Cycling and Cadence

Once upon a time,

In a galaxy far, far away

Lycra clad riders,

stand amidst sculptures at Gardens by the Bay

They evoked tradition and antiquity

And their cadence,

Is just right.

Oct 2018

Latin and Lam

Once there was a man called Lam
He had a classical education
For which he received much adulation
He suggested I memorise Latin phrases
For my own good

With relish I took on the task,
but stumbled and fumbled arduously
I suggested the Roman Colosseum
Can be called Circus maximus,
To which he replied,
Your Latin cannot be tolerated,
Sigh

Latin is the language of ancient Rome and its Empire,
the language of scholarship and administration
Mr Lam advised, mystified by my ignorance,
I could, if I should, sigh

So my Latin quest
Came to a halt,
But it delighted both of us
To stand, proudly at The National Gallery
Next to the capital,
Of the Corinthian column,
A Roman citation
Of Heaven’s powerful presence
No less!

For,
This is the man, they called Lam

Sep 2018

Hurricane Florence

 Photo by Juan Gomez

A raging tropical hurricane has just hit Eastern USA
The lightning flashes, jagged
The heavens are scowling
The winds are howling
The rain falls mercilessly
Sweeping away,
The remains of the day

We can’t calm the storm,
But we can just calm down
It’s God’s fury on nature and man
For man has drifted away,
And the Mandate of Heaven,
Teaches

Hurricane Florence in South Carolina,
Sweeps away the past
Nature declares violently that
this is necessary
To bring in a new season

In our desperation,
We ask Atticus
Who replies, yes,
This storm is Florence
Now you know, you need her
To be wild with her,
Is to live
Is to be safe

Autumn 2018

High School Romance

 Photo by Element5 Digital

Once upon a time,
In a galaxy far, far away,
a young man asked a young lady,
You can’t be cerebral
Why not, replied the lady
Because you are gorgeous, said the young man
I’m both smart and beautiful, came the reply
The young man, steadied himself,
fumbled and blurted out, OMG!
And he never felt so enchanted before,
This lady, so awesome,
Is from Singapore!

Autumn 2018

NYC in Summer

When the cool summer breeze blew,
I saw, and
my smile grew bigger
When Singapore’s flag fluttered in the wind,
Recognizably standing tall, amongst nations
My heart was proud,
My tiny little country, 
held in high regard,
Hark the herald angels sing,
In Rockefeller Centre,
Amidst Romanesque columns of olde,
A fleeting moment in time
When I seize this moment, 
Exulting, but also ponder,
Because good governance 
Is not a given,
Is not a given!

June 2018

Cleopatra’s Love

Cleopatra and Mark Anthony had a romantic liaison

I am Queen of the Nile

Says Cleopatra in Alexandria

Not for me, the Roman forum and speeches of hysteria

But Mark Anthony proclaims his fatal adulation

Folly after folly committed in Alexandria

While Rome burns, they shared a pizza

Cutting it with their little Caesars

Mar 2018

The Art of Thomas Yeo

Thomas Yeo, the artist, says the brush is tyranny

With only a knife I can reach my epiphany

My paintings are more than candy and lime

They will survive the bonfire of time

And in any room, they herald a triumphant entry!

Feb 2018

A Royal Wedding

 Photo by James Toose on Unsplash