Divided Self in Selfie

Walk passes a bridge mirror,

reflection shows imagined other.

A small gap captures the eyes,

the divided self rises in guise.

Shoot self-portrait with long digital,

The composite time-images baffle.

A small shift to either left or right,

split overlaps or two selves in sight.

Look and the divine will find,

Self is lost: real or unreal in mind.

Where the real self is, who is to wonder,

self, non self and selfie have no bearer.

The cosmic Tao is indivisible,

divisible shadows are visible as dual.

How one see is not what seductions look,

world is a big screen in a changing book.

 

By,

Dr. KH Lim, KL.

This life

His mind is on the edge …
A turmoil of emotions
Drowning his life …
In a deep sea of darkness

His heartbeats so erractic …
His hands shake
and his cigarette trembles
He is going to take one last puff …
That’s IT
And put that cigarette and
THIS life away … forever

He turns the ignition key
In a flash …
And like a bolt of lightning
He drives away from THIS life

There’s one promise
He resolutely make to himself
And that is …
Never to look back

And as he drives on …
The darkness in his mind …
Turns to light
In the brightness of a new horizon

A new dawn …
Now awaits his coming
As he leaves THIS life behind
To greet a NEW sunrise

By,

Michael Lim, Penang.

Old friend

Old friend,

We used to be so close, that there’s no gap between us

So close, like a deck of cards stacked perfectly together

We used to follow each other around

Like a lost little duckling being grateful after finding its mother

 

Old friend,

I guess the world turned 360 after we left each other

We are so far from each other that a single hello won’t work

Not even a long text with multiple smileys will work

It’s worse as there’s no sorrow left in this unoccupied heart

There isn’t any longing for this once a beautiful tie of knot

I guess it’s just a rotting old knot that is left to untangle itself

 

Old friend,

I remembered perfectly how it happened

The rock that shattered this friendship into pieces

The wind that blew this friendship far away

The last moment we ever talked face to face

The last moment we both heard our voices changing words

I guess that was our last moment

Though I hope “us” could be mended

And that very last moment is actually a start to a better friendship.

 

 

By,

Afiq Shahril, Perak.

Opportunity cost

Opportunity cost

I first came across Opportunity cost in my Economics class ,

When the prof of my class looked at us and asked us on what it does,

Everyone flipped the pages in rush because we did not want the class to turn into volcanic ash,

but I knew I won the dash , so, I raised my hand to the class and asked

“Guys, Opportunity cost is the value we leave behind, for choosing the other one to dine,

It sacrifices, for the betterment of our life.”

That day,when I came back home, I revised as if I was reading about Rome,

Romantic and Historic,

That moment I knew I was lost in confusion, we didn’t first meet in that situation,

Because the first Opportunity cost I met was never that serious,

In fact he was actually hilarious,

He made me laugh with his oddness, Angry with his advice and choices,

When he chose to work in Malaysia over Tanzania,

When he chose to work in a canteen when he was a chief in a team,

When he sent me to a religious tuition centre, when all I ever wanted was a violin lesson tutor,

Lastly, when he spent most of his life in the mosque than playing golf,

But just like Opportunity Cost, he sacrificed.

That night,when he laid down, and was still able to smile, telling my daughter & son, you’ll be fine,

He reminded me that there are more things in life than choosing a dollar sign as a friend for your…

lifetime,

Such as spending time with our bloodline, which is something I used to decline.

Something so near like the fresh air, sometimes polluted air, it let’s you respire,

Something so far like the morning sun, sometimes the swollen sun, always inspires,

Something in the north, or maybe like that one in the south,

Perhaps right now he has got himself new apprentices like how I was his,

A wanna-be debater who couldn’t choose between inferiority and fear,

But he cured by calling me a winner ,

When I was always just a dreamer,

But when the whole team left as good speakers…

And could better argue than before like true leaders…

Opportunity cost was still standing there as a proud teacher

But he still stuttered and said, “remember, you guys are always amateurs,”

Who still don’t have much to offer,

And I still remember, how I came across this hunter,

With the most handsome character,  a man of honor,

That day, when he pulled the trigger, I still can’t  believe I surrendered,

I felt like the happiest prisoner, filled with unexplained tears,

Not tears of a strong mummy, when she allows the scratch to be sketched along her tummy,

Just to see her newborn baby,

who especially today,

Who today, has become a runaway prisoner, because she’s running for what’s forever,

For that, I love Opportunity cost, especially for what she does. She sacrifices , for the betterment of her…

life.

By Dalilah Azhar, KL.

Meet me in Montauk

“How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot!,

The world forgetting, by the world forgot,

Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind!,

Each prayer accepted, and each wish resigned.”

“Look at it out here,

it’s all falling apart,

Im erasing you,

and I’m happy!”

I’m leaving,

as soon as I arrived,

sprinting right before I stepped,

on the doormat of your heart,

lying dead,

I wonder if it has always had the phrase,

“Please never leave, again.”

nicely embroidered,

as if it was specially kept,

for my dearly eyes,

to send the weight of empathy,

straight to my damaged heart.

My presence wasn’t really,

a continuous series of silence,

you thought I might perhaps be,

a bit out of my head,

but I’m intoxicating,

yet clueless,

by ways of how I managed,

to stitch your heart,

with trust,

and honesty,

but never with love.

my embarrassing admission is,

I really like that you’re nice,

right now,

although,

I don’t need nice,

I don’t need myself to be it,

and I don’t need,

anybody else to be it at me,

your mind possessed you,

into thinking that I was nice,

and for you,

nice is good.

Darling,

I’m telling you right off the bat,

stop listening to what is true,

And what is true is constantly changing,

it’s a loss to spend that much time,

with me,

only to find out that,

I’m only a stranger.

If you would have stopped,

making up movies in your head,

that always end with a perfect ending,

perhaps,

you’ll learn how to stop,

falling in love,

with every woman you see,

who shows you,

the least bit of attention,

or maybe,

you can finally master,

how to make eye contact,

with a woman,

that you don’t seem to know.

I caught glimpse of cars,

falling out of nowhere,

at the same exact time,

you were yelling and calling out for me,

pixels of memories rose,

pervaded into thin air,

from the back and ahead,

from the back and ahead,

from the back and ahead,

I appeared to be unstoppable.

That one night we held hands,

as our back rested on ice,

you told me that you could die,

because you were just so damn happy,

as if you were high on ecstasy,

and that you’ve never felt that before,

you were exactly where you wanted to be,

but your mind is currently a scene,

branching in each and every part of you life’s series,

that I am unable to be a part of.

My mementos,

aren’t as disposable,

neither is my love,

I hope you’d have kept,

those pieces of me,

instead of getting them,

thrown away,

during the stages,

of escaping from one’s memory,

me,

say,

“Blessed are the forgetful,

for they get the better,

even of their blunders.”

say,

“I can’t remember anything,

without you.”
I’m vindictive ,

impulsive,

truth be told,

I’m an open book,

exposing everything,

every damn embarrassing thing,

oh how I wish,

you would tell me things,

how i wish you would show me things,

you wrote about me,

in your old leather moleskin,

oh how i wish,

you never looked at me,

merely as a girl.
Too many guys refer to me as a concept,

which I’m not,

I won’t make you feel complete,

nor make you feel alive again,

I, too myself is a screwed up girl,

who’s looking for my own peace of mind,

Perhaps,

a screwed up girl,

can never go well with a screwed up guy,

you remember that speech very well,

yet you still thought,

that I was going to save you,

even after that,

i had you pegged,

didn’t I?

You were blind,

unable to recognise my flaws,

said you can’t see anything,

you don’t like about me,

but you will,

you will think of things,

and I’ll get bored with you,

and feel trapped,

because that’s what happens with me,

I’m incapable giving enough affection,

I often crave for the feeling of being inadequate.
“Please let me keep this memory,

just this one,

can you hear me?

I don’t want this anymore!

i want to call it off!”

you said subliminally,

while your gold plated memory,

was taken away from your life,

unconsciously,

little by little,

due to me vanishing,

and you suffering,

more than you intended,

accidentally.

seconds before your mind,

threw itself off the cliff,

we were aware of each other’s existence,

i could feel your words,

caressing my body ever so gently,

and the warmth,

of your breath,

marked territory of kisses onto my skin,

enlighten a spark,

sent current waves to dance in my veins,

electrocuted me with your last valediction.
What if you stayed this time?

what if you never walked out the door?

what if there were still memories left?

would you noticed how I never told you,

I love you?

indeed,

you’ve often bathed me,

with your love,

and your love for me,

was vast,

that you mentioned the universe,

and how your heart,

never fails to orbit around mine.
So go,

if you really should, nevertheless,

i wish you had stayed,

i know you wish you had stayed either,

you wish you had done a lot of things,

you really wish you had,

but when i came back downstairs,

you were gone,

you walked out the door,

you claimed that you were scared,

you felt like a little kid,

everything was above your head,

it’s like you don’t matter,
perhaps,

that’s why,

I want you to come back here,

and make up a goodbye,

before you leave,

at least,

let’s pretend that we had one,

Joely,

Meet me in Montauk.
By,

Sharifah Husna, KL.

Painful Truth

It was easy as an A.B.C,

You complicated it to be C.A.B,

I thought love was a wonderful journey,

But lately,

It had been very stormy,

Maybe it was an imperfect junction,

Love seem to be a surface with full of friction,

Or was I in the wrong direction?

Never once you thought,

The prestige of my love,

Never once you thought,

That people would laugh at us,

You left me in pain,

My love was just a vain,

You left in confusion,

You ignored my devotion,

Now I realize,

Your love was just an illusion,

Your departure broke me into tears,

Your words filled my heart with blisters,

The dreams we use to share,

Now they have disappeared into the air.

By,

Ishvin, KL

  

GELAP

Kau menyinari gelapku,

Dengan cahaya terangmu,

Kau menyinari gelap hatiku,

Dengan sianrmu tidak terperi,
Engkau bidadari jatuh dari kayangan,

Membawa sinaran cahaya terang demiku,
Cahayamu bak berlian sangat indah,

Memberi sinar baharu padaku,

Kau bagai penyuluh kehidupan,

Demi menerangi gelapku.
Karya,

Afiq Haiqal a.k.a Ficat, Kuala Lumpur.

  
Imej dari Weheartit.com

You never ever came

It was a long road,

With me you were walking along,

Our destination was one,

Holding my hand in your hand,

Together we sang a song,

Together we shared some dreams,

But then,

Something went wrong,

When I came to realize,

My fist you have left very long,

Then it came across my mind,

You walking ahead,

Leaving me behind,

All I thought,

The road that you were trying to lead,

But then you disappeared,

And another road I happened to meet,

In your absence, I feared,

I screamed for your name,

But you never ever came.
By,

Param Lehl, Perak.

  

Image from WeHearIt.com

The Goodbye

Let these memories of winter live on

Make it linger during summer time

Maybe next year if we were given another chance

Courage will come find me this time of year again.

The longest part is the moment preceding the goodbye

Excruxiatingly long.

So long that i’m here, 

Penning down my thoughts.

Goodbye.
By,

Elena Cho, Melaka

  

If this is goodbye

I might be too young to know what love is, 

For even the wise wonders what love is, 

But if it was love, 

What we had, you and I, 

And if this is goodbye, 

My worst dream has come true. 

 

For I hid behind smiles and white lies, 

Telling souls that we are friends, you and I, 

Staying still, not doing a thing, 

For my biggest fear was losing you. 

 

But if this is good bye,

Then I have indeed lost you, 

To someone who has decided to make a move,

But from the bottom of my sincerest heart, 

I pray for the best of angels for you. 

 

 

By,

Natasha H, Shah Alam

 Image taken from WeHeartIt