I write
   but no opinion
  do I force
  on the reader:
  I'm no authority
  only the author
  and no doubt
  many would consider
  me just a person
like every other-
( happily I accept
  this nomenclature)

in a better scenario
a few might each be
their own thinker
and regard me
as an experience--sharer -
they would not walk away
nor harsh word mutter
knowing we are each
a life-sojourner

I write and will continue
as a writer
fearless, undaunted
unencumbered
and live in
seamless joy and wonder

That there's no perfection
     is not an excuse for indolence:
     life is about applying one's  utmost talent
     to rise to the highest level of self -transcendence

Love knows no reason
it mysteriously happens
the why and how they don't matter
in the coming-together

Grasp life
     you'll lose it
     let it be
     nothing will you miss:
     that which is forced
     is against spontaneity
     and you can't be free

     the sage doesn't aim
     at acquiring or winning
     he looks inside himself
    for his equanimity
    he lets go every holding
    

     the loosening
     is happy edge-
     the understanding
    lies in non-chasing
    and the laying down
    of forced doing-

    words open themselves
    to disputing
    they are confusing-
    reasoning is the doubting
    the death of meaning

    the sage is still
    calm, unwavering
    in his self-forgetting
    he finds his true being

I choose humility
over victory

Life releases no one
there's no escape
the die is cast
you've to move on
as long as you last-

in its unforgiving whirlpool
struggle and swim your must
no one is around to rescue
only in your self you must trust-

night sets in--there's no light
in the sky---- hope you must grasp
an hour seems like a lifetime
how slowly does it pass-

to be born is to  endlessly struggle
too many aspirations are crushed
not an encouraging does life utter
even when all your dreams have turned to dust

Stop trying
    to understand others
    time you'll be wasting
    all this will only cause your distress-

    this is the course that's deemed best
    seeking to understand your own self
     such insight and clarity will bring you true rest
     and nothing else will you need to delve

We need an Age of Innocence
    civilisation is in moral collapse:
    men are against their fellowmen
    kindness and humanity are at their lowest ebb --

   we the ordinary folk have no say
   all we desire is happiness and peace
   all that's before us is the untold agony
   and tears-- our hopes fall away piece by piece-

   who will save us from the apocalypse ?
   How will mend the hearts in brokenness ?
   Will our prayers be heard and answered?
   When will we return to grace and blessedness?

   We need--urgently- an Age of Innocence
   how we weep over the tragedy before us!
   When will light appear in our direst hour
   of need, to dispel this unbearable darkness?

Those who know
how to be lazy
tend to be more happy:
the art of constructive idleness
is not known to many

He who's empty
  has no fear:
  there's nothing
  to be taken away
  he holds nothing dear-
  
life is illusive
like will-o'-the-wisp
to have dreams
is to be deceived-

he who's empty
doesn't seek to compete
win or achieve
in being nothing
he doesn't lose anything-
unseen, unknown and unnoticed
he retains his life's intrinsic

Self-forgetting is a great virtue
a new world it opens up
spontaneity spawns creativity
full is life's daily cup-

such is the essence of Zen
self-remembering tends to obstruct
innocence loses its purity
all endeavour will miss its mark

Time shall not control
or command me
I don't live for it
I'm independent and free-

my life I carve
patiently and diligently
at my clock I don't look
I stop only when I'm weary-

my own programme
I set meticulously
minutes and hours
that pass, they don't bother me

outside my window I look
the day's light is fading away gently
as evening follows in logical sequence
my work I've done-- tonight I'll sleep soundly.

He is to be measured--man-
   only at his very end
  the beginning and the in-between
  are mere interludes--Amen!

Emptiness knows no limit
        it stretches to the infinite
        it can't be calibrated
        while all that's material can be measured-

       formless and intangible
       its mystery is unfathomable
      mother of nothingness
      yet it holds the entire universe

What does the echo say?
     Why has it chosen you?
     Special you must be
     or it wouldn't have come your way!

    What story does it convey?
    Can you with others share?
    Is it about love and joy
   or loss and dismay?

   What will your future portend?
   Will beauty revisit you once again?
   Has love for you ripened
   and erased all your pain?

   The echo -no doubt then
  has become your close friend
  your confidant and will
  accompany you to the end

West:  Steel yourself

Zen:    Still yourself

Let me
be the last
I'll be  patient
in timeliness
I trust-

gentleness
my hand it grasps
and whispers:
'Why rush?
The dawn
is not yet
the rose
hasn't risen
from the dewy grass
in slumber
still is the thrush

silent is the river
calm is its water
no boatman seen
all nature is serene
time is hushed-

are you in love?
She will appear
you should wait
trust her, you must!'

( It's as though
  I've wakened
  from a dream
  so long past)

I know
and feel sure
  I'll be blessed
though being last-
in oneness with time
in feeling its every pulse
my life will be in joy
abundantly cast.

It's not possible
    to please everyone
    even if you try your utmost
    would it serve any purpose?

    To serve the will of others
    is not incumbent on us-
    I'll live independently
   and just mind my own business

Let me not pray for my welfare but for the benefit of all others.

Let me not ask for plenitude but only what I need.

Let me bear my joy lightly and my sorrow , gently.

Let me live in contentment and never in envy or jealousy.

In my strength, let me help the weak.

In my weakness, let me be humble to seek the
help of the strong.

Let every word from my mouth be said in truth.

Even in my poverty,  let me have the generosity to give.

Let me be silent in my success and grant me the humility to accept my failure.

Let me not seek knowledge for my sake but for the benefit of serving others.

Let me not bow to the behest of the rich or the mighty but to retain my dignity.

Let me be in the company of the poor, the starving, the bereft and neglected, the sad and hopeless, the sick, the lonely, the forgotten and marginalised, and the homeless --to offer whatever help  and comfort I can, to give my time freely and also to render the dignity they deserve.

Grant me grace in my darkest hour and strengthen me in my utmost desperation.

As I have been given the gift of life, I am grateful and blessed-
let me accept my death gracefully and in equanimity.

I do lie--
when it doesn't hurt and benefits the party/parties concerned

West: Think big!

Zen and Taoism: from overthinking-- retreat!

Love is not enough:
the table must always have food
or it will surely fade and starve
and be deprived of every amorous mood-

how deceptive are the romantic poets
who write: 'love will forever last!'
and immortalise fairy-tales-
such high-flown words we can't trust!

Where's the money to buy
a home?  The kids are growing fast
school-fees these days sky-rocket
daily living is grim and tough-

love for sure is not enough
let young couples beware
carefully plan your budget
or your marriage would go nowhere!

Lying is essential for survival

though seldom--I'm a liar!

The very idea
of being old
is comforting
time for renouncing-
nothing weighty
anymore to hold-

past stories
have been told
now is reminiscing

never mind
mistakes I made
every cause
I still have to celebrate

no stream is pure
some debris there is
in the water's flow

who dares say
old age is toothless?
That's awful *******!

jeans I don't wear
no Elvis's haircut
do I choose or prefer

didn't you see me
dancing on the stage?
Didn't you hear me
singing a serenade
to a pretty maid?

Youth might frown on
and make fun
of my baldness
but it's my pride
and I don't complain
of my slow gait
my brain is agile
and my thinking
is gloriously bright!

No mirror
do I look into
unlike youth's error

a little child
walks by and asks:
Sir,  how old are you?

This- my immediate answer:
I was young like you -before!

West: Forge!

Zen:  Pause!

The final stage
     of mankind's evolution
    lies in looking away
     from the body
    and the materialistic
    ridding of the trivia
    our selfishness and foibles
     to reach transcendence -

     man has survived
     but is still not wise
     the age of enlightenment
     is far from coming-
    civilisation is sterile and dry

    and you and I
    the inheritance
    of what has gone before
    have little faith
    in the days ahead-
     at the current scenario
     we look and as we ponder
     our hearts deeply bleed
     we feel hopeless
     like helpless kids
     totally lost
    all that we can do
     is to bitterly cry

West:   Speed up!

Zen:    Slow down!

My version:

Familiarity breeds endless boredom

We change more
(it's true)
than life
in living, adapting
striving while it's silent
our business not minding-

we have to change
to survive
for living
is never easy-
to find the meaning
we have to absorb
nearly everything

we need the interpreting
the understanding
the sifting, the closing
of ignorance and the doubting
to be worthy of being-

we change
do we realise
there will be more
to be demanded
of us till the twilight
of our life
and thereafter
still, still
much more
to follow-

This is our human plight

I'm now stronger
thanks to have been weaker
during those past days beaten
by the assailing storms-
I've learned to endure
with a new spirit
which I never
knew before

'twas the latent courage
from the labyrinth
of my innermost self
that I was compelled
to draw upon
to come to my own
to beat the storms-

I'm far from
being a hero
only transformed
by looking squarely
in the very eye
on an impending threat
I bravely fought
I didn't turn back-
I won!

Stronger
tougher
braver
calmer

but grateful
and humble
in my new self-
where there's another
who is down in despair
I'll step forward
to generously help.

Let people be
      unto their own
      we've no business
      to pry or enquire:
      they have every right
      to be alone

      in the same way
     we'd each assert
     our freedom
     and independence
     to none would we need
     to be guided or condoned

    for life to all
    is the democracy
    that's universal
    where everyone
    has a voice
   of their own

    we are somewhat
    to each other a stranger
    each with our hope
    and mission---
    our sense of purpose
    and meaning -unspoken
    and unknown
    as we drift in life's river
    singular, independent
    inevitably alone

In response to Virginia Woolf's:
For most of history, Anonymous was a woman:

For most of history, men have been deemed to be superior to women and a myth has been created but in our present century that notion has been proven wrong---just look at the achievements of females and how they have changed and shaped our world--there's just too long the list of names to mention.  There should never be a gender bias--both sexes have their roles in enriching our lives and in creating a better world

Wherever you are
whatever the day
however weary
or let down
just have
a kind word to say
somehow
you'll feel better
a happy mood
will prevail

for the undesired
you'd have cast away

let not your inner self
be trapped by any dismay
tune yourself
to the wonder
that will come your way

life is what
you make it
what you choose
makes all the difference
harness your effort
forge your way!

At the end
of the day
you'll look
at the sunset
and declare
I've lived
MY way!

Perhaps too much
I've experienced and seen
of human nature
in each setting or scene

and no longer wish
to know any further-
there's little to recommend
that would make things better

for man now as before
is a savage and voracious creature
too ready to pounce on the weak
only his own interests does he treasure-

things would not change
even in several centuries to follow
wars, conflicts and hatred would still persist
life worldwide would remain bleak and hollow

Words find me
though I seek them not
they come of their own accord
to my unexpecting thought

it's as though they need
to be heard and read
to feel alive in engagement
with me- to enjoy moments shared-

like us, they each
have a life of their own
though not known
or visited-  they aren't accustomed

to being silent, overlooked
neglected or frowned upon-
they invite us to be their ally
in preference to their being alone

How could
you know me?
that which I don't do
is visible to nobody

what I do
is but the periphery
my true self
is the kernel--verily

hidden in the labyrinth
of my heart and soul
it makes me
what I am---whole

people parade their virtue
to praise and glory they hold
their inner selves are hidden
their stories are deceptively told

Yes
I'm a dreamer
but also a doer
a realist
thus I've the best
of both worlds
( I dance and I sing too!)

between them
I happily oscillate
no tension
have I ever felt

with both
I generously collaborate

though I'm driven
by mood
and the day's input
but hold every moment
to be rewarding and good

life I hold closely
it's too precious
time I wisely use
in my every effort

I improvise
I play with themes
and words

I create
my own world
and tire
I'm not

a poem done
a song composed
or sung heartily
with each day
I live free
and unencumbered !

I choose to be empty--it purifies me, it's a process of letting go, of renunciation, of selflessness-- in being nothing, I find my true self, and the weariness and angst of living melts away like the dew in the sun and the dispersing of the clouds.

  copyright 2025

From my 2017 memoir*:

To me, one of the greatest wonders of the world is the existence of libraries-- the free fountain of knowledge, the greatest democracy, the refuge of poor aspiring students, the favourite haunt of scholars, writers and teachers, the refuge of the lost, the tired, the confused, and even the sorrowful and bereft, the lonely, the resting-house of retirees, the home of the brightest minds, and the humblest and most unobtrusive friend of everyone.  

*Re: GROWING UP IN BRITISH MALAYA-- A MEMOIR

You dazzle
I am only an ember

People in the main seldom
have things in common-
the trend is towards
contention and collision

I'm not much
to anyone
but praise
I don't want-

enough of myself
all said and done
a tiny blade of grass
alongside the rose under the sun-

faraway in the remote
known and seen by none
writing by a quiet stream
till the day is sun-

judging and being judged
by none, not even one
I live like a vagrant
never miss a day of fun!

You were wrong.
thinking life was tired of you
it wasn't the case
'twas you being weary
of yourself that was true-
in shifting the blame
you thought
you'd suffer no shame

but the truth
will not let go
wherever you are
it will follow

you'll somehow
come to yourself
some day
and realise
your misgiving
and agonise

Don't waste time
studying me
instead study
yourself closely

what you would know
of me eventually
at the expense of yourself
is nothing but pure triviality

Not every find
is fine

Love is over-praised
and over-idolised
we tend to overlook
it does hurt and agonise

Everyone has a mission
but so many fail to arrive
at the desired destination

No, I don't think global
it's enough, if I think personal:
I'm not qualified for the former
I'll just stay happily with the latter

Life is a point of view
I'll be me
you'll be you
we're all equal--verily!

I can't
you can-
take over
my man!

I can
all others too can
any credit can I claim--
I'm no special man-

isn't all life
about can't and can?
The two stay with us
up to the end-

I've little talent
my life is less  of 'I can'
of the 'I can't' I'm not ashamed
truly I can't be a leader of men!