There was a Woman



    There was a woman who wrote all night
    We wonder why she wrote all night
    Perhaps she wanted to do what she felt was right...

    There was a woman who wrote all night
    We wonder why she wrote all night
    She wrote all night to capture thoughts
    We wonder why she captured thoughts
    Perhaps to remind those who forgot
    Perhaps to stop the rot...

    There was a woman who wrote all night
    We wonder why she wrote all night
    She wrote all night to capture thoughts
    She captured thoughts to shape her actions
    Perhaps she wanted to share the notion
    Of all that was good and beautiful and ancient

    There was a woman who wrote all night
    We wonder why she wrote all night
    She wrote all night to capture thoughts
    She captured thoughts to shape her actions
    She wanted to share the notion
    Of all that was good and beautiful and ancient
    Perhaps she truly believed
    In the wisdom of the old manuscripts
    Lie buried under fathomless seas
    Unless we seek to unravel mysteries
    Legends long past hold the key
    To our coded history

    It was never mere fiction
    Fuelled by imagination

    Copyright 2015 ©  ninotaziz
    All Rights Reserved

    The Hikayat belongs to all of us
    To love. To share. And to cherish.

                                                          22 comments:

                                                          1. You have done so much to raise appreciation of Malay legend, my friend. It has been amazing watching you blaze across the Malay literary world. The repetition in this poem really works, and I love "Legends long past hold the key to our coded history."

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                                                            1. Thanks Sherry! This poem was inspired by that famous funny children's rhyme, "There was an old woman who swallowed a fly"

                                                              Do you remember it?

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                                                            2. I remember it well, and caught the rhythm immediately. :)

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                                                            3. Yes, I thought of that as I read it. The repetition is a learning technique... helps with memorization.... so very effective here.

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                                                          2. The repetitions create a continuity subjecting the progression to a smooth flow. It creates a song-like verse. It strengthens the notion of keeping the memory alive of such historical wonders. Wonderful take Ninot Ma'am!

                                                            Hank

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                                                          3. Perhaps she wrote because so many have forgotten the legends and all they have to teach us, or to enrich our lives. That you know why you write, or at least have a notion of it, is a good thing. Now that you mention the rhyme in the comments I can hear it as well. Write on ninot.

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                                                          4. I like the depth to this poem, and I think we all wonder why she wrote all night after reading it.. I do think that when a person writes all night that it is unlikely to be purely fiction....that more likely she is bringing legends to life, as you so well expressed.

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                                                          5. There was a timed that legends, clan & people's history, stories & diatribes were only kept alive with an oral tradition, passed down from elders; but the old ways wane, & maybe the woman was the last in her story teller's genetic line, & she was anxious to save the tales, the spiritual legends & lessons for posterity.

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                                                          6. She wrote all night so she could capture the "stories" to pass down from generation to generation so they don't get lost in translation.

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                                                          7. it is interesting to peek into the reason why people write - i think everyone has their own story a bit and writes for different reasons... to digest what happens - to shape the future - to capture slices of life...

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                                                            1. Loved your article Claudia. What are we without layers?

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                                                          8. I loved reading that book to my kids and the kids in the classrooms where I sub. There are many variations, of which one is yours:)

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                                                          9. I like how you build this poem by repetions.. Almost like when you learn a poem by heart, maybe just how we think when we write, it become a poem about writing which in itself become a process itself...

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                                                          10. As soon as I started reading, I thought ' reminds me of the old woman who swallowed a fly' - what a clever use of that nonsense rhyme to build something rather more profound... I love the way you build line upon line in each stanza, but also meaning upon meaning. This may become my new warrior cry!

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                                                            1. Thank you Marina Sofia. I wrote this poem before Claudia's piece on layers, and suddenly, it became so apt.

                                                              Yes, this is written straight from the heart. Sometimes I wonder if anyone else would react to it, quite the way you hope it would touch other people.

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                                                          11. So true to seek within.. call it... find it.. and write it all down.. may seem fiction to others..
                                                            but truth remains.. when within becomes light.. and the dark of outside becomes
                                                            bright as well..:)

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                                                          12. I wonder what the ancients clung to ? A thought provoking piece

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                                                          13. ....and she keeps legends and history alive in our minds and hearts.....this is beautiful Ninot! I love the repetition in this. I hope that you get a much deserved vacation. So you can relax and maybe go to the sea and just enjoy the scenery. :-)

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                                                          14. I used to sing and read "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly" to the children I work with, so the format of this spoke to me right away. A unique approach to layering your poem.

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                                                          15. It's important for old ideas, history, to be introduced into new poetry----there is so much to learn from other cultures ..sometimes I feel those messages get lost in translation or by simply not reading it, yet we hope it will touch others.

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                                                          16. I see you have many more books you have published. I certainly enjoyed your first one and am glad to see you continue. I have not written for some time now but hope to get back to it. Take care.

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