I thought of posting some poems by Tennyson, the Victorian poet favoured by my good friend Henry, but my thoughts kept going back to this young boy - Mattie Stepanek(1990-2004). He suffered a rare form of muscular dystrophy, inherited from his mother and of which three of his siblings had earlier died of. I watched Mattie on the "Oprah" and the "Larry King Live" shows-both times sobbing my heart out. Ok-I know, I know, "memalukan!" But not crying for nothing,-just listening to this "spunky" boy,whose dad had earlier walked out on him and his mom and who knew he was dying, speak with so much hope, so much peace in his heart was just really humbling. And we as adults, go around with our little gripes and grouses feeling as if the world/society owes us some;yet this little boy with a debilitating disease had no such notions. Read the poems below, listen to the heart-given messages and cry your heart out!
Seeds for Thought
The sword is heavy,
And piercing sharp.
Stronger than rock,
It yields a mighty blow
To the foe
With each assault.
The bow and arrow
Are light and swift.
Silent war implement,
It yields a surprise attack
To front or back,
From a distance.
And yet,
Stronger than the sword,
Swifter than the arrow,
Are words ---
Among the most powerful
Of all weapons.
Words can tear and hurt
And cause pain and strife.
Words can heal and comfort
And sow peace in life.
Heed the wisdom, and
Use words with care.
Mattie - 1/17/01
a-byss'
My life
Is halfway down
An abyss.
A deep
Immeasurable space.
A gulf.
A cavity.
A vast chasm.
My life
Is not how
I planned it to be.
Is not how
I want it to be.
Is not how
I pray for it
To be.
In the darkness
Of this pit,
I see a small
Light of hope.
Is it possible for me
To climb to such heights?
To rebuild the bridges?
To find my salvation?
The song
In my heart
Is so quiet.
Is so dark.
Is so fearful.
I dare not stay in
This abyss.
Though deep
And vast,
I am only halfway
Down.
Thus, I am
Already
Halfway up?
Let such words
Fall onto my heart,
And raise me from this depth.
Mattie - 1/6/01
King of the World Orders
If I were king of the world,
We would stay in bed all day.
If I were king of the world,
We would have not baths.
If I were king of the world,
Our stuffed animals would
Bring us our food, the
Television remote-zappy,
And anything else
We need, or want!
If I were king of the world,
I would make sure
The world was fit for a kid!
These are only a few of the poems that he has written-all have been published into books, and songs too I believe. In all adversity, he still possessed a sense of humour, as evidenced in the last poem I've posted here. What a Kid!! God bless his mom!
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5 comments:
Thanks Podzy for those beautiful lines. I enjoy treading them. I repeat, I am not a good lover of poems. But there are times when I do get engrossed with some of them. Not intending to complement yours, as yours are already perfect, but in addition to the lines you had written, I like to share a few lines herein below. Not of the same genre, I guess, but perhaps on similar theme, namely, that of love and life.
Love can be an uphill climb
that's full of hidden pain
The sun it seems, is never out
Dark skies and dreary rain
A broken heart, some shattered dreams
are scattered all around
Your highest hope like feathers blown
come fluttering to the ground
It seems the weight of all the world
has crushed the spirit within
But suddenly you hear avoice,
Begin, again, begin
You have the strength to start anew
It's hidden deep inside
The courage you beckon forth
is constant as the tide
The failures you've had before
will never come again
It's time to start your life anew,
Begin again, begin.
Author unknown
That's a nice one Henry-the ones I've posted here too are not personally mine but those I enjoy reading and sharing. Some might strike a chord in us, that's the whole esssence of it. Have a nice day! Thanks for dropping by and sharing that poem.Have a nice day!
Mattie's lines resonate many childhood years for some of us. Some had grown into adulthood without the tender and loving care of either one or both their parents. Many a time we envied our neighbours whose parents came home bringing sweets or toys to exhibit their gesture of affection. But we, the orphan or if not an orphan but living with separated parents? We had to be contented by acknowledging that it's fated. So accept it. But when we were young what did we know about fate? We blamed it on injustice. But whose?
Separation due to sudden death or having to endure incurable illness, as in the case of Mattie's, or having to live with separated parents, always carries with it fresh memories. It seems one is a noboby's child. There's a song, which I have now forgotten but a few lines ( I am nobody's child, just like a flower, I'm growing wild). Our physical defects sometimes or in fact all the times, make people become very selective in choosing us to be their friends. Nonetheless, just like part of the lyrics of the above mentioned song, we always hope there's a place for us up there, where all of us are equal in our Creator's eyes.
Folks, the short fellowship we had with Edwin last week, reminds me the beautiful friendship that transends genders or the colours of our skin or the God we worship or had inherited to worship or our birth defects. Somehow the deprivation of our younger days, to a certain extent, had been partially complemented by the warmth of that frienship.
We owe substantial credit to Podzy, Sophie and Kris for initiating the 2005 reunion. The idea of that reuinion had led us to track down whoever we remember to be part of the Kolej's 1980 life. Had they not mooted the idea, I am strongly convinced that no meeting would have taken place. That pre-reunion preparation had inevitably led many of us to become computer and internet savvy, which had unknowingly resulted in the finding of many of our lost or forgotten friends either in Malaysia or overseas. With the reunion, the 25-year hiatus was therefore finally put to an end.
Many of us wish or believe we'd pass the same way again. I never believe in that. We can never pass the way again. It's always in different dimensions even if the people, the place or the setting involved are the same. If any good thing we want to do, don't defer it; and most of all don't regret it because we shall never pass the same way again.
The list can go on and on. But suffice it that if I say, a true friend is just like a diamond. If you lose it, you'll be losing a precious stone that you will never find a replacement.
Enough for now.
Have a nice day, folks.
Again,our feelings and sentiments are beautifully transformed into words by Henry! Definitely our choice of friends will always slant towards those who carry the same sentiments as we do in our hearts, whatever gender,race or creed we belong to. I sincerely believe as a true friend we should always hold dear the others' interests at heart. I am a happy person when someone feels the vibes of friendship that I transmit, whether it's a feeling straight from the heart or a more physical one, when someone just feels welcomed in your presence. I strive to be a good friend, as good a friend as someone like Henry and the rest have been to me. But though I'm such a "heartsy" kind of person, I have no qualms about breaking off ties when I feel a friendship has been dishonoured. To me honour amongst good friends is an important factor,which without, would make the realtionship just a casual one. Here's to many more years of heartfelt friendship, which gives us extra strength to carry out our daily tasks at hand in our individual roles as parents, spouses, employees,employers,etc... God Speed.
On Friday I joined the other curious people of Kuching storming the computer exhibition booths at the Taman Letak Kereta or popularly known as the Top Spot Sea Food Centre. I satisfied myself by getting one handy drive (the first one for me)that comes with an MP3 and FM tuner. This gadget is of course alien to me. But to the modern kids it's just like playing with 'gasing' when we were young.
But what had made me more than glad was the fact that the vendor had saved a song by the Carpenter-'Yesterday Once More'. That song reminded me of the meeting we had last week with Edwin. That meeting had really melted away the years, which seemed only yesterday that we studied in the same college, sharing our adolescents' dreams.
Podgykay, Groovy Tuai and Guruh Roy, I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for the years that I had frightened you with my serious stare. Twenty-five years have elapsed. The seriousness have been worn out ny the hands of time. I am rather a humorous person today. To make good my word, I like to share a line or two of court's humour with you here.
"A judge is not supposed to know anything about the facts of life until they have been presented in evidence, and explained to him at least three times".
--Lord Chief Justice Parker
"A witness cannot give evidence of his age unless he can remember being born".
--Judge Blagden
"This case bristles with simplicity. The facts are admitted; the law is plain; and yet it has taken seven days to try - one day longer than God Almighty required to make the world".
--Bacon V-C
If the late Lord Denning closed in one of his books with the lines from Rudyard Kipling, I like to do the same here, with the following lines.
Oh Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees,
So when your work is finished, you can wash your hand and pray
For the Glory of the Garden,
that is, may not pass away!
And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away!
--Rudyard Kipling
Meet Again some other day. Happy weekend.
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