Life

A body in which love is born,
A body in which courage is born,
A body in which hope is born,
Has a life.

A body in which there is no doubt,
A body in which there is no fear,
A body in which there is no hatred,
Has a life.

A body in which there is gratefulness,
A body in which there is Happiness,
A body in which there is thoughtfulness,
Has a life.

A body which has a heart as soft as velvet,
A body which has a mind as light as a feather,
A body which has a voice as sweet as honey,
Has a life.

A body which has a mouth to speak the truth,
A body which has ears to hear the truth,
A body which has eyes to see the truth,
Has a life.

A body which has legs to travel the correct path,
A body which has hands to make a better world,
A body which has eyes to give Faith,
Has a life.

A body which crawls like a baby,
A body which becomes a future citizen of the world,
A body which ultimately dies in old age,
Has a life in it.

-- Antarika Sen

Time

something telling me in my heart
something tickling
a song in my longing
something eroding
then the leaves of time that I have neatly kept
in my shirt pocket
once in a while stretch lazily
"what time now?"
"long past lunch time. are you hungry?"
no response
so I simply let them crowd there
the leaves of time keeping a record of my life
sometimes they say something
sometimes they sing
do tears wet your pocket?
I cannot remember
usually it dries by itself
really?

-- Lie Hwa

A Journey

I hear voices arriving
from a long way away
from my distant dreams
taking with them promises without edges
when I look ahead
I find no limit
I cannot stop
still far away from night to noon

-- Lie Hwa

Hope

something approaches me
stealthily
as night begins to fall
onto my lap
a tired face is reflected
in a pool of water
lit by the dim moonshine
are these my dreams
which all these years
I have kept secret even from myself?
I can no longer give an answer
my voice is lost, swallowed by days
tiring and depressing days
refusing to go away
although night is closing in

-- Lie Hwa