For Singapore's 48th Birthday

 Hearken , Singaporean!

Let not our small size
Get you all down ;
The globe’s the country , 
Singapore’s our hometown.

Once , a sleepy village ;
Now , a super boomtown.
So, let ’s get serious 
And stop playing the clown .

Tighten your necktie ;
Fasten your belt.
Straighten your backbone;
Be  worthy of your gown!

 26/07/2013

Por! Por!! （婆！婆！)

 I chanced upon you 
 the other day
 while walking aimlessly
 among these blocks ;
 saw the little sparrows you fed
 chirping , hopping , pecking 
 on the grains you spread 
  along this common corridor.
  Quite consoled , really , to see
  you in deed still  feed
  those  small , brown , lovely
  quiet visitors , but 
  thought it strange 
  that you should appear
  in that frail fragile frame ,
  bent and shaky ,
  whispering , praying
  as you scattered  grains
  on the hard cement floor.
  I stepped forth
  wanting to inquire
  but you disappeared indoor
  when a shrill child’s voice 
  shattered the quiet with this call , 
            
  “Por! Por! Por! Por! Por! Por!”
                                 
                         
    ( 婆！婆!”  means grandmother-
    mother’s mother ;in short-
    maternal grandmother )  
　　

Season's Greetings From Afar

A leaf from the delicate past 
Crossed some thousand miles
Powered by the wintry strength
Fluttered , as spring warmed up
To melt the icy hardness 
Into a gentle breeze ,and
It landed lightly by my dinner plate ;
Lay there unnoticed.

I , having had my fill ,
Grabbed , as though, it was a cleaning tissue  
To clear my mess .
In the process ,
Tore it into shreds .
Then I slept.

When the morning called ,
In my dim blurry eyes ,
I saw lots of scribblings
Of disjointed season’s greetings 
Scattered on the floor.

Early One Morning At Marina Bay

( for Dr. D. Lim and Dr. Wong F Y )

The rising crescent stays
A silent witness to our history.
      Small , our island is ;
      Tall, our buildings stand.


Across Marina , the multi-colored tinted glitters
Glimmer many a guiding light;
Together they form such a wonderful sight.
The many lifeboats glide smoothly across the bay;
The beacon on nearby floating lifebuoy seems to say:


The ideals we harbor are a hope;
A better life for us, and
Perhaps for the rest of humankind.