soon
If you don’t hurry and join the rest
It’s easy, just be the same
And your true self repress”

I turned to reply
And the voice seemed surprised
As I turned towards the land
And a smile met my eyes

“Oh Fear,” I replied
To that voice in the air
“You can’t scare me with that
You see, I’ve been there”

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

Saturday, March 3, 2018

The swift night


The swift night

By May Kwek

I saw the moon
Race across the sky
Faster that the swiftest bird
Could ever dream to fly

"Where are you going?" I asked
"Why hurry along your way?"
"Because I am running," it replied
"To bring back the day."

"Not so soon," I cried
"The day can afford to wait.”
“Not so,” declared the moon,
“It can never ever be late.”

And with wings of purest silver
The moon flew across the sky
And the night was gone in a blink
As I started to wave goodbye

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek

The forest stream


The forest stream

By May Kwek

Let us pause here my friend
Where the trees and waters meet
Where the air is silent and clear
And the breeze is sweet

For look the forest stream flows
Treading through the trees
From the highest mountains it roams
To the intrepid seas

Oh how different the forest is
From the shinning shore
 The stream shall know the forest’s quiet
And the ocean’s roar!

Yet listen to its song
So joyful and light in the sun
In the moment that it is here
The forest and it are one

Its sparkle lights the gentle banks
And carries the fallen leaves
And the song which it plays forever
Is the tune of the breeze

In this moment, yes a moment
A moment is eternity
For the sea is miles away
And all around are trees

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek