A Leaf on the Beaten Path (& other poems) Read online

A Leaf on the Beaten Path

  original poetry anthology

  By Ronnie Ng

  Copyright Ronnie Ng 2011-2012

  (www.facebook.com/bolametrics)

  This free ebook may be distributed, reposted, reprinted and shared for non-commercial purposes, provided it appears in its entirety without alteration, and the reader is not charged to access it. If you enjoyed this book, please find this author on www.facebook.com/bolametrics and subscribe to regular updates of his latest poetry.

  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 beer bottle's soul - smashed.

  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,

  staring through the glass at her and him.

  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.