Best Shoppes Poems
There's an island paradise located in the blue Atlantic.
No place on earth is quite as charming and romantic!
A shangri-la where beaches are pink and everyone smiles.
The place whereof I speak are the quaint Bermuda Isles!
There are no streets with mundane names like Elm or Main,
But you will find Shinbone Alley and Old Maid's Lane,
Or Aunt Peggy's Lane and unique Featherbed Alley,
Where quaint shoppes welcome you for a spot o'tea!
Brave tourists straddle motorbikes to go for a spin,
Perhaps stopping for a rum swizzle at famed Swizzle Inn!
Or if it's something delectable they desire to munch,
May stop by the Hog Penny in Hamilton for a leisurely lunch!
If looking for a sheltered beach on which to cavort,
There's no finer than Tobacco Bay nigh St. Catherine's Fort!
Ah, to spend an evening at Ye Olde White Horse Inn,
Slurping Bermuda fish chowder and sipping tonic and gin!
At night the shimmering sea reflects the magnificent moon.
Dulcet calypso music wafts from across the glassy lagoon.
Bermuda is known for its lilies, onions and friendly blokes,
And for the beauty of its sunsets the Master Artist invokes!
Entry for Thvia Shetley's "Foreign Travel" Contest
February dusk descends
Upon Orchard Road;
My walking attends
As feet bear clear loads.
Bright and breezy moods
In crowded walkways;
Casual tour feels good
As curious sights sway.
A sea of faces
In brisk momentum;
Each going places,
Motion feeds quantum.
History lives here
In ample shopping;
This locale endears,
Branded goods shouting.
This tourist belt hurls
Myriad offerings:
Tempting wants that swirl
A spree of buying.
My footsteps tour far
As curious eyes feast;
I see trends on par
That spur the vain beast.
Too soon the dark sky
As bright lights emerge;
Shoppes can ply goods high,
As wants and needs surge.
I observe the scene
With curious feelings;
A climax unseen
In such happenings.
My brisk strides take me
Straight on sanguine flights;
My eyes search this sea
To glimpse odd delights.
Along the streets spy
The way people move;
Scent the lows and highs
That echo these grooves.
My senses soak in
The busy fare and face;
Heed voice unseen
That flavours this space.
A surge of spring air,
Bold shop displays call;
A festive affair
In these noisy malls.
Orchard Road reveals
A dazzling array;
Cash and carry thrills
Can make happy play.
Yet I notice too
The sad and lonely;
The weary day woos
That human worry.
My heart feels the pains
Beyond the trade veil;
The rush to attain
Bread and butter trails.
This brisk atmosphere
Seeds naked contrast,
Confronts sights right here
As loud music blasts.
My walking tour ends
As I circle back;
My hunger now lands
A food court meal stack.
My feet have prevailed
The once tree-lined streets;
Shopping sprees and sales
Call to woo and greet.
My sixty-year frame
Feels fit to yet roam;
Good health wears a name
In place I call home.
Dusk at Orchard Road
Can be like a breeze;
Forsake buying loads,
Forfeit the cash squeeze!
Leon Enriquez
02 February 2015
Singapore
Buzz of human feet,
Crowds swarming the trains;
Sea of faces meet,
Private matters strain.
Downtown trip we take,
Darling and I plow;
Human nature stakes,
Umpteen whys and hows.
We reach City Hall,
Find our way around;
Tour the festive mall,
Bright shoppes anchor grounds.
Caterpillar queues,
Await to transact;
Bored faces review,
Weary wait feeds tact.
The Christmas sale steers,
We jostle for stuff;
Bargains that endear,
Buy more than enough.
Busy feet aspire,
The shopping spree floods;
New wares tempt desires,
Whet the pulse of blood.
We discern our needs,
Separate our wants;
Let discrete thoughts feed,
Get brisk shopping done.
Here we wait in line,
Curious eyes pursue;
Attention defines,
Pry odd avenues.
We pay to exit,
Seek out attractions;
Find meal time retreat,
Wholesome consumption.
Homebound subway train,
Swift and fast and sure;
Feel stamina drain,
Goodie bags secure.
Our downtown tour spells,
Whim and fancy grooms;
Easy moments tell,
Intent fills sure boom.
Leon Enriquez
05 December 2014
Singapore
Dawn hurls
Magic aura;
Song birds sing
~~~~~~~~~
Cheery sunrise
Poetry of light;
Ceremonious new day
~~~~~~~~~
Awakening
Dreamy lines linger;
Unremembered glimpses
~~~~~~~~~
Brisk walk seeking
Wet market food supplies;
Fresh vegetables greet
~~~~~~~~~
Busy food court
Crowded queues;
Hunger strikes a pose
~~~~~~~~~
Early morning queue
Banking transactions;
Money on the move
~~~~~~~~~
Friendly fruit vendor
Skins three pineapples;
Durians? Very nice!
~~~~~~~~~
Night market stalls
All sorts of stuff;
Even used books for sale
~~~~~~~~~
My wife cooks
Family meal happiness;
Home-styled 3-Michelin Stars!
~~~~~~~~~
Our Prime Minister
Gives a hearty Rally Speech;
Beaming smiles like poetry
~~~~~~~~~
Bay front shoppes
Luxury goods sparkle;
Nice can be a vice
~~~~~~~~~
Too little too late
Now gone with the wind;
Regrets accumulate
~~~~~~~~~
Listen now
Your heart speaks;
Stormy revelations
~~~~~~~~~
Images flash
Ideas and insights;
Picture portraits swirl
~~~~~~~~~
Late to bed
Early to rise;
Prize of the wise!
~~~~~~~~~
Morning rain
Wind chanting secrets;
Nondescript verbiage
~~~~~~~~~
Hibiscus flowers
Pink, red, yellow, orange;
Spectrums of hot weather
~~~~~~~~~
Plumeria ventures
Blooming in the sun;
August transfiguration
~~~~~~~~~
Stash of cash
Money for a rainy day;
Smile on my face
~~~~~~~~~
Words stream surge
Seeking a nuance;
Fragments and moments
~~~~~~~~~
So much to do
So little time;
Let's enjoy the breeze
~~~~~~~~~
Bus-stop heat wave
Pouring sweat ooze;
Humid and hot afternoon
~~~~~~~~~
Oriental beauty
Pretty and sexy;
Beer hostess serving
~~~~~~~~~
Electrons busy
Word craft attends;
Wet rain on concrete
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
20 August 2014
Singapore
Bus stop sensations
Where's the bus?
Tardy connection
~~~~~~~~~
Old contact hearsay
Not much to say;
Silent confrontation
~~~~~~~~~
Frangipani sunrise
Pink, yellow, white --
Magical moments
~~~~~~~~~
Smoky stray wind
Grim echoes;
Stale air descends
~~~~~~~~~
Shoppes in decline
Ancient wares loiter;
No takers
~~~~~~~~~
Evening settles
Noisy commotions fade;
Mahjong excavations!
~~~~~~~~~
By this old quay
Modern face lifts greet;
New watering hole
~~~~~~~~~
New dreams stacked
On old faded sites;
Cool revolution
~~~~~~~~~
Play school toddlers
Exchange play things;
Rude awakenings
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
17 October 2014
Singapore
Arc of rising moon
Distant silhouettes;
Evening settles down
~~~~~~~~~
So often it happens
Notice the same broadcast;
Self-talk feeds amusement
~~~~~~~~~
Evening hurries briskly
TV sitcom serenades;
Eyes glued to instant charm
~~~~~~~~~
Meal time harvest here
Pay-per-dish varieties;
Don't know what to eat
~~~~~~~~~
Broadwalk street cafe
Menu temptations ooze;
Set meal or a la carte
~~~~~~~~~
Listen for a voice
Soft as gentle breathing;
Gone before you notice
~~~~~~~~~
Fast food outlet
Dangling potato wedges;
Dine-in or takeaway
~~~~~~~~~
Sunny side up
Egg yolk flamboyance;
Pretty on a plate
~~~~~~~~~
The weather man predicts
Lots of rain today;
Free car wash drenching
~~~~~~~~~
A warrior's sacred pact
To defend this mother land;
Contingency practicals
~~~~~~~~~
Waiting time explores
New city mall shoppes;
Brands shouting sales
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
14 November 2014
Singapore
HAIKU STRAINS 4
Modern shoppes
Bayfront attractions;
Window shopping spree
~~~~~~~~~
Midnight nocturne
Window view moments;
Bedtime distraction
~~~~~~~~~
Music seeps
Through front door;
Passing minstrel vagabond
~~~~~~~~~
Easy escapade
Scented lemongrass;
Spa massage
~~~~~~~~~
Fond company
Old lovers sit quietly;
Calm charms crisp
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
18 July 2015
Singapore
Night cicadas
Feisty echoes;
Shadows glide
~~~~~~~~~
Late night market
Noisy bargains;
Crowds congregate
~~~~~~~~~
Shoppes by the Bay
Festive fare;
Crowded feet prompt
~~~~~~~~~
Window shop
Grand displays call;
Christmas spree
~~~~~~~~~
Old lovers
Downtown magic;
Spicy moments
~~~~~~~~~
Transit train
Hordes emerge;
Private escapades
~~~~~~~~~
Proof coins
Precious metals entrance;
Fancy outlook
~~~~~~~~~~
Lovely feelings
Wonder prompts;
Scented spice floats
~~~~~~~~~
Insight comes
Mystic glimpses;
Wonder floats
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
29 December 2017
Singapore
Seasons greetings
Christmas rapture;
Business as usual
~~~~~~~~~
Joy fills the air
Christmas moods attend;
Peace on earth
~~~~~~~~~
Downtown lights
Street decorations greet;
Equatorial city spread
~~~~~~~~~
Lion City carnival
Christmas textures call;
Shoppes welcome
~~~~~~~~~
Weary world spins
Federal rate hike;
Business goes on
~~~~~~~~~
Come dear saviour:
Let magic love heal
Our wounded hearts
~~~~~~~~~
Human nature
Faulty and greedy;
Fears confronts conflict
~~~~~~~~~
Troubling times tussle
Terror embraces folly;
Madly destructive
~~~~~~~~~
Haiku glow
Dim sparkle;
Weary streaks here
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
21 December 2015
Singapore
Friends congregate
Party mood trickles;
Familiar laughter drowns
Once upon
A dream come true;
Foreign expectations
Invest shoppe
Moments meander;
Burst of high tide
Moaning and groaning
Kettle steam retorts;
Morning brew transits
So many words
Unsaid, unheard;
Uneasy non-conversation
Awkward these glances
Feelings suspended;
Anticipation ignored
Simple ritual
By this park bench;
Watching time doing nothing
Path of sure ease
If you please;
Leave plot behind
Corner shop
Selling ***** goods;
Curious onlookers
Chinatown haunts
Quaint shoppes;
Random walk-ins
Ancient goods
Antiquity packaged;
Modern labels flaunt
Things Oriental
Goods and services;
Tipping welcome
Geylang highlights
Ancient evenings;
By plumeria scents
This new stadium
Spectacular showpiece;
Sports illustrated
Leon Enriquez
09 May 2014
Singapore
The Generals
You have seen them
nodding benevolently like
plump German butchers in small
shoppes, carelessly stripping pink
flesh from the bones of sheep.
They smile, a polite bow,
courteous generals in a civilized
war of rules, displaying their
purple hearts, adorned with the parsley
slogans of God and country.
Have you noticed that they
keep the faces of the butchered
ones covered up with star spangled
sheets, while mad bands play their
songs of brave innocence?
Perhaps so we will not see their
eyes staring back at us, or hear
their cries in the chill dawn, or
worse still, that we know
whose children they are.
Early morning awakening:
So many things, so much packing.
Sip morning tea with some odd snacks,
We feel hungry just as we pack.
We make ready for our leaving,
Check-out easy with car boot things.
We're off by ten now on the road,
Our eyes extend our visual load.
Today we speed to a fond target,
Catch seafood feeds: Sydney Fish Market.
Fresh seafood waits in fine array,
Here through these gates feast hungry ways.
So much delight in puzzling mix,
A feast of sights in hungry fix.
Select our meat of seafood fares,
Take our fond treats of precious wares.
Eat with gusto the fresh food gist,
Style our tempo with our hit list.
Add hot mocha for a warm drink,
Coffee fiesta here on the brink.
Catch the sea view down by the edge,
Seagulls in cue sense-surround ledge.
Food fare in shoppes that call to you,
We stare and stop to glimpse odd cues.
There is a feel beyond mere sight,
An ancient will lingers flair bright.
Buy food to eat on the home drive,
In a swift beat, a car of five.
Goodbye Sydney as we head out,
Canberra we track roundabout.
Three hours plus drive to Hamlet Place,
And we arrive as smiles greet space.
A happy trip for memory,
Where taste did grip pure chemistry.
Our routine chores come up to fit,
A simple lore of succinct wit!
Leon Enriquez
11 June 2018, Monday
Sydney Tour Day Three/
(13 June 2018, ACT)
Fancy a trip down memory lane somewhere
Through the corridors of time and space that steer
Fond passageways to remember our affair...
Here we go now, you and I, my lover dear:
Waltz hand in hand under the evening moon,
Down the Chinatown alleyways ever near.
Steady footsteps and the wind in gusty croon,
Happily through this underpass in sure strides,
Skip along in silly glee like grownup goons.
If ever there be a fine pair in joyride,
I swear it must be you and me in full swing,
Forfeit stern reservations or fancy pride.
Up and down and round the bend our footsteps fling,
As if to tell a tale of flight dramatic
That once upon a time was a lovers' thing.
Glimpse fond recall of airy-fiery magic
As we re-visit our old haunts to retrieve,
Warm passions and reactions still terrific.
Bazaars and shoppes that quaint, old wonder conceives,
Desserts and food offerings that stir old souls,
Our simple walkabout stroll propels in brief.
Though swift years have come and gone, rapture unfolds
A charming loveliness that joins two poles:
Side by side, the two of us now venture bold.
Love is the reason for our seasons and souls,
Live each day as best we can one sacred whole.
Leon Enriquez
12 Mar 2014
Singapore
(Note: This is a poem in Terza Rima with 11-syllable lines and rhymes.)
Shoppes in old style
Branded goods parade;
Another sales day
Three short lines
Phrases greet;
Unfinished fragment
Suspension
Disruption;
Exfoliation
Find what you find
In dire straits;
Bankrupt ideas
Listen clearly
Quarrels disrupt;
Change agent comes
Word for word:
Slow-moving plot;
Sitcom cancelled
Pulse and impulse
Straying reason;
Emotional raid
Go beyond feeling
Seize deeper thinking;
Sleep works best
Progress made
Prospect found;
Pleasure dilutes
Be aware
Real cares hound;
Neighbourhood pound
Crying infant
Too hot or too cold;
Perturbed parents
Leon Enriquez
06 July 2014
Singapore
MARINA BAY WALKABOUT
Saturday night tour walkabout:
You and I stroll briskly along
To check the lights with the big crowd
With carefree souls pushing sing-song!
By transit train, we found our way
To breeze on-site to see the lights;
But Earth Hour strain brought lights-out stray,
Humid airs strike a deep dark night.
Two hours around Marina Bay
We circled paths with easy feel;
Explored the grounds, peeked shoppes by bay
More than enough such rustic thrill.
The humid night with hot air still,
Flings sticky sweat on freckled skin;
There's scant delight as fatigue steals
Moments that fret with punctured pin.
Round and round we amble around
Just you and me in sure reprise;
Movement new found in old-time grounds,
With fancy free to greet surprise.
Stroll promenade as Merlion sights;
Here on the verge, old vintage finds;
Lost serenades in obscure light;
As visual merge in heart and mind.
By Esplanade, we loiter here;
Explore the sights with eyes that search;
Watch crowd charades through random spheres,
No beacon lights the curious urge.
We want to see what we came for,
To seek to know the cause of ease;
Watch what's to be the pulse that soars
In the clear show that fumbles tease.
Such is the noise that highlights here;
The dazzle fits the puzzle route;
Poise wears a voice that speaks most clear;
Bits of torn wit that signs now shout.
From time to time, we now explore
The vast expanse of worldly hues;
Seek to fit rhymes with plots that shore
The myriad sense that life can cue.
Then, we back track the way we came
To go around in spree and trip;
Assume a tact to play the game
In joy well found to get a grip.
A tryst in time to flavour choice;
Now hand-in-hand as echoes drift;
Timeless such chimes that follow poise;
Swift moments blend as love now sifts.
Leon Enriquez
31 Mar 2014
Singapore