The edict of the Emperor
I received today
to labour at the Great Wall*
fifty thousand li# away

Pao Pao^ is only eight
his little mei-mei^^ is but five
with a thousand sorrows I leave
but wait for me, my dearest wife

Daylight
debris and dust
blown in the wind
amidst deadly silence
no human motion
in deserted streets
a crow screeches

litters unattended
dustbins unemptied
smells of petrified food
flies buzz in nascent heat

noon
a grey sky
slow-drifting clouds
birds chirp
on building tops
stray dogs bark
from unknown alleys
a ***** picks up
cigarette butts

evening
chime of church bells
closed sacred doors
no vespers
a priest seen
in prayer
through glass windows

dusk
a light drizzle
a soprano's voice
rendering Mahler
piano-accompanied
from nearby quarter

broken by
sudden roar
of an ambulance

So much to learn
so little time
be pragmatic
pursue that with the best outcome-

so much to love
fail not, make time
kiss those waiting lips
embrace the moment sublime-

so much to feel
as the emotions come
look not away from beauty
to the lure of deceit do not succumb-

so much to live for
keep away from every harm
inspire, nurture and edify
let your heart abide in the sea of calm.

I've no reason to frown

just because something doesn't suit me

I'd not offend anyone who's around

that would be travesty!

To the innocence

of my childhood I should return

every adult experience

leaves nothing much to learn

We can't be diminished
by any outside force
unless our essentiality we relinquish
or give up our moral cause

Let us mend ourselves first

before we can reach out to others

I don't wish to be known
or I would be less my own

I choose no route
only that which helps
me to find the truth

Let your poem
calm the sea
let its refrain
echo in every tree-

let your heart
embrace the entire  universe
in its worship
pain and sorrow heal and nurse-

let truth be your religion
your voice a clarion-call
to dignity, hope and compassion
a message of comfort for all-

let love sing unto the sky
let beauty every corner adorn
let every ugliness fade and die
to humanity each os us is born.

Let every moment

every encounter

be a silent prayer

Silence and solitude

      leads to the highest altitude

1.  Expand your capacity for love, empathy and sympathy

2.  be humble , patient and content

3.  mind your own business

4.  don't judge or criticise

5    be fair and generous-
give everyone a chance

6  listen well

7.  accept the good and the bad

8.  pursue a simple life

9.  be grateful

10. have humour

Let me grow

gently, quietly,

humbly, lovingly,

selflessly,  compassionately

Sometimes I don't need

either wine, coffee or tea

I just want to lie down

and enjoy being just me

Most of life

is repetition

but nothing should curb

your enthusiasm and inspiration

I'll cling to the life of feeling
there's too much constraint in thinking
the heart should be ever unfolding
too much ruminating is beauty's sad demising

We should be light and empty.

Isn't death so much relief in its nothingness?

Because I love life, death to me is only a metaphor

DESIDERATUM



Live simply

think clearly

choose selectively

speak truthfully

tread cautiously



act honourably

practise honesty

give generously

accept gratefully

be humble in victory





lose graciously

praise genuinely

show empathy

cherish dignity

face death courageously

I would rather
be a useful something
than a worthless assemblage
of a thousand and one thing

Whether within or out
speak gently, do not shout

If it were desired
with myself I would start
the world has its own business
it cares not for my living-art---

life's mysteries I can't grasp
I hold most dearly to my own heart
despite every uncertainty and hardship
from acceptance and patience I would never part.

Why would I want to be ahead of others?
with none I strive
I have too many problems of my own-
with myself I struggle all my life

even if the whole wide world were mine
and I were ahead of everyone
I would be nothing and am empty if I belong
not to myself and would come undone

It should be enough
life is stronger than rancour
discard the ugly stuff
dwell in the sunshine of splendour--

hearts that are tender, how they laugh
embrace truth and beauty in every wonder
meekness finds its way through terrains most rough
to utmost humility we should readily surrender

It would be a new beginning
  when the vain-glorious self is set aside
  the ego evaporates into nothing
  with the demise of pride.

  A fresh life would be waiting
  beauty enters the heart to abide
  in the fusion of love enduring
  is there any wanting beside?

Before I can act courageously

I must first learn to live reverently

I will not be anyone's favourite

enslavement that would be

my silent and humble self I will celebrate

there's no other way to be happy

Go forth into the day

         in unheard prayer

         pave kindness on your way

         be the unseen sorrow-healer

I do not get up in the morning saying to myself:

I will win.

Silly statement!

Winning what?

Am I exceptional and better than others?

And what I claim at the end of the day as winning might just be fantasy, hubris or pure nonsense!



I should rather say:

Walk gently into the day, be silent and unseen, know your station, perform your duty diligently, mind your own business, let others be, they have their roles to play too, let conscience, patience, humility and compassion be your guide, be kind to yourself, think not of material gain but of value and meaning, accept the setbacks and disappointments of the day, don't attribute blame to anyone, accept and acknowledge your failings and mistakes without bitterness, lend a helping hand to those in need, never seeking thanks in return--and when the day is done,  be grateful that you have been blessed with the gift of life and given the opportunity to participate with your fellow-beings in creating a better and happier world--

     in this you will come to realise that life is about giving and not winning.

I will tread gently
and slowly
poetry dislikes poets
in too much hurry

...but desire
  is more the moment
  after that
  it no longer does burn

If it arrives too soon-
your heart's desire
would you aim for the finest
or the simplest aspire?

Let not desire
be avarice
the latter
leads to griefs.

It's not
what I desire
that marks me
but what I don't
it's the difference
between earth and sky
two poles each
unto its own-

desires oh
how they imprison
caged is the heart
it weeps alone-

I had wished
to be made of stone
walled into bricks
I wouldn't have to moan-

but the harsh winds
of time had blown
and chillness had congealed
into my very bone

now as age rages
every desire I disown
my feelings have frozen
seeds of irreversible angst
I have sown.

The angst of day
has spilled over to the night
restlessness intensifies
hope fades and all is blight-

tomorrow will ensue
would things go right?
the heart sinks low
the poet loses the will to write.

The earth is deeply choked

it's dying, dying for air

beauty is gone in smoke

but so few do feel or care-



man is no angel but rogue

his ambition has turned the fair forest bare

the backbone of nature it callously broke

the carnage it brought is felt now everywhere

Detached
   only then I see clearly
   trapped before
   now I am free

Verboten---the word 'detumescence'
do not use this word in faint-hearted women's presence

Dewdrops
each speaks
like a tear of my heart
of bruises
and brokenness
of love
that vanishes
as each drop
is vanquished
in the mid-noon sun

I have lost
the will to love--
in my wintry heart
my life is done

Dialogue
sadly
most die
in deadlock

It's sufficient
I look at life at eye-level
neither too low or too high-
it will understand
we stand equal
in dignity, without pride

our dialogue then
will be reasonable and cordial
allowing for every gentle disagreement
without any enmity
apathy or spite-

at the end of things
perhaps we'd have reason
for cheer and smile

We are not one
but both--the external
for people to see
the real person in the internal-

Freud was quite sick--a fact it is-
his phobias were phenomenal
outwardly confident and austere
inwardly his psyche was abnormal.

In whatever I can
  I'll find a way
  to make this
a fun-derful day!

Should I
or should I not?
my thinking shifts
I don't trust my thought

Not looking back
restless is the heart
not planning ahead
gives a shaky start-

which road is best to take?
how to find life's living art?
is every choice a mistake?
it's not enough though one is smart.

Saying yes or no
is equally hard
two forces are at work-
not just the brain but also the heart.

We don't like
our own company
we rush to our friends
to soften our inner misery

What should I write?
How should I write?
Today I'll set poetry aside
I just don't feel right.

My ideas are far from bright
my imagination has taken flight
my heart has feelings hard to describe
I suffer from the worst poetic plight.

Did I eat something wrong last night?
(The clinic is closed--I can't see Dr Shirley Kite)
my frustration seems to reach the height
I feel like someone who has lost his sight.

But why should I write?
I am paid nothing for what I write
poetry I must set aside
then I would be just right!

That I shall do on my own
not by others--never!
my self-diminution
I am my own judge and saviour.

Sometimes
the right direction
is not what's outside
but in the realm of one's intuition