John Tiong ChungHoo



Song of the waves

the wind beats against me,
the wave garners a strength
lifts itself, roars, rolls over
crushing over the beach.
we too did the same;
so much joy then.
the sea rushes
me back to the time
when our hearts beat as one,
when our dream was the same.
but like the waves
they break as soon
as they hit land
and subside
to a sigh of despair
bubbles, suds that
soon burst into nothingness.
The only substance that reminds
me of my existence now are my tears
the relentless wind fails to dry.



Song for Daddy

those little needles on cheeks;
your kisses are a fond memory
i always turn to for solace.
i love your moustache; they make you
daddy so distinctive.
and your pipe, it makes you so much
like my intellectual hero, Albert Einstein.
i am always fasincated
by the smoke swirling into the air as you
write through the night.
always fascinated why they always disappeared
into nothingness when I was a child.
As i grew older, it has jolted me to realise
that one day we too will
follow the transient smoke;
disappear into the silence
of the night, into another realm.
I am grateful that with each
growing year, my love for you have
grown deeper, thickened like smoke.



Tide

Your gentle demeanor,
Caring and soft
Spoken, exudes a warmth
So irresistible -
A full moon
That always pulls
On the tide;
A surge in yearnings
That rises in the
Dark nights when
Sensuous images of
You run shapest;
Your youthful
Musculine frame
And striking smile fanning
The embers in a
Young thing, stoking a wild
Flame that blazes through
Many sleepless nights.