A Hermit's Tale

Far, far in the distance
Was a castle
Three stages tall
Its fringe a bridgeless moat
Of foamy, colourless river

Crushing surf impeded his journey
A sandy, footprint-less stretch
Glassy exterior layering a rocky core
Smooth, its surface shuns lasting touch

Skipping when he could
Crawling every when else
The construct looming closer
A lighthouse and a beacon
A red, fiery eye of hope
To sailors sailing blind
In rough seas, on tougher lands

A sudden crush of waves
Like a battering ram, pummeling
Lifting him in the air
A spineless doll crumpling
In a momentary heap, of topsy and turvy seconds
Amidst rocks, rubble and pebbles
Still he pushes, strongly he recovers

He stammers along gaily
Skipping the edges of craters fleeting
Watery graves, victims unsuspecting
Not he, not today, not easily

A touch away was his aim
Rocky, solid walls
A slight grainy texture
No windows no doors
A crooked pole, silent flagless
What manner of home, he thinks, so steep in blandness

A sudden laughter
From a giant of a shadowy figure
A thundery slamming, wrecking, ruining
Once a castle now a razed nothing

Startled, he stops dead in his tracks
As the air is filled with laughter and wails
A world of bullies and frails
A similar, revolving, revolting tale

Once a dream a hope no more
As a hermit turns its tail.

Walled Pretty

A man once lived in a box of wood
Four by four by four
It had clear plastic for its hood
And nothing as its floor

It has slits for windows
And flaps for doors
The upkeep cost is pretty low
So very easy to keep the score

Now, he leads an easy life,
No worries no stress nor strife
Lives on eggs and rice daily
Finds the humdrum plain lively


Money in his life, you can’t say plenty
Just enough to get him by
Prides himself of being un-bitchy
Content to let and watch time fly

Elsewhere the world was in a rush
A blurry of things, a torrent, a gush
Leaving slowpokes in a hush
Had all and sundry in its crush

Outside his box, the walls grows
Towering, dwarfing, casting shadows
The man became weary, scared and in throes
Thinking about the strange, strange bedfellows

Is it too late for me to change, he thinks
To opt for concrete, glass and steel
Cooped up like so would surely stink
Though his life, he sees an even keel

But what of his box of wood
Could he leave it behind well and good?

Worldly Politicynicism

Osama bin Laden is dead.

Going into details the politics pre and post the alleged* death of Osama will probably bust my brain to the point of allowing dark grey matters to ooze out via the ear canals from my cranial cavity.

I say alleged* because conspiracy theories are still abundant of it all being one big fat propaganda.

Just like the Yankee Doodle Dee bit about his death bringing “universal peace and harmony”. Imagine heaping all that is wrong in the world on the shoulders on a single man.

Well good golly gooberleaches hunky dory molly polly wack, the golden age of the world is back, then, with the master villain finally rid.

Pardon the cynicism but the cheering and posturing of some (I assume) Americans shown during NTV7’s afternoon news was just too much for me to stomach.

Was it really necessary to insert THAT segment?

Callous really, to highlight such rejoicing over the death of any, including alleged terrorist cabal leader.

Remember the late Saddam Hussein’s execution?

Methinks it should have been edited. In death, there is a parting of one’s soul to be judge by our Creator, God almighty.

Watching the news was accidental as I was in fact waiting for the late Leslie Cheung’s The Chinese Feast.

So I endured Obama, Barack talking about how the special ops against Osama is NOT America against Islam, but instead against a man alleged to be the mastermind behind attacks that targeted all and sundry, muslims and non muslims alike.

(There was also a curious brief mention of his predecessor, George Walker Bush, asserting the same. Not sure why. Could be a reference point of sort for the general American public.)

Alas, the celebratory cross over snippet spoiled my mood to listen further to Obama’s speech.

Read in full today, I found that I didn’t miss much as Obama never did go into the whys alleged terrorists like Osama and his ilk came into being and there was a whole lot of US of A as world power’s posturing.

Hence the “USA! USA!” celebratory chants.

My ever favourite radio IKIM had Osama’s alleged (re above) death as its morning topic today and there was a gush of early callers who seems to agree with this outlook.

Yes, America is not against Islam and Muslims per se, but the general sentiment seems to be that its policies vis a vis the Middle East (especially Palestine and Israel) runs contra to this assertion.

World politics. You need steel-lined stomach for its smooth digestion.