Once, the rivers ran free and bold,
Through emerald lands, rich with gold.
Mountains whispered to the sky,
Under the watchful, sovereign eye.
Then came ships with foreign flags,
Tongues of steel, and hearts of crags.
They carved their names upon our soil,
Turned our labor into toil.
Spices bled from calloused hands,
Traded dreams for foreign lands.
Rubber trees stood, tall yet tied,
Bound by laws the West applied.
Sultan’s voice turned faint, unheard,
Drowned beneath the master's word.
Hands that built were hands enslaved,
History’s pages torn and paved.
Yet, through the storm, a spark remained,
A whisper strong, unchained, unnamed.
In the forests, hearts rebelled,
Stories of warriors fiercely held.
Merdeka rose with morning’s light,
Breaking through the longest night.
Chains had rusted, cracked, and fell,
Freedom rang like gamelan bells.
But echoes linger—soft yet deep,
In names we keep, in wounds we weep.
Still, we rise, through time’s embrace,
Holding strong to roots and grace.
Sun on sea's facade
like sprinkles on a donut.
Shimmers, eyes glimmer.
Glorious Malaysia with her strawberry farms and butterfly gardens
She is a study in diversity, a beautiful adventure waiting for you.
Her beautiful secluded beaches surrounded by jungles entice us to visit.
She has several cultural influences – Malay, Chinese and Indian.
Gorgeous Malaysia parading her Perdana Botanical Garden.
Museums, seaside fort, historical homes and murals of Georgetown.
Mount Kinabalu, Merara Kuala Lumpur, and the Perhentian Islands.
She invites you to snorkel, dive, bird watch, raft and fish in her depths.
At her Batu Caves you will discover the Hindu Shrine of the God of War.
Her answer to the USA’s Las Vegas is found in the Genting Highlands.
Come see Sipadan Island and her Gunung Mulu National Park.
Malaysia, the adventure of your lifetime!
plane
crash
scary
shoot down of
The Triple Seven
Deadliest crash in eighteen years
Malaysia Flight 17 in two thousand and fourteen
Three hundred and thirty eight souls went to heaven at 2700 hours
Mosques embellish the land in grandeur
Arts of its city including its Petronas Twin Tower at Kuala Lumpur
Langkawi flaps its wings beckoning its great wonder
Atop of mountains viewed the paradise by a cable car tour.
You and I will enjoy its beauty like fresh hibiscus flower
Smiles remain on lips of frequent visitors and travelers
I take pride of its warm accommodation each time of the year
And for verdant natures of Penang, I’ll give a toast, cheers!
Oct. 7, 2017 3.02pm
Note: Hibiscus flower is the national flower or symbol of Malaysia
A remembrance tour poem for myself:)
My 3 Free Trips to Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Oct. 13-17, 2012 (Students’ Educational Camp)
Langkawi, Malaysia: March 12, 2013 (School Tour)
Penang, Malaysia: Oct. 1-6, 2017 (Students’ Educational Camp)
stars,
above swirling dark,
in sky drained of color,
below,
sprawling Asia,
spread out in a carpet,
of billboards and humanity.
watching it all from the world's largest tower,
feeling like a king in a secondhand sky,
now walking among streets, stalls, and stooped shoulders,
inhaling foreign vapors.
smoke from cheap cigarettes drift down,
to mingle with scents from open gutters,
fecund and flowing,
past medicine shops of tiger teeth,
and ginseng root.
stopping at a rusted fence,
marking neglected graves tilted,
borders to a rotting mansion,
colonial memories of plague and accident.
further on, the well lit ship,
clean and efficient,
up the gangway to the duty,
crisp in his ice cream suit,
down to the well deck,
amber lit and heavy in humid air,
peering down at armored beetles,
emitting odors of oil and exhaust,
cordite and purpose,
and briefly catch a sad sentiment,
fluttered in night air above,
of what was and what could be,
lost in blood, power and tribal lust,
our racial fait accompli,
and draw back from thoughts such as these,
and let it fly away.
The ear may love before the eye.
So we were told without a lie.
I heard Malaysia was a pearl on the shore.
I saw some pictures people would adore.
I heard stories that would the soul lift.
I think Malaysia is Allah's amazing gift.
At last the ear and eye settled there.
How lovely was the stay, how rare!
A lot of rain around the year, so many greens.
So many lovely birds, so many lovely scenes.
With beautiful moves and songs to captivate.
And cause the heart and mind to contemplate.
Everywhere I walked felt like paradise.
People living there were all very nice.
I once had a shower in the pure rain.
I heard some say “he had no brain!”
I laughed out loud and felt insane!
06/01/2017
The candle dance is fascinating with lighted candles on dishes
held in hands with bodies moving and curving to the musical wishes
Silat is another dance with martial art movements to the beat
of drums and gongs causing the dancer to feel the heat
Then the dance Datun Julud is telling a story as you elegantly glide
The most famous dance of all which is renowned worldwide
is the Lion Dance danced at the time of the Chinese New Year
bringing good fortune and resistance to evil is perfectly clear
The gentle breezes danced
On the tips of the harbor waves
As I watched the village
Filled with huts fade away
On the Malaysian shoreline
All of the fisherman
In their long boats followed
Until all that was left
Was the syncopated beating
Of oars striking the sea
In tempo to some old chant
That I had heard them sing
Many, many times before
It’s been over thirty years
Since I have seen Malaysia
And the sun burnt faces
Of the children playing
On the white sandy beaches
But when the summer sun
Beats hot over the land
Casting long, long shadows
Into the deep green forest trees
I can still feel Malaysia
Rippling over me
Like a cool sea breeze
Carrying the memories
Of a young man
Standing on the bow
Of an old clipper ship
Watching village huts fade
Along a Malaysian shoreline