Haiku Blooms 2

Blue flowers plucked Nyona bak chang** moments; Satisfying rice cakes By this old fence Echoes of giggles; Laughter mocks schoolyard Road diversion Roundabout detour; Long cul de sac Wedding festivities Details and stuff; Final agenda looms Joy wears a face Celebration evokes; Certain gratification Flame of the Forest tree Nice shady bough; Rain drops seeping This old site Venue of past demeanours; Regret and guilt linger Windy day Hair reconfigured; Unkempt spikes In sure fashion Nothing stays the same; Change interferes Wind howling A haunting refrain; Ghostly echoes cry New instance Go the distance; Ply resistance Do not be Afraid of fear; It's just an old gripe Old apartments Need a facelift; Time weathers pains Leon Enriquez 03 August 2014 Singapore (Notes: Nyona bak chang** -- The word "Nyona" means a Straits born Chinese lady with the social graces of a genteel sort, who are known as a Nyona from a distinct group called the Peranakans, who have a mixed heritage of Chinese and Malay customs and traditions. This is today a dying breed. The word "bak chang" means a cooked food product made from glutinous rice with a centre filled with sweet pork meat, spices and sauce, and chestnuts, packed in long leaves in the shape of a pyramid tied with strings. Such delicacies are steamed until the aroma fills the air and makes you desirous to eat these tasty morsels. The natural tinge of blue colour on the glutinous rice comes from the "blue flowers" freshly picked for use in these rice cakes. My maternal grandmother was a Nyona lady who had a big heart, a warm smile and who loved me very dearly. I miss her smile though she died when I was only four.)