Quote Of The Day #70 Finally, I find a translated poem that I really like. If you are one of the millions and millions of non-native speakers, you will understand why I dislike translated poem; you would have noticed how bad your favorite poem sounds like when it is translated into English. It is probably … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Sleeping On The Wing
Category: Poems
It’s So Cold
Image by Hans from Pixabay The light is pale and cold-- the sun is indisposed. Trees are still, road is frozen-- nothing moves after the arctic blast. Except time-- its untiring motion. marching day and night, already taking one month away. I can make frozen tofu by opening the window. I can find excuse for … Continue reading It’s So Cold
Quote Of The Day: Too Tender To Be told
Image by ADD from Pixabay Quote Of The Day #65 A perfect, paralyzing blissContented as despair I took my power in my handand went against the worldIt was not much as David had,But I was twice as bold. Glow plain and foreignOn my homesick eye That blame is just as dear as praiseAnd praise as … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Too Tender To Be told
Quote Of The Day
Quote Of The Day #42 I read this author's "The Loyal Son" about Ben Franklin and his son, and really like it. I have to say our local grocery store really has nice biographies and nice WWII books. Anyway, I went online to see if the same author wrote other biographies and found this one … Continue reading Quote Of The Day
Poem Of The Day: Midnight Construction
Poem Of The Day #55 Busy road constructions angry and loud; jackhammers scream the midnight hour, Heavy machinery are nonstop whirring, as if complaining, "How can you sleep when I'm working?" Strained nerves can't calm down-- better get up and write something. But I don't have anything to write about. This topic is too dry, … Continue reading Poem Of The Day: Midnight Construction
Poem Of The Day: The Market
Poem Of The Day #54 Dragon fruits piled high-- white flesh and red flesh-- prices defer but taste alike. Grapes fresh from the hot house-- red, green, or black, some seedless, some not-- sweet, ripe, and shapely not really organic, but very nearly so. Korean pears as big as a cantaloupe-- four dollars each, and … Continue reading Poem Of The Day: The Market
Poem Of The Day: The Rain
Image by NickyPe from Pixabay Poem Of The Day #53 All day long-- misty drizzle, wet raindrops, freezing pellets, snow flakes-- weather in all forms have a last party of the winter. March is a difficult month, counting date--only the 9th. Spring is in the mind, but nowhere to find. Search the dump of my … Continue reading Poem Of The Day: The Rain
Poem Of The Day: Flower & People
Poem Of The Day #52 "How red? How beautiful." Touching the waxy petals, smelling the non-existent fragrance, she says, "beautiful flowers, but ugly root. Don't you think?" "It's like people. You know, people with pretty face, but ugly feet. We all have ugly feet." I say to her. "Haha, that's because we don't do manicure … Continue reading Poem Of The Day: Flower & People
Poem: Thursday
Poem Of The Day #51 Thursday is always disappointing-- close to weekend, but not yet there. Friday's a delight after days of tear and wear but Thursday is just a nuisance I woke up at 6AM, still drowsy, very groggy, but couldn't go back to sleep. The chatting birds were gone; the temperature plunged to … Continue reading Poem: Thursday
Poem: Long Time No See
Image by Hans Toom from Pixabay Poem Of The Day #50 Birds start chirping early in the morning. Long time no see-- two or three months no hear of thee. Last week's rain, ice, windy chill, and the weekend's snow squall become a distant memory. Now we cheer spring in February -- 60 Fahrenheit, in … Continue reading Poem: Long Time No See
Poem Of The Day: I Don’t Know
Image by Peter H from Pixabay Poem Of The Day #49 She has a question about so and so, and I'm answering as if I know. But I really don't. Why? Why do I behave like a know-it-all? Why can't I shake my head and let it go? Just admit that I don't know since … Continue reading Poem Of The Day: I Don’t Know
Quote Of The Day #38
Image by Jerzy Górecki from Pixabay I have an Audible plus membership and it gives free audio books. Even though I know I often don't like these free books, I can't resist a freebie. So I downloaded an anthology of poems "She Walked In Beauty". It turns out better than I thought. Most of these … Continue reading Quote Of The Day #38
Poem Of The Day #48
Here -- known this done that; there -- still a question mark; where -- an everlasting quest. Somewhere is an idle wish; anywhere is a wild guess; nowhere is a dreaded consequence. Then -- an unreliable memory; now -- a perpetual dissatisfaction; next -- an illusion and a conjecture. The quietness only reminds me of … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #48
Poem Of The Day #47
Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay I helped a stranger to translate in an Asian grocery store-- the difference between packages of rice. What's the stories behind her made-up face? Her accent, a hint of a far away hometown; her winter coat, plain and practical, no frills; her bored husband, tagging along. Were they sweethearts … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #47
Quote Of The Day #36
Image by virin000 from Pixabay I was reading "The Collected Poetry Of Dorothy Parker". These poems are too sad and despondent for my taste. I think probably the author can really release her feelings of being unloved and abandoned through writing these lines, but it feels awful to read it. Actually it's not only the … Continue reading Quote Of The Day #36
Poem Of The Day #46
Image by Melk Hagelslag from Pixabay This is not working, and that requires a repeating. Is the effort futile? Is the work worthwhile? Monday's questions increase the frustration. As if it's not enough-- learn about Omicron cases again two colleagues of hers, and one client of his. All day long, bad tidings keep coming-- but … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #46
Poem Of The Day #45
Image by Marna Buys from Pixabay A gallon of gas rises to three fifty, A bag of rice costs more than twenty. Can you believe that Asian store I went? They were changing their price tag swiftly right in front me without feeling guilty. Don't worry--I try to comfort her. You don't drive as much … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #45
Poem Of The Day #44
Image by WikimediaImages from Pixabay The road is dry, the trees are still-- The big snow storm, in forecast only, not for real. I sigh in relief-- what a lucky escape. I'm having chionophobia-- the fear of snow, and the dirty road afterwards. She says, "Me too. We don't have snow either-- only freezing rain. … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #44
Quote Of The Day 34
Image by Kristine Lejniece from Pixabay I found some quotes on "hope" that I think are very interesting. We can't live without hope, but hope can sometimes lead us astray. “It’s not the despair... I can take the despair. It’s the hope I can’t stand.” This is from Blackthorn's post here. The post describes a … Continue reading Quote Of The Day 34
Poem Of The Day #43
Image by Couleur from Pixabay Let's have a dumpling party, that's tasty and hearty, with meat and veggie, to help her get over him. Who knows where he's now, could be anywhere in the Pacific rim. Let's make dumplings from scratch-- knead the dough, chop the spice. All the mixing and stirring and wrapping-- to … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #43
Poem Of The Day #40
Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay "3G is no longer supported. What does it mean?" "Don't you know? Where have you been?" I sweat and I toil, with no time for technology, which advances so fast--it's almost obscene. The plan is out of date, the phone needs an upgrade. What to choose, how to deliberate? Decisions … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #40
Poem Of The Day #39
mage by Public Co from Pixabay She dines and she whines, but that's just the prelude-- what she really wants is to connect. They know and they care, but only with partial knowledge. Kindness in heart, scolding in manner. He says, echoing opinions of others "how come they spend so much money on their girl? … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #39
Poem Of The Day #38
2021 is a mess, 2022 still a dream. Flower about to bloom, but nothing rhyme with amaryllis, nothing I know. The New Year is looming, but all scattered, not cleaned up, from a week ago. Headache, claiming long friend of mine, refuses to go away. I sigh, "new year, new beginning, and old headache."
Poem Of The Day #37
Photo by Juliano Ferreira from Pexels Life--a wayward mystery; human--an inexplicable mess. You think you know him, until one day you realize-- you only see what you want to see, or he only lets you see what you want to see. You think you know her, until one meeting when it suddenly dawns on you-- … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #37
Poem Of The Day #36
Image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay Talks continue until voices grow hoarse and weary; questions keep coming, people hesitating, zoom call extending. By force or by choice, through practice or theory? Decisions made and unmade. Polite listening and pretending. Temper comes from too much caring-- just let it go. We can't stop the ceaseless … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #36
Poem Of The Day #35
Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay This happens so often-- an agreement is not really an agreement, a consensus is not really a consensus. It's just a negotiation and a resignation, a yearning for a conclusion, for politeness sake, for expediency, under the circumstance. Growing up watching idealistic parents doing the horrible … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #35
A Poem Video
I came across Terveen's poem video and felt so inspired. The next thing I knew I spent a day trying to make a poem video myself, but only with limited progress. This is her post here. I guess we don't need to click on a reblogging button anymore--just copy and paste the URL and it … Continue reading A Poem Video
December Reading
Image by FETHI BOUHAOUCHINE from Pixabay I've been reading these books for at least two months, but the progress is rather slow. Life has too many distractions and reading is usually the first thing to be sacrificed. And inevitably the regret will come later, "why didn't I read books instead of watching that silly video … Continue reading December Reading
Pursuit Of Happiness Part 3
Image by inno kurnia from Pixabay This is the last part of the story. The first two parts are here and here. Taimu starts his long soliloquy about this party, this award, the culmination of twenty years of tireless research. Lulan listens to him and wonders why he wants to talk about his work on … Continue reading Pursuit Of Happiness Part 3
Poem Of The Day #34
Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay Seasons come and go leaves green then brown Time eats all pretty things, including you. Our unremembered joy of a forgotten year Memory fades all our past, especially our love.
Poem Of The Day #33
Image by 👀 Mabel Amber, who will one day from Pixabay It rains so hard as if it is summer again, as if Hurricane Ida comes back after a 2-month pause, as if there's no tomorrow-- the trees hardly recovered from the last rain; the fallen leaves swept to one corner, soaked in a pile; … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #33
Quote Of The Day #24
Image by Pexels from Pixabay Talking with an old friend, I suddenly felt the urge to find some quotes about friendship. These are several I found from books. I tried to find a quote by George Orwell, but he didn't write about friendship much. Still reviewing several pages of his essays, my love for his … Continue reading Quote Of The Day #24
Poem Of The Day #17
I am not sure how the story goes, what he or she does, how he poses or how she clothes. Only a vague idea grows and grows. Things good or bad or hectic, with an unexpected Asian twist. Relationships possible, and even electric, but something is lacking--what is it? Imaginations so aimless, considerations endless, plot … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #17
Poem Of The Day #16
Image by Gabriele M. Reinhardt from Pixabay It's hard to miss you, it's impossible not to miss you, it's delusional to try to get you back, it's a quiet desperation to live and breathe as if everything is normal. Love has no exit. I will watch a sad movie, binge a show, devour a bag … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #16
Quote Of The Day #19
Quotes about love are my favorite. Good or bad, funny or boring, idealistic or cynical, common sense or crazy, sentimental or logical, passionate or insipid. I don't mind what kind. I love them all.
Poem Of The Day #15
Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay Love is a blind leap from the quietness of our frozen presumption. Suddenly the hushed order we proudly immure ourselves becomes laughable and absurd-- from a lover's eye. All the mistakes we made-- casually construed, clumsily carried out. Then it abruptly ended when you stormed off. You had a … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #15
Quote Of The Day #13
Poem Of The Day #14
Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay In an alternative history of an alternative universe, we would have nagged each other to death. You are so clean and immaculate-- your desk is free of a speck of dust, pens, files, folders line up as if soldiers in morning drills. How much your mother must have tidied … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #14
Poem Of The Day #13
Photo by Landon Parenteau on Unsplash The end of May feels more like the peak of summer-- heat, humidity, haze, blinding light-- reminding me of that very hot day long long ago. In such a delirious temperature, even stones were hot, but you were so cold, as usual. A life of inescapable chores, an unhelpful … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #13
The Shocking Consequence (Flash Fiction #22)
This story is a sequel to "An Afternoon With Champ" and "The New Teacher". However there's no need to read the previous two stories. Here is a brief summary of the background. Jasmine met Champ at a mixed martial arts competition in Penang, Malaysia. Jasmine was a spectator while Champ was a contestant. The two … Continue reading The Shocking Consequence (Flash Fiction #22)
Poem Of The Day #12
I see you looking at me in the dim light across the noisy space of the restaurant. Is that you? Or am I dreaming? Love from the distance past, still prickly. For a while, it seemed resigned to be forgotten, but then it reappears, with a new force and a new perspective. Your restrained self … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #12
Poem Of The Day #11
The grandpa is the king of his modest castle, where the mother and the newborn come to live after the father dies. The grandpa is proud of the family longevity-- anybody who dies young is an abnormality and an affront to him. The mother--his daughter--is treated as an unpromising child. Her passivity is considered burdensome; … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #11
Poem Of The Day #10
It happened without a cause; it ended with little fuss. No tears, no sulk, no whine, but the heart ached quietly. Not realizing the severity until long afterwards, you try to mend, but it refuses to heal. Heart is a temperamental misfit, a wayward friend, a silent killer. Oh, the heartless heart, how can I … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #10
Poem Of The Day #9
You smile, head tilting a little, lips parting a little, showing your perfect teeth, wearing your favorite dark suit and and striped tie. The same wholesome smile, for the last ten years-- photo freezes time; webpage for eternity. You're ten years older now, a bigger waist, a rounder chin, deeper laugh lines. I imagine. You … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #9
Poem Of The Day #8
In my dream, you take a thousand shapes and forms, but last night you are shapeless and formless, only a shadow, a whiff, a soft press, and a vague impression. But I saw the tattoos. What a surprise? All over your shoulders and arms and elsewhere-- figures of beauty and disrepute. You are my resident … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #8
Poem Of The Day #7
Love is often unequal; affection always differs. The loving complains of the unloving; the heartfelt bemoans the heartless. Feelings have no reason; life has no cure. Do I believe in happy ending even if I know what the ending is like? It sounds naive if I say I do; it sounds cynical if I say … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #7
Poem Of The Day #6
Dreary day, endless rain, everywhere dark and wet. At intervals, the sky brightens up, but a mist lingers, a haze hovers in the cool sauna of the saturated air. I should have prepared for the rainy day, but I didn't. Now I went to the store grudgingly, made a wrong turn, almost lost my way. … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #6
Poem Of The Day #4
Last week's spring heat bloomed the early flowers. But alas, temperature has since dropped to 27F at night, which is -3C. I don't even know your name-- cherry or dogwood or crabapple-- but I feel sorry for your flowers. How can you survive the onslaught of the fickle weather? Some say "rough winds do shake … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #4
Poem Of The Day #3
It's the spring; it's a spell; something in the air. The thought of you blooms. Another decade, another April. Time hurries away as if in haste. But you're going nowhere. Your shaved chin, your brisk walk, your shoulder bulging the shirt is here forever in my wandering mind, in my knotted brow, in my staring … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #3
Poem Of The Day #2
Last night's rainstorm hastens the spring blooms the early flowers thrills the tweeting birds. Last year's April, please do not return-- the long shopping line, the empty shelves, the toilet paper shortage. But I dream of you, returning, even though I know you would not. It is understood. Still love feels unfinished.
Poem Of The Day #1
I am staring into nothing, which I hope is something. An hour has passed, I can't come up with anything. I get up, and walk around, like a clown, with a frown, frustration unbound. On the desk, a book spread, I flip through what I've read. Nothing there, except the feeling of dread. Without an … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #1
Colorful And Perilous
She's an incorrigible gambler, an incessant drinker, a perpetual presence in local parties, a lover of fine clothes and gossips. She sounds like a typical college girl of the 21st century, except that she lived almost exactly one thousand years ago. Yes, it is true that history repeats itself and the same kind of women … Continue reading Colorful And Perilous
Haiku: Snowy Day
Little flakes of festivityfalling softly, silently, gently,hold trees, rooftops, cars in frosty embrace. "Downy ecstasy", "silver sunlight", "wedding cake",analogies effuse, admiration abounds,I have to agree. But I can't help thinking aboutdirty road edges, parking lots with brownish mountain piles,not going away for another two weeks.
To Call or Not to Call
To call or not to call, it's a dilemma since the invention of telephone. For years, no contact; for ages, only ten miles apart. I want to call you, to hear you say you are OK, not sick, not forgetting me, not attached. Well, I am not too ambitious-- just not sick will be sufficient. … Continue reading To Call or Not to Call
Poem: The Holiday Haul
Morning sunlight pale, shadow of floating cloud chill. A half full parking lot, many full carts of goods, whether you need or need not. One in T-shirt, with cool words printed on, deliberately non-provoking. One in winter boots, not for the feet, but for the beautiful legs. One in jacket, an expensive fading grey color. … Continue reading Poem: The Holiday Haul
Poem: A Windy Monday
The howling sound, the waving bare branches. Your age old greetings, timely every fall, dreaded every winter. Clouds are pushed here and there, fallen leaves swept away. What's not fixed or tied down flown off. Gone is the past season of fear that virus spread through the air. Holidays are here, relief is near, hopes … Continue reading Poem: A Windy Monday
Poem: In Season
It's an eccentric fruit, in color, shape, structure, pronunciation, and spelling--pomegranate. Suddenly it shows up in stores, some in piles, some in bins, some big--more than one pound each, some small as a tennis ball. The seeds are so red, almost hurting your eyes; eating them are so messy, hands sticky, face splashed red. "But … Continue reading Poem: In Season
How Lucky You Are
Shermei, Shermei, You don't know how lucky you are. You've never lived in a flooded house, your only shelter, standing on a little stool to eat your meal. You've never lived through a famine,when a chicken in the black market would cost a month's salary. You've never encountered social turmoils, when bandits came to draft … Continue reading How Lucky You Are
November’s Bad Poems
It's the ugly child of poem that only I can love. Leaves Everywhere https://www.instagram.com/p/CHObA3_Hjut/ I saw her at the Asian grocery store here several times. She must be living nearby. She walked so purposefully into the store as if she's marching towards a battlefield. To battle what? I don't know. A battle with veggies? When … Continue reading November’s Bad Poems
Haiku: Falling Leaves
A night of wind and falling leaves. Everywhere I go, I walk on the carpet of leaves. Remember last October, Twelve months as if a blink of an eye. I'm one year older but not a bit wiser. Can't get rid of the inertia, can't change my habit. A continued cycle of misunderstanding.
Poem: It Is A Ghost
A common Friday, not bad enough to be tragic, not funny enough to be comic, not good enough to be happy, not unproductive enough to be a total waste of time. Every method of human contact can be used to thwart real communication, which is the best way to lie without really lying. An advice … Continue reading Poem: It Is A Ghost
Poem: The Season Of Leaves
Rain all night and all morning. The bright yellow leaves in tears,shaking on the branches,sprawling on the ground,carpeting everything--the lawn, the paths, the cars.The season of leaves,a beautiful death,a colorful eulogy,a spectacular funeral. The slice of toasted bread turns soggy quickly.Rains pouring from the broken corner of the gutter. I say to myself I can't … Continue reading Poem: The Season Of Leaves
Haiku: Autumn
Leaves creaking dry.The sound of autumnunder my steps. Fiery hues--red, yellow, green--sway in the wind.The color of autumnalong the road. The remnant of summer heat can't warmthe cool touch of autumn.Bare arms shudder. Last October, same spot, same weather, but a younger me.The mood of autumnwon't quit my mind.
Dusk Falls At 7:00PM
Darkened sky, brisk air; cool breezes chill the arms bare, ruffle my summer wear. Dusk so soon I am not aware. A year passes a blink of an eye; a day goes by before I could sigh. Chores I can't simplify; Do it or not do it, either can satisfy. Honest toil is something, or … Continue reading Dusk Falls At 7:00PM
Overcast
It's overcast, but no rain, no wind, no leaves fly. The tail end of Hurricane Laura passing by, no stir, no bang, only a little sigh about not having sunshine and blue sky. It's the best time for shopping-- first stop restaurant W for takeout. It used to be so popular that patrons swarming, but … Continue reading Overcast
Subjectivity
It's read and read again, by people here and there, far and near. Different wiring of our brain-- some cheer, some jeer, some unclear. I feel like a country lout visiting a city, not sure what's good, what's bad, what's gritty. My praise, too earthy; my details, too petty. The worst concerns criticism, for which … Continue reading Subjectivity
Block and Unblock
Something small but not trivial, big but not boasting, routine but not insignificant, down to earth but not vulgar. And what is it then? A vague idea one way or another. How to be disciplined as well as imaginative? Without the former, no work is done; without the later, no work is worthwhile. A call … Continue reading Block and Unblock
Another Stormy Day
Distant thunder, darkened sky, humidity high. Wind starts, dusts fly, leaves shake and cry. Rain is expected, but not coming yet. Schedules affected, write it down in case I forget. I am not sure how the story goes, what he or she does, how he poses or how she clothes. Things good or bad or … Continue reading Another Stormy Day
Dream Come True
That's impossible to achieve, I know, but I'd like him to try to reach that goal. When he has something useful to do, idleness and mischief he won't have time to pursue. Play psychological game with her son. She thinks it is smart and fun. How about something achievable, make a plan and do something … Continue reading Dream Come True
Dance Fitness
I dance with Fitness Marshall, to whose YouTube video I'm partial. Suddenly a bejeweled figure whirling, in a corner of the screen. Is that Pryanka turning and twirling, in a Bollywood movie I haven't seen? The music in old old black and white "Awaara", so distinct, so sad, but strangely you can dance to it. … Continue reading Dance Fitness
Nowhere and Anywhere
Even the north pole is 38 degrees Celsius. That's 95 Fahrenheit or higher? Why bother, nobody I know is living there. It's the online Asian news, telling you disasters here, there, everywhere. Polar bear is starving, permafrost on fire, igniting a forest with flame raging, from the melting ice, new islands emerging, an arctic competition … Continue reading Nowhere and Anywhere
The Distance
of eighty miles is nothing, a two-hour drive barely. If our friendship is something, I should go monthly. There are people who travel weekly from New Jersey to Flushing, Queens only for dumplings, or a homely straw mat. I am not one of those since I am too lazy, a true tortoise, with no ambition … Continue reading The Distance
Discovery
At the parking lot of a store, a man was unloading something from the back of a truck. He turned around and shouted at me, repeating something as if he's chanting. I couldn't make out what he was saying. A woman drove by and heard the shouting. "Oh, it's closed, right? Thank you." She said, … Continue reading Discovery
Minimum Chores
I don't know what minimalism is, but minimizing chores must be a bliss. Time used to be allocated to tackle dirt, mess, garbage accumulated. Then the discipline wanes day by day, cleaning plans suffer delay after delay. I say I am a tortoise or sloth, slow and unclean. Laziness is in my gene. I say … Continue reading Minimum Chores
A Friend’s Admiration
A friend calls, asking me to translate for him to renew his license, and applying for this and that on internet. I like this friend because he admires me without a trace of envy or reserve. I help him write a letter to the government, he raves about my skills. I help him write his … Continue reading A Friend’s Admiration
During The Storm
The lights come and go, come and go, as if a ghost in the wire. From a slit of opening in the window, gust of air rush in, to frighten or to inspire. Dirt, leaves, water all mixed up in the wind--the smell of a storm. The sun comes out before the clouds take over … Continue reading During The Storm