This is the road we must part
there's no need to say goodbye
neither you nor I

This is the road we must part
there should be no regret
our past we will forget

This is the road we must part
never again to dream
love was not what it did seem

This is the road we must part
our hearts have reasons we don't know
let nothing be said--let things be so

This is the road we must part
only this we need to know
all love is sorrow

This is the road we must part
here never again shall we pass by
just walk away silently---for love lost you should not cry.

THREE CHEERS FOR MODERN LIVING
 
 Ah, what a life,  a dreadful life
Too much angst and too much strife
Credit card and mortgage bills
Piling as tall as the mountains and hills.

Better be a primitive man who was happier
In the cave or on the tree, never a money-worrier
Nature lets none down, food is for the picking
The river provides the water for drinking

The breezes provide the air-conditioning
Music is sent by the birds that are gladly singing
No cars, no problem parking
No supermarket-queuing

No upsets, no arguing
With the recalcitrant who are seeking
A quarrel with fists threatening
Isn't it a punishing?--this modern living

But I am not done yet with this writing
There's also the taxman who is watching .

THROUGH MY EYES:        
BRAHMS’ S UNTITLED POEM  (1857) *
        
Women I love with my heart and soul
But I am not made for matrimony
A domestic life  and its trappings
Would destroy my creativity.    

Clara I would protect and worship
With my life—she is perfection-
Love I would blemish and defile
If I were to mention—‘Give me your affection’.

Ah, my beloved Robert is gone
In his tomb my heart is interned
My mentor, my friend, my inspiration  
Alas, how little I gave my master in return.

My music is Robert and Clara
Our souls are by destiny wrought
History shall remember
But would understand us not.



         * Robert Schumann (1810—1856)

        * Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

        * Clara Schumann    (1819—1896)

I'm dying
but death I deny-
I'm still living

though hope is not in the offing
yet  with every dawn
there's sweet unfolding meaning

as I've loved living
there's not a stint of sadness
in my soon-to-be departing

I've been listening
to Schubert's Das Tod Und Das Madchen#
death is a friend--a thought so comforting

my poetry is my life entire- -singing
to me is each line drawn from
my body-system which is failing

you my friends who brought me poetry books for reading
late into the night I kept awake
I'd been through Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wordsworth and Browning

yet more,  the other poets remaining--
the true poet never gives in to weeping
his poems triumph over everything

you, my dear friends, now I'm biding
you good cheer, do promise you would go away smiling
knowing I've loved every moment of living.

Thus speaks the mind:
put away your MRI machine
I am beyond matter
my latent potency it can't detect
I am invisible and amorphous
even I am not aware of my own mystery
and what propels me
to do what I do
I know no boundaries
as I am seamless

and strangest of all
I don't even know what I am
however hard I try

I have a million questions
but have no answer

so take your machine away-
you are just wasting your time
trying to define me-
the unidentifiable, the incomprehensible and the immaterial

Time-an enigma-
does it travel too slow or too fast?
an invisible intrusion-sometimes we love and at other times
we hate-when its presence does upon us uninvitingly ******.

How long should I wait, my love?
how long would my affection last?
I am shivering in the cold night air
would you come ? your love--can I trust?

Time said to me, pompously
'I have had enough of you
don't you realise
I have done you favours--many?

I replied, not angrily
but soberly:
'  I asked for none
  all that I did or
  didn't do
  throughout my life
was the outcome
of my being born into the world
to play my small part
lest I fail myself and others around

how could I have taken advantage of you
as you are known
for your parsimony?
indeed mankind regards
you as tyranny

I count you neither
as friend or enemy

you have your things to do
and I have mine
it was you who raised the question
we should just stop talking
I have work to do
responsibilities to bear--so many

You have had enough of me?
but I have the right to be around
life is an open book
and a real democracy
so, respect my right to be
my integrity
I am not a garrulous
or recalcitrant person
just a simple bloke
who likes to live a quiet life
taking care of my own business
and not one
to poke my nose
into what others do
as you are doing
right now to me

I want to keep my boundary
and not have you lecturing to me
I am a free man, in every way--free
don't you have the humility
to understand and see?

You have had enough of me
it's your opinion
do I really have to listen) ? '

'Not to be'
is so easy
for me

my life
has been made happy
by 'not to be'

be like others?
that would be
death to me

be more
than myself?
what fallacy!

too many such people
who claim superiority
not for me

too many
with snobbery
I run away immediately

money
big, big money
not my fancy

all my life
I've hidden away
from clubs and high society

'come subscribe to
our philosophy'
they open the door-it terrifies me

'here is immortality'
I'm a humanist
that doesn't belong to me

'now is your last sunset'
its fading lights do you see?'
Ah for once --- yes--let me be !

TO BE YOUNG

    To be young
    is never to think
    of old age and decay
    no such thing
    it's too far away
    (not worth thinking about)
    
     the eyes are eagle-sharp
     the senses keen
     the heart is passion-loaded
     yearnings soar to sublimest heights
     the blood rushes through every vein
     all that is
     is  quest for moments
    to outshine time
     love is proximity
    never too far
    
      the beauty of the world
     is too alluring
     love must be sought
     held and embraced
     the world is made for youth
     and youth alone
     it shines in matchless splendour
     so dazzling that it would burst into the open sky
    
     whoever hesitates
     has missed out the wine
     that flows from the fountain of life
    
     only regret to later inherit

     immortal are the songs
     of young hearts that vow
     never to relinquish love
     but to dwell in the luscious fields
     of Arcadia and to look back never

     what could match
    the first tender kiss
    under the moonlight
    beneath the willow-tree
    as two hearts embrace?

    because there is love
   there is beauty
   and beauty does not perish

   to be young
   is to believe
   that pain and suffering
   do not exist

   and to sing
   love is larger than life
   and  stronger
   than death itself

Today holds you captive
you can hardly escape
tomorrow is still asleep
oblivious to what you do now or shape.

Today stares right in your face
(every thought and action of yours it does tape)
can you free yourself from its clutch?
only if you have an invincible mind-scape.

You wrote to me:
'I never tried a Lim. Will have to give it a go!'
  George, a gorgeous idea
  Lim-ericks are seamless--I'm sure that you do know.

By the way, what does 'Lim' mean in Chinese
made up of two characters 'Tree and Tree'?
(Swung- mu lin---double trees =Lim)
in English, call me Mr Forest --I would be equally happy!

TOMORROW
I'll be there
but never the same me
I evolve
to live I 've to be free
tomorrow
only moments which unfold
I'll be there
I'm a new person--have discarded the old

Tomorrow
we all say
there's no end to tomorrows

after all
we have time
so what's not done today
is carried forward
to the next day

it's work-in-progress
the final product
will come out somehow
wait until tomorrow

so convenient a word
tomorrow

we'll be still around
what then is the rush and hurry?
the sky won't fall off
we still have a job
we'll drink beer
and watch TV
have fun
let tomorrow
take care of itself

don't take a swipe
on tomorrow
it could mean
too many a sorrow

so have a thought
even a tiny one
there are not too many tomorrows
every past day
is a minus on the spectrum of time

think
what guarantee is there
you would rise to see
the sun tomorrow?

An old man am I
too old but I hang on
still too young to die

and not wanting to die
means wanting to live--to write-
come and visit me if  you should pass by

My heart beat so wildly
as though I was to enter into battle
or to claim the prize of my life-
so eager and exhilarated
euphoric
steeled in will
all my energies in fullest harness
casting all else aside
I promised myself
never to look back
now my hour had come
no moment
could be more glorious and triumphant
( my whole life depended on it)-
I' am arriving
the long-awaited arrival
the past is dead-
goodbye!

the moment came-

my heart all at once sank
I couldn't believe my eyes
it was a cruel blow-
to what I expected- so nasty-
shock was an under-statement
nay, the sharpest insult
and a hateful slap on my tired face

it was but a deserted outpost--
grey buildings falling apart
old papers and brown leaves
blown in the air
dilapidated barns
rusty and ugly machines and tools
bicycles with most parts missing
broken bottles and empty food-cans all over
books all torn and smeared
a maimed dog and a starving cat
sniffing over rotten fruits
and foul-smelling discarded food
watched by an indifferent black crow
on a bald tree by a puddle of stinking water
the inn bore the once-proud words-
'1865--best home for the tired traveller'
now no more than a shack-
history has spoken
almost with vengeance
a **** crowed from nowhere
the farm-gate had fallen on the muddy ground
the thirsty flowers bore dried appearances-
what a painful sight!

Is this a nightmare?

And I thought
this was the end of my journey
and I had come in triumph
to claim my coveted prize-
a new life

and now
reality hit
at the core of my being
as though to say:
' O, your dreamer
you are no more than a little child
who longs for toys to play with
in your loneliness and fancy
life is never a fairy-tale
your journey has not even started'.

Suddenly
dark clouds
flooded the whole sky
a storm was brewing
then the rain pelted
as though in anger
where
where could I hide
as there was nowhere
for shelter?

I came, I saw
but I did not conquer
it wasn't my goal at the outset
to win a battle --only to wonder

what the whole wide world
to me held in store
I returned a little wiser
and am eager to venture out for more.

Serious verses often I write
but those I love most
are homely, gentle and light

of mothers feeding
their kids
of them each other kissing

of fathers toiling
in the family farm
bringing home the produce in the evening

of the blue sky shining
on every green field and garden
of flowers in blooming

of birds singing
on every bough
in the glorious morning

of the moon beaming
and the stars
glittering

of young lovers vowing
to be faithful and true
in their lives' sojourning

of the old reminiscing
their youth's most splendid moments
with hearts content in understanding

of laughter vibrating
when  friends of old come together
good cheer sharing

As long as life around me is still encircling
my verses and songs shall still be resounding
life is to be embraced--that's the joy of living.

Violin music floats in the cold midnight air
echoing over and over again
who is the player?
the music seems to speak of so much pain

Who, who are you out there?
I don't know you but can feel
the depth of sorrow in your lonely heart
are you saying: Lost love would never heal?

You do yourself wrong
thinking
it is angst to be waiting

waiting
is
life's testing

of your patience
and endurance
preparing

you for tougher trials ahead
and looking
back--you will be thanking

life
for every opportunity
to be waiting

the greatest gift you will be receiving
is when you have taught your heart
to wait for love's sweetest ripening

Walls
divide borders
walls
they
separate
people
they alienate

walls
do not speak
but they hurt
and torment
in their grim silence
' verboten'
' no entry'
' go away'
' you aren't one of us'

the worst of walls
are those built
around the heart
they grow impervious
they are impregnable

walls are the refuge
of those who can't feel anymore
(they might as well have faces
constructed from concrete and mortar)

because I love you
no wall do I need
I'm an open sea
ready
to  receive you
as you step into my watery bed
in the sweetest embrace
face to face
in complete silence
that calms
every single wave

love knows no barriers.

Once long ago, there was the Great Wall of China
Much, much later--the Berlin Wall-- then
History is all about culture and walls
The artefacts of ingenious men.

You whom I hold dearest
Why has your heart built such an impregnable wall?
Could you but chip off one tiny brick for me to look in-
Though you said you never ever loved me at all.

Wasteland of my heart
where no flowers grow
past glory has faded
splendour has ceased to glow.


In my youth
my heart was a lush green field
where birds came to rest and sing
love I planted and to its beckoning happily I did yield.

In my manhood years that came too soon
weeds insidiously crept in--smudge gathered
on the once fertile ground-
all the flowers withered

And all that's left
is this wasteland--parched and desolate-
that my weary heart
seeks to forget.

16

You have lost your freedom
Because in your blindness you chose serfdom

17

Reason is boring
The heart likes to dance and sing

18

Life is about living
Not about winning.

19

Which do you prefer
To be?---a leaf or a stone falling on the surface of the water?

20

Do not sing in the company
Of someone who is in misery.

21

I'm not just here or there
I'm everywhere.

22

This, if you  are patient to wait,  you will know
I dwell within you and you in me--it's eternally so

23

I'm stillness, I'm motion
I'm land, I'm ocean

24

I'm the earth, I'm the sky
I'm low, I'm high

25

I'm The Invisible
I'm The Indivisible.

Such a short but simple
and beautiful word---'We'
there would be endless peace and joy
all over---if we think we are all within the same human family

for where the 'I' no longer stultifies
the 'you' whom they and I accept so readily
where we laugh in joy or share one another's sorrow
we'll stand together in fraternity and harmony.

We are all dreamers
how else could we have lived
in a desolate and lonely world
where life is struggling to breathe
and the heart is bereft and  barren
seeking consolation and relief?

we dream
because it's through dreams
we create a new world
and become what we aspire to be
the dross drops away
the dust vanishes
weeds disappear
to be replaced by
radiant flowers that burst
into the fresh and welcoming air
and what is before us
starts to shine
like the brightest light of day

they are the visionaries
who have the courage to dream
defying all that which destroys
love, charity and beauty
they are the harbingers
of a new era
torch-bearers
to light up the world
the hope-givers
who will set every human heart free

We are the shorelines
watching the ebb and flow of the tides
every wavelet as it ceases reminds
us of life's transitoriness-  only time abides---

the sea is gloriously beautiful
under the summer sky
but its splendour fades away
as winter in its sombre greyness draws nigh.

A boy
thinks he knows more than a girl and is so much stronger and smarter--he builds his muscles by going to the gym and wears the best brands to impress her.  He likes the neighbours' daughter but is afraid to speak to her when she appears over the fence.  He opens his window at night and sings Are You Lonesome Tonight? --loudly so that she can hear.  Sometimes, he reads aloud the love sonnets of Shakespeare hoping she is there...
Nothing happens.  One day, in desperation, he writes a note and throws over the fence with the words-- Lucy, my dog is lonely and needs a companion--can you bring yours to the field and I shall bring mine so that they can become friends--I mean, get to know and like each other?
They do meet one day, they go to the same university, they fall in love and they marry---and now they walk their dog together in the same field
with their little son and daughter.  I was once a boy like other boys so I know what it is to grow up.

Girl
means what boy is not--she has what he doesn't have--she is more patient and intuitive--she can deliver babies when she's old enough to marry--
she will then be the centre of the home and bring the kids every joy through her love and dedication (the boy is then the father who just watches on and says: Yes, very nice, very good,  we are a happy family'--
where would you and I be if we had no mothers who were once the sweetest and prettiest girls?

What is-
is it true?
what is not-
is it false?

To be--
is it better
than not to be?

Isn't not to be
wiser
than to be?

Is it better
to know
or not to know?

Who is poor-
the rich unhappy?
isn't he who is poor, rich?  being happy.

What is-
is it love?
what is not, is it not love?

What is-
is it life?
what is not, is it not life?

We step precariously as it were
on the most slippery floor
of verbiage--what do we really know?

I was the song you didn't sing
I was the heart you didn't know
I was the poem you never read
I was the love you let go.

I was the dream that you crushed
I was the voice you chose not to hear
I was the promise you frowned upon
I was the one you held to be least dear.

Love hates excuses
explanations it loathes to entertain
it stands resolute and hits back
'  Stop talking--not again!'

How love suffers
when vows are not kept
it knows the bitterest pain
and weeps-- alone and bereft

It's hard to be a king
easy to be a pauper
why is it nearly everyone
would rush to choose the former?

When there's too much of me
I stop
and feel uneasy.

It's the perennial theme
the inexorable -the world and me-
it's real--not just does seem.

If there's too much of me
I must assume--the external
of things has encroached on my liberty.

I can only live
outside of me to some degree
beyond such I can't give.

Too much of me
I should not want
it would be a malady.

This, this only
will set me free
when there's little left of me.

Losing
is better than winning
you acquire humility

Losing
your egoism
sets you free

Losing your pride
lends you
acceptability

Letting go
of your temper
gives you tranquillity

Losing
your selfishness
confers charity

Losing
your greed
your prize is being content and happy

Ridding yourself
of bad habits
you gain mastery

Losing
is a word to be watched
it will save you from a lot of misery

Whoever or wherever you are
should you look at the stars with their faint but self-assured light
know that somewhere in a far corner of earth
there's this weary old man who walks alone at night

heaving a long unrelieved sigh
for mankind's irredeemable plight
for demise of kindness and humanity
for untold sorrows of millions as nations fight

proclaiming:' Dulcis pro patria mori
the clamour roars and deafens in hateful might
never mind if civilians are sacrificed
we are on the side of right'.

How serene and content are the stars
nestled in the tender cradle of night
while we poor mortals *****
in self-destructive darkness---with no real hope of seeing the light.

My pen will not rest
and I must write
my imagination drives me
words begin to see the light

My heart speaks to me:
avoid the wrong, do the right
through my writing I delve into myself--
setting aside all that's blight.

Truth eluded you
as with unclean hands you came
your guile it too quickly sensed
you fell on your own sword with your devious game.

It shall not forgive you
for defiling its name
its doors it shuts in your face
what you will reap is but ignominy and shame.

All of life is summarised by
just two words---wishing and wanting-
wouldn't life be a mistake
if we know not the ecstasy of loving?

and thus strengthened each of us walks
the earth like the most blessed being
our faith is renewed, our hearts are at rest
and enlightenment gives us all the joys of living.

WORDS
Words are meant not for truth
but for deception and self-justification
the most used and refined human tool
the product of the highest civilisation.

Be a master of this art
all else you can set aside then
the crown of life you will wear
you will be the leader of all men.

Words --polished by the shine of the moon and stars
strengthened by the hardest of stone
words the alpha, words the omega
each word triumphs on its own.

Let every word ennoble
and kindle the heart
let none cast a dark shadow or blemish
at the end as at the start.

Words-
do they know
and understand more
than us?

they seem independent
they are unto their own
and in their quest
for freedom
they set us aside

so often
they hold us back
they contradict
and find fault
with us

who is the servant
and who is the master?

In the beginning was words and also at the end
in them we are consumed, scorched and burnt
in the between of love and hate, of sorrow and joy
words ruled all the way and life's most poignant lessons we learnt--

words become us
we are words and thus kept alive
in the beginning was words
and also at the end--there's no escape from such strife.

Words, once spoken,  die
in the void of the moment
however, sweet
or eloquent

like the interval
between two musical notes ---consequent
to the utterance, silence makes its appearance--
patient, omniscient and sublimely poignant.

I am just words
how many did I speak yesterday?
today is making demands on me
what should I say

but about the same words
with some variations-- subtract there, add here?
my words appear quicker than I can think
Oh dear, oh dear!

I am not a robot or automaton
I am human--I should not be mechanistic
but words rule my life and are tyrannous
they know too many a cunning trick

I must study my words-bank
delete what has made me a fool
a new vocabulary I should acquire
like a little child starting school.

Too much of serious verse I've written
It's time I tried the comic
But it's just as hard
I don't know the trick.

A professor of poetry in Melbourne said to me:
' Enrol yourself in the School Of Comic Verse-
You were not born a writer
It can't do you any worse'

Yes, Santa will be here!
To the kids once again he will bring good cheer
At the last hour, a dentist he found
Who had not yet left town.

But Santa is insisting he won't be  singing
Three of his front teeth are missing
'  No screening on Universal TV
I don't want to look ugly and silly!'

You come to me
where ever I am, near or far away
at your will
over which I have no say--

never had I compelled
love to suit my way
only that you would
your own heart obey.

Ah, my beloved,  I struggle
not knowing what to say
(words are feeble and they fumble
nay, they shiver and quiver...so little they convey).

You come to me
be it the depth of night or the break of day
at your will and this is all to me you say
'  Light of my heart, let me love you this way'.

It is what it is
do not ask the why of things
a rose is a rose

Z is for zero
E is  for enlightenment
N is for 'no-mind'