poemsbyninotaziz: August 2012

The downfall of Malacca

Unending summer

Long ago admirals marched

Endless siege

The only way

To conquer the city gates

The bridge must fall

Warriors divide

20,000 fell, more came

From the river

The drawbridge

Held the key to glory

To downfall

Malacca

Waterways so conquered

was no more

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For Haiku Heights

Onangkiu's blue moon

Onangkiu, the ancient princess of Gellangui called to her father

Her mother, her ancestors - all was lost. Beloved country razed to the ground

Anguish seeped deep into the motherland

Ancient eyes

Looking to the skies

Chilled bones die

Strength from within grew stronger as the blue moon appeared. Moon spiced

thrill ran up and down her spine, giving the chills. Her awakening was a wonder

to behold in the brilliant spotlight under the stars, amidst ancient forest

Starry eyes

Cold splendour at night

Blue moon sighs

Her ceremonial coming of age rites gave her the luminous spark of life

She turned away from the sun forever and embraced the night. The princess

became the prophetess, the queen of the new ages

Lovers' eyes

Stars at sea guides

her journey

They went to her for news, for life, for medicine. They came for hope

She held out her hand, come my people - do not despair, I shall live

So, she lived by the light of the blue moon, in a new land - Queen!

________________________________

For Tackle It Thursday

Trevor in Siena

My friend is traveling

Back in time, he is lost

within Siena's bluest skies

I think he is walking

on streets of old Siena

admiring old frescoes

I imagine him listening

to the classical music he loves

as centuries disappear

He is drinking

in the sights of ancient Rome

I hope he remembers

To come home...

Rooms

Big Room, 1948, by Andrew Wyeth

Rooms of memories

Cast shadows

of doubts that linger

long after

clarifications

Rooms of antics

Cling to yesterdays

Refusal to let go

long after

repossessions

Rooms of winter

Chills the withering

Heart that goes on

long after

death

__________________

For the Magpietales

Selamat Hari Raya

Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir Batin

from

Rudy, Ninot
Iman, Inas, Irani, Ilena

with our official message by Little Ikesha

69

the curvaceous bottles

spin

memories flooded

the alcoves of my mind

a narrow closet

lace from the past

slowly dwindles away

from maps of recognition

long forgotten

summer plays

of imagined

passion

the sunday swirl

Cocoon

Insignificant, suppressed

I hid away in my shell

of emancipation

and emerged.

For the magpietales

my life in books

today

I am reading,

make that rereading
schindler's list

yet

i do remember
a long time ago, reading
peter and jane

week

after week, fairytales

enid blyton favorites

nancy drew mysteries

enthralled

me endlessly,

the old curiosity shop

lovely agatha christie

read

hikayat malim deman

awang sulong merah muda

hikayat panji semirang

behind

curtain drapes that hid me

as i devoured the tale of

urashimataro

then

lady white snake beckoned

as did ramayana

and che siti wan kembang

finally

wuthering heights moved

mill on the floss

off the pedestal for me

and

after anna karenina, I settled

down to touch not the cat

and cave of the clan bear

but

the slow pace killed me

bourne was pure excitement

nostradamus was genius

suddenly

the day I found dune

a whole universe revealed

I fell in love

with

dragon lance series

lord of the rings

servant of the bones

french

lessons brought tin tin
une vie et cyrano
c'est merveilleux

daughters

arrived to bring me back

to noddy and egyptian lores

harold and the purple crayon

introduced

me to harry potter

hunger games

and more inkspell

magic

for Thursday Think Tank

The violin

Snowflakes fall and melt

Last notes of the violin

Do fade away -

flocons de neige
la musique du violon
disparaître

____________________________

I was never good at haiku, the rules being very exacting. So, when Chevrefeuille's weekly Tackle It Tuesday was about Back To Basics, I thought it would be a good time to try my skill at proper Haiku.

Portrait by starlight

A Dinner Table at Night, 1884, John Singer Sargent

There was a time

While stars danced the summer nights

I sat drinking music

Touched not fine cuisine

From the bar, the violin

played my sombre mood

Seasons passed slowly

And I began to smile

When they played on

I was alive, I knew

Grief had passed me by

Winter was over

For love had found me

Gave me lilting music within

And starry nights

L'amour m'a trouvé

Il m'a donné la musique

nuits étoilé

_________________________

For the Magpietales and Haiku Heights

Adventure, life, heart

Sometimes

The pebbled road is the easiest
As you enjoy the picturesque
scenery that unfolds

It does not really touch you

But the journey of life
That runs its course in our very homes
is the longest - most painful of all

It does not really cut you

And yet the scars remain forever
entrenched in our hearts, the words that
sears deep within, unretractable

It does not really leave you - ever

These three roads
lessons from our adventures, life, heart
shape our true north

A rock - unshakeable

Mon nord vrai

Ces trois routes
Leçons de notre aventure, la vie, le cœur
Façonner notre nord vrai

Une pierre - immobile

For Thursday Think Tank