On Plucking the Bitter Fruit

They asked me to describe 
what it is that
I am feeling right now:

The disappointment of a son
and the alienation of a man
the bitterness of hopes
and the sweetness of vindication
the smallness of petty disagreements
and the enormity of loss
even if it is just the losing of you

I buried you yesterday
and I accepted your mantle
but I refuse this myth-making
this farce of false memories

You left us yesterday
but I left you long ago.

On Winning

I came home and
opened the door
It was early morning
and my cat meowed
welcoming me home

I stooped down to pet her
with tears in my eyes, saying
“You won, Monkey. You won.”

On Icebergs

Everyone you meet today
is an iceberg:
what you see is what is
above the surface,
but underneath the waves is
a universe of hidden things:
Love and
Pain and
Joy and
Lust and
Hurt and
everything else that makes you and I
Real.

On My Undivided Time

All I can give you
is my undivided time,
here and now,
to listen to
what you have to say.

To sympathise,
to commiserate,
to suggest,
to advise.

There is not much else
that I can give,
or would want to give.

This is it.
Take it as it is.

On a Majestic Unfolding

The sky was a dark hue of
Vermilion and pink and purple and
It took my breath away to
Know that just outside my balcony tonight is
His Majesty unfolding like
A banner of blessings.

On Days Unending

These days I tread in silence
In patient reverie
With faith in His Munificence
I spend each day with thee

These days I do remember
And softly meditate
On past travails and thunder -
Reflections inundate!

These days I wait and wonder
If ever future holds
Or if perhaps t’was never
My fortune to behold

These days I pass in silence
I wait resignedly
For Him to pass my sentence
My fate, eternal be!

On Record

I write this to you
An unnameable and unknown you
From across these miles
These years
These centuries

As a record
of my erstwhile existence.

On Being Grim

He looked right at me
and said,
“It is going to be grim.
You need to be strong
for your mother,
and your family.”

I just looked away,
desperately trying to hide
my breaking heart.

Tentang Beban

Takkan Tuhan menambah beban
Melainkan kau mampu menahan
Atas daya setiap insan.

Hasil baik semua usaha
Hasil jahat semua durjana
Semuanya ‘kan kau tanggung jua. 

Maka doa dipohon angkat:

Wahai Tuhan pemilik Rahmat!
Jangan kami terkira laknat
Andai kami terkhilaf ingat.

Wahai Tuhan segenap alam!
Jangan kami Engkau bebankan
Persis kaum dimasa silam.

Wahai Tuhan maha semesta!
Jangan kami Engkau bebankan
Sedang tiada kami berdaya.

Dan maafkan silapnya kami
Ampunkanlah dosanya kami
Rahmatilah kesemua kami
Yang bertegas menentang musuh
Engkau jua Pemberi Ampuh 
Beri kami Menang yang Kukuh.

Terilham oleh Al Baqarah 286.