Poem, 25 October 2019 I was born in the 1960s A dark-skinned snub-nosed girl No reason for my parents to beat the drums But they did, incredibly! My mother Who had been dressing my brother In long braids and girl’s clothes For the past years. My father Who it looks like I captured Around my…
Category: Poems
Disconnected
Poem, 16 April 2019 I answer the last Whatsapp. Up-to-date and very satisfied, I flick on the flight mode, Slip my phone into the seat pocket Buckle up and lean back, To plunge instantly and alternately Into my gripping book and deep sleep, Exhausted from the already-long journey Down the mountains. It’s landing time, that…
A week in Sikkim
Poem, 16 April 2019 We went for a week to the majestic mountainsThe towering Himalayas, the roof of the world.They rose up steeply and sharply from the plainsCloaked alternately in green and ramshackle construction.Water poured down the slopes to feed a mighty riverNow dammed and prevented from rushing to the sea. The winding road we…
Aging
(Sung to the tune of “Three little birds” by Bob Marley) Poem, 16 March 2019. Start worrying about everything Cause every little thing is gonna breakdown. Singing: start worrying about everything Cause every little thing is gonna breakdown! I woke up this morning And groaned with the rising pain Emanating from my joints, And every…
Envy
Poem, 16 March 2019. Strange how that green shadow Chases you through life Hovering just above your shoulder, Waiting to peck at and whittle down Your plans and executions Your thoughts and passions At times a deafening silence At times an ignoring and brushing away And when that fails to absorb the insecurities, Set the…
Bidding adieu
Poem, 19 November 2018. Bidding adieu –An elaborate art in certain culturesA never-ending process in othersAnd an instant vanishing act in some. For someone like meCaught between culturesFarewell rituals offer a very interesting insightInto cultural disposition and interaction. Mandatory kisses seem to be the done thing Among southern Europeans and Latin Americans.True or simulated pecks…
It’s an amazing material – that plastic
Poem, 5 October 2018. I know nothing else As bendy and elasticas ubiquitous and fantasticAs that amazing material they call plastic. You can make just about anything out of itFrom plastic mats and plastic toysTo swanky furniture and styrofoam buoys. You can put it into almost anythingFrom scrubs and glittery cosmeticsTo cars, shoes and shining…
Ode to the plastic ocean📘
Published at https://spillwords.com/ode-to-the-plastic-ocean/ Recited at Poetry Slam Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2019 Poem, 15 September 2018. I am a Manta rayForty years of swimming these baysNow my diet has far more varietyNot just multi-coloured fishBut lots and lots of plastic. I am a green sea turtleTwenty years of floating along Nibbling seaweed and singing…
Happiness is
Poem, 13 October 2018. Happiness is: When you wake up On a beautiful Saturday morningTo blue skies and birdsongAnd sounds of water running into the fields When you wander around the houseBarefoot and relaxedWatering the plants, smelling the flowers And putting things just so When you walk your dog and see him frolic With the…
Yellow is the sun
Poem by Anju Buchholz (Age: 10 years), 4 October 2018. Yellow is the sunYellow is the CambojaYellow is joyYellow makes us happy. Blue is the skyBlue is my mom’s dressBlue is sadBlue is the deep sea. Green is the leafGreen is freshGreen is the grassAnd the waving rice paddies. Red is the hibiscusRed are the…