PAULLYN SIDHU

 

Alone, On The Shore

 

You were the one ... always,

Who read Payne or Murakami,

You were the one, of course,

Who used to gently remind,

And, said it again on that day,

Just minutes before you left,

"Please let the memories,

Warm you from the inside,

Promise me, my darling,

That you will never ever

Never let them tear you apart."

Quoting Haruki, a Kafka on shore,

Even between the covers of death,

Knowing full well the last chapter.

That your breath was its very final,

Yet, knew too well, O only too well,

That I, in remains, in ruins - would,

Be numb-dead on a shore - alone,

In holding back tears left unvoiced,

In rehashing the words left unsaid,

In recalling memories left undone,

In suffering pangs left unspoken,

In exploring threads left unwound,

In stirring coffee in cups mindlessly

In clattering the crockery purposely,

In consciousness of silent keening,

For you ... for you, and just, you.

 

And, now, as I stand alone,

On this same old shore,

You, you and only you, I miss.

 

How can I ever close my eyes,

And not remember our days?

The tinted glimpses of old times,

The heated surrender in passion,

The tiny catch in your heart beat,

The smell of your warm breath,

The blankets of our cold winters,

The thigh lying across my own,

The lips of my favourite scribe,

The past tense in verbs of love,

The simple grains in your truths,

The rich kernels in your wheat,

The dancing light in your eyes,

The oft-whispered quotes,

The one-paragraph shares,

The way you just lit up my life,

With that lovely way you had,

Of waltzing in with a smile,

Of sneaking in with a pun,

Of traipsing in with a laugh,

Of collapsing in my kind lap,

Of stroking your beard gently,

Of looking directly at my face,

Of imitating the encores in me,

Of denying the joke was mine,

Of my being complete for you,

For you ... for you ... and, just you.

 

And, now as I stand alone,

On this same old shore,

You, you and only you, I miss.

 

Dusty Leaflets

 

One ...

evening ...

Dim twilight

Seen in a glance,

Resolution in sigh,

Defying creased fold,

are some little leaflets,

Yellowing at their edges,

Rudimentary in their stature.

Found on a wooden dusty shelf,

Somebody's heart from yesterday,

Shreds of truth stained with old tears,

Reading them made me remember again,

Memories I too had of having loved and lost.

Stained glass windows in a church had shone.

On a man I once knew who had loved me so dearly.

I wondered why he had gone and chosen not to speak.

But had walked out and disappeared into the shadows.

There're, I guess, some answers not found in meadows,

Like asking a scarecrow lying asleep why it feels weak,

Or questioning grass blades why they swish clearly,

Confounding is the unseen; unnoticed by a frond,

Perturbed not are the winds by any poetic cost,

The stalks mind their own business in grain,

While a farmer looks at the sky with fears,

Worrying, "God, will it rain heavily today?"

Yet, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Elementary is his basic nature.

But, will it ever help hedges,

to write any crafty leaflets,

denying the misty scold?

Resignation in sigh,

is the perchance,

choosing flight!

Lightning!

Run!

 

PAULLYN SIDHU

 

PAULLYN SIDHU is a masterful poet and the author of 25 books of poetry and prose, which were published from 2017 to 2021. Of her books, two were bilingual (Malay/English) and two, written in Bahasa Malaysia. This retired Malaysian Punjabi teacher has 19 years’ writing experience as a former freelance education columnist for two newspapers in Malaysia: The Star and Daily Express. From 2014 to 2019, and on her self-sponsored education treks, she travelled solo through 26 countries and became internationally known as a Good Samaritan who delivered free motivational talks in schools, colleges and universities. To spread the love for poetry, she generously donated her books for free to countless libraries and individuals. Her motto in life is: “Believe, then Achieve!”  In “recognition of her tireless dedication to worthy causes of promotion of peace, humanitarian services and protection of peoples’ rights”, she was appointed as the Malaysian Ambassador of W.I.P and a ‘World Epitome of Humanity’ International Award Certificate by W.I.P.  (World Institute for Peace) in 2016.