2000-The Year Of Mixed Blessings and Curses

AN ODE TO A CAT
(Dedicated to my sweet Poochie, may he rest in peace)

Never had I seen, a sunrise so glorious
Than when it fell and glowed, on his silky fur
And the flowers in the garden shall wither in spirit
If ever he’s not there to play with the petals…

So life will come full circle once more
As he stared at you with those deep blue eyes
And heaven will descend onto his face
Whenever he slept on his favourite spot

And life to him was all but adventures
For he was a hunter of unrivalled skills
And the birds flew off the bugs disappeared
Whenever he walked across the lawn…

And if I should feel angry or upset
His presence would put me back on my feet
For when he mewed in any occasion
My heart would glow like a beacon in a storm

I gave my thanks to God above
Whenever he sat on the windowsill
Staring at the world as they passed him by
A perfect companion for lonely souls…

And if my God requests me a choice
Of a hill of gold or my Siamese cat
I will not have any second thoughts
For he was a friend above all friends…

SAIFUL NIZAM SHUKOR
MUAR
2000


AND THE STARS IN THE SKY BE MY DAFFODILS
And the stars in the sky be my daffodils
Floating so far yet so near to my eyes
Sensing not the scent, or knowing how it felt
In my open and curious hands
A reverie borne by words, from those who’ve seen it close
As I yearn in my heart to be, forever closer

But what can I do, a dreamer born of earth
For I have no wings to travel its length
Nor have I the knowledge to bring us together
Only two feet on the ground a head in the clouds
And a heart that beats with so much quandary

And a face that portrays, no strong and heartfelt smile…

But still I know, of the one that creates
Standing above me in a bright sunny smile
To always lend me His ears whenever there were none
To always have a heart whenever I hit the wall
And to always welcome me still, should I stumble and fall
Again and again…

SAIFUL NIZAM SHUKOR
MUAR
2000


PAEAN OF THE MERRY
Nothing much, nothing much has changed
Since the last I set foot on the Kingdom of Reality
While following the tempestuous glimmer
Of a shiny yet distant promise…

And as I stood on its warm and fertile soil
I found myself in a quandary, a confusion
Sandwiched between choices that were not too rosy
That had almost made me come undone, an effigy of disillusionment!

But still the beauty of my untouched ideals
Will always be here to remind this me
Of the path that’s rosy and will always be rosy
And of the sun that’s bright and will always be bright

So as I rise to the melody of the paean of the merry
I’ll give my thanks to the ground that’s muddy
For when all the clouds be tainted, dark and stormy
The pollens in the sky shall become my rosary…
(Thank you God, for everything)

THE SIGN OF SHAIRO
MUAR
2000


I WILL KEEP ON GOING
(Laments of a depressed songwriter)

Ten straight years had came and went
Since that blackened day
When the road I’m travelling on, crumbled into darkness
The colour of my life

And on this hour of faded gold, and the blackened sky
Everything comes back to me
All my past mistakes, and all those painful times

But I know I can’t go back to where I came from
For my doors of happiness, are no more in my sight
But I’ll cry no more…

So come what may, I just don’t care
Even if it hurts
For I’m sick of wallowing in the things they said
In the things they don’t!

And if the darkness is my friend, then let it be!
For I still have my life to live
Till the hatred stops
On the day I die…

Ten straight years had came and went
Since that blackened day
When the road I’m travelling on, crumbled into darkness
The colour of my life

Ten straight years had came and went
But still I’m feeling strong
And even if there’s no more light
I will keep on going
I will keep on living

SAIF MINTAKA
MUAR
2000


THE MOON IN THE SCARLET CLOUD
The moon in the scarlet cloud
Glowing before the setting sun
Watching as the birds go home to roost
Ushering the twilight that came with the wind

The moon in the scarlet cloud
Stronger they glow with each passing moment
An unsettling scenery in the wake of the dusk
A fearsome spectacle with hidden meanings

The moon in the scarlet cloud
The vermilion sun passing the shadows
A telltale sign of impending decadence
A fitting end to the wayward kind…

SAIF NIZMA
2000