MALAYSIAN SONNET NO 48: DEBT IN DESIRE (欲)

隨心所欲, 平安順遂 Si Xin Suo Yu, Ping An Shun Sui (translation: Follow one’ desire, peace and prosperity flows smoothly)

If desire matches the heart, peace ensue;

Greed fall into ravine, debt to pursue.

Let the heart flows with the stream, sail is smooth;

Tired of one’s life journey, calm breathing soothes.

欲: 谷    欠
    Gu    Qiàn

Own and owe are pairs,  tango in the dance;
Music hold the trance, quit when there is chance.
Stand still to be boxed , shut up when accuse;
Step up your abuses, bombs will defuse.


欠      人    刀
Qiàn    ren   dao

Lost your grand glitter, with grudges to grind;
Kill all from behind, stay supreme in mind.
Print and play dollars, riches rush to shore;
Manipulate all, greed soar to start war.


遇 yu (meet, encounter)


Provoke fight to regress others progress;
Trigger world war to stop others success.

Note: 

A friend forwarded me a morning message greeting in Chinese.隨心所欲, 平安順遂 Si Xin Suo Yu, Ping An Shun Sui . It means, Follow the desire of your heart, peace and prosperity will flow smoothly with it. There is no doubt that desire motivates from needs to want, and move to more and more possessions, but ultimately may not end in peace and prosperity.  欲 (desire) is homophonic with 遇 (natural chance encounter). If the heart follows with the flow, there is more likelihood of peace and harmony. 

I was curious with the Chinese pictograph word Desire, YU. It comprises of two radicals, the left Gu means a valley, ravine or gorge (meaning confronting problems), and the right Gian, means debt or owe or insufficiency. Again, the Gian has 2 sub radicals, the bottom is ren, meaning man, and the top has two strokes, signifies a knife, shelter, or the original root of yawning sound in lethargy. 

I am not Chinese educated, but I look at pictures in Chinese words , and learn the philosophy behind the language, and the moral lessons from it. The sonnet is also a reflection of passing current events in world politics, especially between US and allies, and China. IF US and the Western allies wish to stay supreme, the morals must go with it, otherwise, desire carries a debt, a moral human debt, with the dagger at the top. 

"Must Dance With Wolves": China Foreign Minister's Remarks Go Viral. Again, the Chinese folklore about The Farmer and the Snake, with its abrupt ending, teaches us  that one learns to be smart when attempt to help another. Despite the lessons over the centuries, many still fall for it. Human beings like to find connection, but may end up in wrong wiring. 

I have some problems in copy and paste pictures from the web to promote some understanding of my poetry.
 








   

SONNET BY CHATGPT: DELECTABLE DELICACIES

In doughy folds, the pasty holds its fill;

Soft, cheesy and sticky, a taste divine.

Ang Ku Kueh, a treat that brings thrill and spill;

In every bite, a flavour that aligns.

Yet in the oven, garlic bread does bake;

Its scent a fragrance to instill the heart.

The crunch of crust, the tender warmth it makes;

A perfect match with pasta, cheese or tart.

These two delights, so different and sweet;

Could bring us joy with every bite we take.

Flavors, textures and aromas compete;

A symphony of tastes we cannot fake.

In every meal, these two could grace our plate;

In their pleasures, our senses could sedate.

Note:

A friend send the pictures of ang ku kueh and Japanese garlic bread to Chat gpt, with instruction to compose a sonnet. I merely ensure each line has 10 syllables each.

(2) FREE VERSES BY CHATGPT: HURRAH TO THE MORNING SUN

Bathe in its shine and light in our walk;

The morning sun is a symbol of hope.

A new day, a new beginning:

Let us embrace it with open arms.

Our muscles and tone need to tone;

But let’s do it in spurts, not all at once.

Let’s take it slow: step by step

And feel the enrgy flow through us.

Time to greet the day with exercises

Beat up the pulp to get us energize.

Stretch and move, and feel the burn

Our bodies will thank us in return.

Let’s push ourselves to be our best;

And never settle for anything less.

With each rep, we grow stronger,

And our confidence last even longer.

Disability is not a weakness

Its a strength that we possess

We face challenges everyday

But we never get them in our way.

Note:

This was the morning message I sent to my of my friends and relatives:

Hurrah to the morning sun, bathe in its shine and light in our walk. The muscles and bones need to tone. Yet we need to do it in spurts. (Time to greet the day, and beat up the pulp in exercises. Ed I miss out a few words in forwarding via hp)Time to rest and continue my reading on THE POWER OF DISABILITY and find inspiration from others.

A friend sent that to Chat GPT and asked to compose a poem based on that. She then sent that reply to me. I called her back to check that my hp was not hacked.

MALAYSIAN SONNET NO 47: ROMANCE IN RAIN WITH TREES

Seclude spot on hill, stroll with stick to top;

Short serpentine slope, seek shelter to stop.

Vantage view to rest, embrace by green lush;

In love with the park, breath away with blush.

Shy after sunset, leaves from raintree fold;

At sunrise, crowns and canopies, unfold.

Old heritage stood for years near the lake;

Paddle, jungle hike or walk for health sake.

Leisure invigorates, caught by fast rain;

Rescue came, wade through slippery mud lane.

Shower was short-lived and hassle as brief;

Lives like falling leaves, and most end in grief.

Wander and wonder, roam in comfort zone;

Tone muscles and bones, my confine was known.

Note:

Often poetry comes to me in my contemplative walk; they are like air, flow in uninvited.

I enjoy my exercises during these short walk with Nature. The family usually know where to find me, in case help is needed. I prefer to chose sites with seats, shelter and toilets.

of course, I have read on the topic in order to expand my verses. I have been to MacRitchie Reservoir park many times over the years. However, the distance I covered gets shorter each visit due to my knees. I need to sit and rest to continue.

The pictures are all copied-pasted from the web with appreciation to their owners. Lately, the computer demanded a lot to download my own pictures, and the e skill defied me.

MALAYSIAN SONNET NO 46: WAX AND WANE

Continuous rain, canals fill to brim;

Running fast down stream, no gush over rim.

Chase away by chill, windows shut by breeze;

Wind whistles among trees, sway by the tease.

Chase the cold in youth, now a feat to face;

Space is sky above, live on borrowed grace.

Life measure by gait, reins far and near;

Steer clear on hilly slopes, so the ears can hear.

Defects rise with age, best not to fix all;

Decide gain and loss, perfect makes one fall.

Heal when cures are false, flaws are more real;

Labels do conceal, person will reveal.

Spotted from hideouts, sun shines heat again;

Nature wax and wane, brains fond of complain.

Note:

It was raining continuously for the whole day. The waters had filled the canals to the brim , without overflow outside to the walking\running track. The scene was just outside my bedroom window, in my daughter’s house in Singapore. Back in Malaysia, the monsoon drain are as wide, but they are full of rubbish and debris, thereby blocking the free flow of fast running water. Soon the whole area will be flooded, from the streets into the houses. In Singapore, the drains are cleared often, and heavy fines for wrong disposal of rubbish. Education of citizens fail, as observed in my condominium. And we have no prohibitive laws on right disposal.

The first stanza was merely an observation. In bygone days, I would carry an umbrella outside and feel and chase the chill, but now the cold chased me away, plus the fear of falling at this age. The train of thought and feeling reflected my own physical disability, especially my operated total knee replacement, which might lock itself suddenly, plus a moderate hearing loss.

Today, the sun reappeared for a short while, and I took the opportunity to go out for half hour walk. My walking distance and paces shrink with age, yet there is need to build muscle and bone power to keep life going. I have to keep moderating and re- moderate my exercises as days passed.

The pictures are all copied-pasted from the web with appreciation to their owners. They help some readers to understand my poetry.