The Changing Seasons: May 2018

This feature photo is taken outside the The St Regis Singapore. The frontage of this hotel is a treasure trove of sculptures by Botero, Li Chen, and this one by Singapore’s own Anthony Poon, called Sense Surround. It captures for me the vibrance of life, the twists and turns of the startling red metal against the building and the shrubbery.

Despite living in a fast-paced city, I have spent much of May in contemplation. Time spent in the nature parks have given me ample time & space to think on the cycle of life, how beginnings are so very exciting, but endings tend to fizzle out and lack lustre. Fairy-tales end with “They lived happily ever after”, but never quite tells us what happens at the real end;  there is a reason most sequels don’t often do well – we don’t tend to like to get into the nitty-grittys of our heroes living their lives out.

Battling Dragons with Joy: 3-Day Quote Challenge #3

Challenges exist to be overcome!  Let us be realists, but without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled commitment.

~Pope Francis, “The Joy of the Gospel”, 2014`

As May rolls along, I continue on the Ignatian Prayer Adventure.  Apart from prayer & reflection, I also spend time reading the writings & biographies of Jesuits past and present.  Since he was mentioned several times in this weekend on various occasions, I thought a quote from Pope Francis would be appropriate.

Battling dragons can become all-consuming, so much so that we become so focused on the task at hand that we forget all else. This quote reminds me not to forget why we battle them dragons in the first place, and to hold on to our humanity & the joy that comes with fighting for a cause.

Surprised by the Unlikely

If you told me I was going to be running repeats on a track, I would have rolled my eyes and laughed!  Loving Husband has long extolled the benefit of repeats to improve speed and endurance, but the thought of arduous discipline made me so tired.

In the spirit of trying new things (or new old things), I went to the track a few weeks ago. Surprise, surprise, I actually enjoyed it!  Don’t get me wrong, it was hard work, and as I rounded the track for the 4th time (my goal was to go 6 rounds), I did consider maybe cutting short the workout.  But I finished the plan, felt strong, and it wasn’t as mentally laborious as I’d feared.  I’ve been back since, and have managed to feel rather zen as I complete my rounds.

The Romantic Sublime: SingPoWriMo Update Day 21-26

Poem written in response to JMW Turner’s The Shipwreck, found at the Tate Britain.

If you’ve ever been moved to tears by a piece of music, or stood in gaping awe at the edge of a cliff, or haunted by an painting, you will have touched the Romantic notion of the Sublime.

Prolific: SingPoWriMo Day 18-20 Update

I wish I could report that I have been prolific on account of poetry month, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on one’s perspective), I have spent far more time reacquainting myself with the riot of poetry and the maestros who beautify our landscape with their words.

Please enjoy my gleeful discoveries from the past few days:

• Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé’s Thirty Seven Reasons Red is Rad. Allegory 2 is from this work.
• Gwee Li Sui’s Haikuku, 120 Singaporean haikus.
• Tse Hao Guang’s Deeds of Light.

 

Feature Photo: Unabashedly verdant & prolific! Taken at Dairy Farm Nature Park, Singapore.

 

Awakenings: SingPoWriMo Day 14-17 Update

Notes:

• I wrote this as part of the 30-Day Singapore Poetry Writing Month Challenge.  I have never tried writing a Ghazal although one of my all time favourite poets, Omar Khayyam, wrote many in this style. It is originally an Arabic verse form used to convey loss & romantic longing.
• I was thinking of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s sonnet “How do I love Thee”, and borrowed a few of her lines.
• This is my contribution to Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Awakenings
• Feature Photo: Black Swans awakening from slumber at the Eco-Lake, Singapore Botanic gardens.

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My exploration of new poetry continues.  Some of it is rather confuzzling (I love suggestion that I am in a state of confusion & puzzlement!  Thank you y.prior for the introduction to this delicious word!).  Some eye-opening & mindblowing (reading lots of poetry written by Singaporeans; yes!  we do have a body of work to boast of).  And some I simply love! love! love! (Jack Spicer, Amy Lowell,  Tse Hao Guang).

I have experimented with some new forms: some I find easier to use than others.  I am also consciously working on elevating the writing; I continue to struggle with what this means, and how to get it done effectively.

In Defense of Prose Poetry: SingPoWriMo Day 6-13 Update

A-ha! SingPoWriMo Day 1-5 Update

It has been an educational 5 days:

• 5 days, 5 poems released into the Wild
• I’ve tried a Somonka & a Ghazal, both of which I’ve only become acquainted with this week.
• every day is a challenge not to faint from intimidation, being amongst much younger, hugely intellectual and as far as I can surmise, extremely talented poets
• going back to the basics & asking the question: Why do we write Poetry?  (Thoughts, anyone?)

The Changing Seasons: March 2018

March has been a time of preparation, of waiting, a time of Lent.  It has been a time of self-examination (not a pleasant endeavour) & a time of mindful charity (to give in ways which are often uncomfortable).  It was a time of growing pains (sigh!  even at 50!), of the realisation that one can have a great deal more patience & compassion (sobering).

The Garden in my Backyard

Imagine a place where you can breathe ….

… a place where the healing power of trees embrace you

… a place for your thoughts to speak, with the time & space to hear them

… a place to proffer thanks, pour out your soul’s cares, raise prayers

… a place to reflect, rejuvenate, recharge