My e boxes are loaded with election related mails and videos daily. Basically, they all shared similar racial content, and alert all to vote for their respective party. There are nothing new, the same old faces and farts that have failed the people and nation in every promise. Frankly I do not read them at all, for there are better things to read or do. I asked a youngster to drive us to nearby country towns. We went to the reservoir and hot spring and town of Kuala Kuku Bahru, and drove along west coast highway to Teluk Anson and Sitiawan; visiting and eating local favourite foods all the way. Heavy downpour on our way home, and it was wet and pitched dark to get back, with angst about flood in low lying areas. In the last flood, the PM talked about drainage and enlarged embankment etc, but it must be silly to take politicians talk seriously.
A senior submerged under water (T 42 C) with air nozzle above surface, for several minutes per episodes. He then took a rest , and repeat the ritual, over an hour. He visited the place twice a week. The umbrella (red) was to protect him against the sun at 32 to 35C. The toilet had no cold water services.
I was checking the dictionary for “shoutout”, and the lyric of the song appeared. I read through it ad found some ideas to write my poetry. The racial political rally in Malaysia is a kind of popular hip hop trend , in the sense that it win votes by pandering peoples’ baser instincts. On Merdeka (Independence Day 31st August), a friends send me a flag of the nation with the words, ” Malaysia is a land of Abundance”. Indeed it is so, but we have so many thieves, who steal, and call to protect their dignity.
I went for a stroll in the park just outside the house. It was a hot sunny day, with weather forecast of heavy rain. It was a cool walk under the shade, with strong winds blowing, shedding all the leaves like an Autumn in the west. The withered leaves fall and make way for rebirth of the new, instead of robbing them of water and nutrients. Some leaders are arrested or on the list, but many obscenities are left behind.
The pictures are all copied and pasted from the web with appreciation to their owners.
I have intermittent partial hearing loss, due to recurrent massive wax impact in ear canal. Visited ENT clinic a few times for syringe removal, or the local barber to pick up the huge pieces. The shower water entered the ears and caused fungal infection. They itched at night, and bleed when I scratched them. The ENT surgeon inserted a gauze roll to stop the fresh bleeding. Last night, it caused discomfort, and luckily I took a paracetamol 500 mg tab before bed. I slept for some 8 hours, with one pee break at 4 am. It was a beautiful day break. My good wife prepared a sourdough since yesterday and oven baked this morning. It was her first sourdough. I wrote this haiku to mark the occasion. Some of my friends thought I was over pampered and wished to right the unfairness. I told them not to unset another family dynamics. We have our own role to play. Western values might look fair and just on the surfaces. The sourdough is rounded, with no fixed ends; Chinese prefer round table, instead of long rectangular table, with hierarchy, in different ways. A cross cultural bias and perception could be risky. I have the advantage of understanding both culture.
MALAYSIAN HAIKU/SENRYU ECHOES 597: MINGLE IN A TANGLE
mankind but not kind
image of divine, cast out
sake of sinful bite
in samsara round
paradox in paradigm
choice less or rebirth
surmount suffering
offloading outlook burden
open door leisure in
awesome real data
self trap in tangled wire
mingle to emerge
Note:
Covid 19 , with its B2 omnicron variant, infected massive population world wide. Two approaches: Open free policy to achieve herd immunity (UK, US and West) or zero tolerance (China), or mixed approaches (Singapore’s so called Middle Path). Most of the infection might be mild, but not the mortality figures on a large scale. And in a huge population like China and India, the death could run into millions. Besides, it;s the eve of Chinese New Year and Winter Olympics, and Western threat of war, plus natural calamities, inflation, rise of petrol price, unemployment etc. The world is not really a safe haven to live. Other than faith and serenity, religion and philosophy have not much to console us, except for the staunch believers.
In the context of SOP, how do the individual keep a safe physical distance, and yet maintain social ties. The pandemic affects us not only physically and economically, but also psycho-socially. In a small advanced nation like Singapore, fancy an old man could live in a forest (?) for so long without awareness by the family and community. Or the family or other citizens were not aware of psychiatric or social help. Of course, we have such cases all over the world, even in advanced West. Despite all the religion, sciences and knowledge, the end of light have yet to be seen. We are over burdened with choices (and we cant be right all the time); and uncertain on how real were the data to us, individually rather than collectively. We felt loss or trapped in the tangled loop of information. We are choked by excess knowledge that do not apply to us personally. Yet we had to be alive physically, economically, socially and well psychologically. We find ways to mingle and enable us to emerge from the entanglement of SOP. It’s looking at a meandering path with a different twist, not cutting corners, or short cut. I find a modify method of Moreno’s tele- psychodrama (and sociometry) useful, with soliloquy in loneliness. It is seeking a divergent way to get out of the chaos alive, or with lesser trauma. Many people find solace in ap gossip, zoom or video chatting etc. In the morning or evening walk or exercises, how safe it is for a large crowd to appear in a park, though we may wear masks. And then we expose ourselves in restaurants, cafe, pub and supermarkets, for human beings are also social beings. We may travel to UK (or US) and get infected without a place to stay . Nevertheless, life has to go on, but as senior citizens, we refrain from outing too often, or we chose better hours or opportunities, and that is only reducing the risks temporarily.
The Chinese character, men means door, an open one. The moon shines within it, making the character jian , meaning leisure. It’s good to chat with friends, sipping tea, while watching the moon and sky at night. Xian , with wood within, also implies leisure or idleness, but lack poetic ambience.
The narration and haiku are meant to be social chat, nothing political or religious in intention. If you prefer it is gossiping in prose and verses. All the pictures are copied and pasted from the web.
I wish all my Chinese readers a very Happy Chinese New Year.
The picture of the child is obtained with permission from the mother; it’s a copyright.
Mother wrote to me, protested that her “love never melts”. I explained that English is not a really straight language. There are differently levels of understanding “melt”. It may mean disappears, or becomes softer and tender to spread, like butter on bread. The difference is timing, skill and responses of both. Teasing can be endearing and fun , at the right time; it’s soft and tender, but disappears with overdoing.
MALAYSIAN HAIKU/SENRYU ECHOES 531: VALUE VACCILATE
wherever he sits
man has no social standing
best to rest in peace
legacy of scorn
vain vision, vile vanity
value vacillate
back door and backstab
twist and turn and overturn
dicey destiny
Note:
In the long weekend, most Malaysians are taken for a ride in a roller coaster. The arithmetic changes versions, and many creative forwarded mails and video. I merely compose the passing scenes in poetry. If one has kept promises, life will be simple. However, the brain has so many convolutions, and the images are portrayed in screens upside down, which requires an erect person to decipher.
The cartoons and pictures are copied and pasted from the web. Thanks and appreciation.
MALAYSIAN HAIKU/SENRYU ECHOES 512: CHOP OUT BY CHOPE
stranger in my bed
forget name of pillow mate
lost identity
dad gave me a name
never heard of copyright
tag is infringement
nameless I become
wizard’s verses turn wonky
belongs to the void
Note:
Without prejudice and malice, I was told that I could not use my own name in photo prompt, for that name belongs to another soul. In other words, I have been writing poetry under his name. In Singapore you need to “chope” things first, otherwise you get chop out. There is poetry in everything, even in the most ridiculous situation. Soon I shall meet my Father, and will chat with him about my identity.
Chope is Singapore slang or singlish meaning it’s reserved, simply by putting a claim first, a packet of tissue to reserve a table. If you don’t you are chop out.
This was written on the 15th October; a surprised birthday arranged by my Tour Guide, Justin from GTT, and Balkan Guide, Helix. Both are excellent guides, who are well read and informed. They go all their ways in personal help. We (26 in the group) were having seafood at a café, near Diocletian Palace, Split. I appreciate the friendship shown by both of them and the group. There was a delicious birthday cake, good for all to share. In response to the goodwill, I compose this haiku to salute all of them, and a verse from The Horse Mouth: “mutual forgiveness of each vice, such is the gates of paradise”.
We are recently bombarded by odd sermons from a fugitive from India. Our leaders found inspiration from an evangelist. He was granted permanent residency, with VIP status. Then the black shoe minister insists to implement calligraphy crafty cult. The Hope government breaks its pre-election promises to people, and called it blackmail. Black crows populated fast in dirty environment; broke silence of the morning walk. When friends meet, they blurted out their discontent. That inspired me to write how people feel and think about racial issues.
wonkywizard 