A Leaf on the Beaten Path
original poetry anthology
By Ronnie Ng
Copyright Ronnie Ng 2011-2012
(www.facebook.com/bolametrics)
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Cover design by Andrea Gurstmann
Shooting Star
i have never seen in my life
a shooting star passing by
right in front of my very eyes.
but i heard that it quietly arrives
into the hearts of hopeful cries;
just like the effect of a butterfly
from somewhere distant and quiet
that indirectly wakes me up at night.
like a shooting star in a random flight,
i don't know what i should do with my life;
i'm still awake in the middle of the night,
looking for a reason to keep up the fight.
The wind came to me and tried to recite
a poetry in a language that i can't write;
just like a shooting star which prophesies
a future that may only happen after i die.
in the mystery of the universe so infinite,
the shooting star is just a flame of light.
a passing brilliance in the blink of an eye
will not change the darkness of our nights;
a few moments of glory within my lifetime
couldn't help to make the wrong things right.
i haven't found my purpose and i'm really tired,
like the star is shooting and doesn't know why.
when the shooting star didn't come by sunrise,
it angered the folks with big prayers on standby.
i have given up hope even though i haven't tried.
it's just like a fairy tale to let children find delight;
it's just a superstition to help keep our hopes alive.
i should be thankful enough that i have still survived
in this crazy world where many others are deprived
of their basic rights, suffering alone to cringe and die.
A Leaf on the Beaten Path
I saw a leaf on the beaten path;
she was lying flat, so drunken red.
The rain had just cried on her behalf;
she couldn't cry - her heart was dead.
She had dirt on her and looked so worn;
weary and wounded, tattered and torn.
She used to bask in that maple tree,
who let her live in her own beauty.
One day she met the autumn wind;
he was dancing freely in the air.
He kissed her and touched her skin;
promised to roam with her everywhere.
The tree loved her but he wasn't bold;
"since she liked the wind, just let her go."
The wind then came and took her away;
she surrendered herself in his embrace.
The wind couldn't hold his promise to her;
wanderer and philanderer was his nature.
The wind had to leave her to shrivel and fall;
she was grounded, lifeless no beauty at all.
Kissing the Cigarette
Everyone knows her as "Marlboro"
but i like to just call her Marlie.
She is always there for me
whenever i am sad or happy.
I had a really bad day today,
so i took her to a quiet park
where i undressed her plastic
blouse and turned her on with
my lighter. She was slim and
fair, but her face turned red.
I kissed her with just my lips
as though it was my very first.
I closed my eyes and took a
deep breath, and inhaled the
fresh menthol perfume she wore.
The kiss tasted both hot and cool,
it was hard to describe that feel.
But i felt both warm and relaxed.
Her breath entered through my
lungs, and relieved me from pain.
I breathed out some of my troubles
away, but i didn't feel enough.
I kissed her again and again
hugging her waist with my fingers.
After 20 rounds of passionate kisses
She was gone all of a sudden. I need
Marlie badly, so i'll try to look for her
at the nearest Seven Elevens.
The Rainbow & the 7 Balloons
It was a sunny day after the rain;
clouds left and the rainbow came.
Right below, a balloon vendor stood
at the park holding twenty-one balloons
of seven different colors; orange, red,
yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
The balloons each saw their own color
in the rainbow and yearned to be with him;
He was so handsome, he was everyone's dream.
They tried to wiggle the string and seven of
them managed to slip out of the vendor's grip;
red, orange, yellow, violet, blue, indigo, and green.
The seven balloons floated up the sky excitedly,
each focusing on just one color personality of his.
To their shocking disappointment, the rainbow was
untouchable; he was just an optical illusion, a clever
trap designed by the sun. All seven balloons were so
badly scorched by the sun, they exploded into confetti.
The Fish & the Bird
A fish, is a bird that cannot fly;
A bird, is a fish that cannot swim.
Eons ago, fishes may have flown;
while birds may have swum.. just
like how i have forgotten the many
things which i had done before...
Loneliness, is the revelry of one person;
Revelry, is the loneliness of many people.
Long ago, the loner had many friends,
while the party-goers used to be loners.
I myself have long forgotten when was
the last time a girl rested on my shoulder.
A fish, is a bird that cannot fly;
A bird, is a fish that cannot swim...
The Gods Must Be Smokers
I had a really bad day today,
so i went to a dark and quiet place
where i could smoke and ruminate.
I unwrapped a new pack of cigarettes,
lighted a stick, and the tip turned red.
I took a deep breath and raised my head
toward the starry sky and i was amazed
by the resemblance of the lighted cigarette
to those stars. I bet the gods must be smokers
too. Their problems must be just too great,
which made my troubles seem lightweight.
Look at that shooting star - it was probably
tossed away by Hercule
s after his final puff.
The Cat and the Wind Chime
A cat was standing at the balcony gazing
at a wind chime on the opposite building.
The cat has fallen in love with her, but
she's foolishly waiting for the wind.
The wind swiftly came by and danced
with her for a while, but left her crying
when he's gone. It pained the cat to see
that, but the sound of her cry was melodic.
The wind chime couldn't do anything
unless the wind came to visit her.
The cat couldn't talk to her unless
he crossed the street and climbed over.
Between them was just the distance of a street,
and the cat could have easily crossed over.
But even if he did, nothing could be changed;
As the wind chime was only meant for the wind .
Subway trains
Two trains on parallel lines
shuttled through the twilight.
Moving in opposite directions
station by station by station.
They took a glance at each other
but hastily moved on like strangers.
Each train was busy on its own track
until midnight when they went back
to their respective depots for a rest.
She is in the east; he is in the west.
Quietly allowing time to pass them by
yearning for the next dawn to arrive.
Trashed
The newspaper's body - crushed.
The coke can's heart - squashed.
The cigarette's mind - stubbed.
He entertained you when you were lonely;
He anesthetized you out of your misery;
He refreshed you out of your lethargy;
He soothed you out of your anxiety.
Wasted, discarded, trampled, and kicked away;
Treated like trash that gets in your way.
Canned Sardines
Like a can of stale sardines
i lie flat and stranded, denying
to myself that i'm no longer living
but just a piece of dead meat.
I try very hard to imagine
the tin can as a time machine
that returns me to those happy times
when you and i believed in eternity.
Now i'm brought back to the reality
that the meaning of eternity is being
soaked in a pool of sour preservatives.
But I'm sour, not because of the liquid;
I'm sour because you aren't with me.
Break-up Clouds
Two clouds quarreled and fought with each other;
they pushed and shouted - lightning and thunder.
Their teary faces turned from white to grey,
they fell as rain and went on separate ways.
They had lost their previous shapes and forms;
their love for each other went so wrong.
Even if they returned to where they came before,
they wouldn't be the same pair of clouds anymore.
Tooth Extraction
Years of our love plagued with cavities;
hearing your cries of pain and misery.
Its time to say goodbye through surgery;
with morphine your pain will be set free.
Of your goodness, i shall always remember;
We had tasted things both sweet and sour,
and shared memories, both spicy and bitter.
Thank you for the chilly and warm flavors.
But morphine gives only a quick pain relief;
once its effect ends, we'd have been deceived.
The blood still sheds, and the pain still lingers;
Our lives without each other will be hard to savor.
Her Eyes , Her Eyes, Your Eyes
The iris of her eyes -
opal black as the starry sky.
But they seem to look too quiet,
as though lightning may just strike.
The iris of her eyes -
as grey as the gloomy sky.
But they seem to look too heavy,
as though rain may fall tonight.
The iris of your eyes -
as cerulean as the summer sky.
But they seem to be giving a sigh;
clouds and birds never pass them by.
You move your eyes from left to right;
feeling sorry to have made them cried.
Her pair of eyes, or her pair of eyes;
Which of them will have to say goodbye.
The Tea & the Water
You came from the misty mountain
and withstood the roasting experience.
You were hidden in a tin box can;
but i could smell your jasmine scent.
I finally saw you when the can was opened;
you were huddled up like a sleeping maiden.
I felt hot when you came into my embrace;
you loosened yourself and i was blushing red.
You blended your soul together with mine;
we frolicked together, the heat was high.
Your smoky aftertaste still lingers inside me;
we've left behind bittersweet memories.
Mannequin
My biceps firm and body lean,
I have been chaste and never sinned.
Standing in a pose with pristine pride,
No one knows how i really feel inside.
I'm just a mannequin who cannot blink,
She's holding a bouquet of flowers that he gave;
i'm burying my jealousy behind my poker face.
Pretending to be cool in an awkward stance,
i'm going really crazy when he holds her hand.
I wish i could break the glass and say to her,
the words of love that i have kept for years.
Fish
Just because it never shuts its eyes
doesn't mean it has never felt tired.
Just because it never shuts its eyes
doesn't mean it has never cried.
The fish stays in water
so you can't see its tears.
The fish swims in quiet
so you can't feel its fears.
You and I are like the fishes;
We put on strong disguises.
But i can feel your fears
and you can see my tears.
You could try to hide
and i could try to deny.
But we know deep inside
lives a fish in silent cries.
Friends
If all my friends were kites,
i'd like to be a cloud in the sky;
to be with them day and night,
and cast winds to make them fly.
Their aspirations will fly high,
sheltered from the blazing shine.
Should they be lost in sight -
when i fall as rain -
i hope soon one day,
i'd rise back to the sky,
be with them once again
for we are friends always.
Silkworm
Building a tiny white room around
it wh
ere thousands of white threads abound
The threads began as pure, but gradually compound
into a clutter of entanglements that almost drowned
the little silkworm, that it's feeling confounded
by life experiences that were so profound
But soon enough those threads would unbound
on it, a pair of wings would be found
The sudden ability to fly would make it feel spellbound.
Capsized
My boat was capsized in the sea;
messed up by her turbulent beauty.
Commanding waves to consume me,
she drowned me til i couldn't breathe.
I struggled and tried to keep afloat,
but mouthfuls of water got me choked.
I wondered how i got into this misadventure,
and hopelessly fell so deep in love with her.
I thought since i was going to die anyway,
i'd close my eyes and sleep in her embrace.
The Door, the Lock, and Her Key
I am a door who has endured
rain, shine, and the hard knocks.
The lock and the key were a couple
who did not get to see each other
when the house owner went to work.
They'd make love to each other whenever
he returned, totally ignoring my presence.
I tried to look indifferent by keeping myself shut,
though sometimes i'd slam myself damn hard.
Today, the owner came back without the key;
he was stranded outside looking worried stiff.
He turned the knob in vain and banged against me.
While i was in pain, the lock was weeping quietly,
anxious about the safety of her beloved missing key.
Without her, the key would be useless and incomplete.
The owner was about to make a call to the locksmith,
but i couldn't gape by the disbelief that she was going
to be assaulted by an alien master key - a serial rapist.
The Reef & the Waves
I had a really bad day today,
so i went to the beach to meditate
by looking at the lapping waves.
Waves after waves relentlessly came
like a bunch of chopping knives,
rolling in to chip the reef away.