Do You Dream, Sir?

Do you dream, sir?
No, I am not talking about
Those blurry, flimsy, wispy clouds
That you see at night
With your eyes closed
Those are dreams alright
But it is not what I am alluding to

What I am alluding to
Are the dreams one sees
During one’s conscious hours
The thing that compels one
To wake up earlier than usual
The thing that stops one
From sleeping peacefully

The dream I am alluding to
Is the fire that burns within
The heart; the spark that lights
Up your eyes; the thought that
Absorbs you within itself

Yes, that is precisely the kind
Of dream I am speaking of
Those are the dreams that every
Person has in the most
Intense degree possible
These are the dreams that
No human being is immune from
For fire burns within each of us

Do not tell me it is rare
I shall not hear of it
I shall not be convinced otherwise
I am certain it is commonplace
I am definite of its presence
In each and every being
That claims to have a soul

It may not always be visible
Some show it upon their face —
The passion, the fervour
Whereas some nurture it
Quietly in the deepest, darkest
Chamber of their hearts

It may be wealth or success
Health or popularity
It may be jotting the thoughts
Inside your head on paper and
Exposing them to the world
Or it may be something as simple
As starting a family

Now imagine a common being
With such an ardent dream; working
Towards it night and day; gradually
Inching closer to the
Destination and preparing to
Celebrate the achievement as the
Fulfilment of the dream draws closer

Imagine such a being and then
Imagine also that this being
Is parted from his dream
Just as it was about
To be his or hers
By the cruel and wicked hands
Of Life; or perhaps I shall say
Of Death

Picture him or her trying to cling
On to the shards even though
They pierce through the skin
Visualise such a person
Trying to find joy
In hopelessness

One can easily then see
What the logical conclusion will be
The person will sooner rather than later
Realise the loss; the futility of it
Will dawn upon the mind and all
Around they will see nothing but
Despair

A man is nothing if he has no hope
When one loses one’s dream
One also loses one’s mind
Yes, Life is unkind and
Not all have enough fortitude
To face such emptiness
Do you dream, sir?
Yes, I know you do
We all do

How Do I Tell Her?

How do I tell her?
How do I bring myself to tell her?
She’s just a little girl
A bud on a stem of the tree of life
She’s young, innocent
With no impure thoughts
If I tell her the truth
What will she understand?
What will she make of it all?
Death will seem an alien concept
An unfamiliar script
No, she will not take it well
Her mind will wander
Her mind will wonder
She will conjure ideas that may not be right
She may draw wrong conclusions
Yet she is adamant
She is incessant in her appeals
She wants to know her mother
In a way she is like her mother
Fiery, forceful and yet undeniably sweet
I distract her
I avoid the topic
But I wonder if she sees right through my diversions
I wonder; sometimes I wonder all night
How do I tell her?
How do I tell her?

Beam

Often we are so accustomed
To being comforted by darkness
That when someone pours forth
Beams of light into our eyes
We canot help but be blinded
By the sudden surge and seek
Refuge again in the arms of
Darkness

It is understandable. It is okay
We do not have to accept
The whole sunshine at once
Take it in slowly, steadily
Accustom ourselves to a world
Of light with only a shade of
Darkness

Gradually but definitely we will
Find that we are glad we
Opened our eyes to the brightness
Instead of seeking shelter
Inside the frigid abode of
Darkness

The Red Garden

He held her hand
As they made their way
Inside the magical place
Where everything was
A shade of red

The entrance gate was bright red
With a mammoth wall of scarlet bushes
Enclosing the secrets inside
The path was cherry-red and
The grass growing all around was red too
Albeit a darker shade

As they made their way in
Their skin transformed too
It turned as bright and sparkling
As a stone of ruby

Large, tall trees populated the place
And each had a dark red trunk
With crimson leaves and
Dainty red fruits hanging
From its ruddy branches

A swarm of red birds littered the sky
Against the backdrop of a radiant red sun
Hiding behind envious red clouds

“Look there’s a pool there,” she said
After they had gone a little
Deeper into the garden
“Isn’t it beautiful?”

Indeed, it was beautiful
For the pool had glorious carmine water
Settled placidly in its lap
And reflecting the scant sunlight
That fell upon its cheeks

He held her hand
Tightly as they
Slowly marched towards
The pool leaving
Their old, dull world behind

Overflowin’

A beautiful girl looked at me
I looked back at her
Her eyes were filled with love
And she sent it over
I opened all the doors
That led straight to my heart
What used to be empty before
Was now bulging apart
Not knowing what to do
I locked it up all in
Despite my efforts my heart
Was still overflowin’

Get Me An Aeroplane

Walking to school is tiring
Walking to school is a pain
I refuse to go to school unless
You get me an aeroplane

I evaluated the options
The aeroplane it had to be
None of the other choices
Would make a grand entry

The plane would also boost
The odds of my selection
As the school’s headgirl
At next year’s election

I will gain more friends
Impress the teachers too
It would make me happy
Oh really it would do

So I don’t understand, Ma
Why you would not agree
Is there some kind of problem
That I am failing to see?

Shape Poem #1

Let us play a game
I want you to guess
My
Name
Come on, it is not
That difficult, is it?
I’ve
Given
You
A
Start

From One Rainbow To Another

I’ve been hopping all my life
From one rainbow to another
Sliding along the curves, hoping
I’ll land upon a pot of gold

With every failure now I know
How my hopes have begun to fade
Every disappointment, every loss
Is now etched upon my fate

Still I dream, still I dream
For these dreams are all I have
Still I hope, still I hope
As I climb another bow

Love Me Once Love Me Twice

Love me once, love me twice
Take me on a trip to paradise
If you wish the moon
I’ll bring it to you
If you love me once, love me twice

Hold my hand, snatch my heart
Outta my chest tear it apart
Give me pain
I won’t complain
If you love me once, love me twice

Take a punt, roll the dice
Smother my soul on a bed of lies
Close your eyes
I’ll name my price
If you love me once, love me twice

Bring Me My Girl

Bring me the scent of summer air
Bring me the sea-mermaid’s hair
Bring me the fragments of this world
Or simply bring me my girl

Bring me a song from a cuckoo’s nest
Bring me a pirate’s treasure chest
Bring me a mountain and a sea
Or simply bring my girl to me

Bring me sweet honey from a comb
Bring me pearls from an oyster’s womb
Bring me the magic in everything
Or simply to me my girl you bring