Though Our Trees Are Evergreen

Evergreen

I have gone through every file in my old hard drive but unfortunately I could not find the "Poem of the Mid-Autumn Revolution" which I mentioned in the previous post. I begin to wonder whether I wrote it or not. Or did I just compose the two lines out of thin air and weave them into my memory cells?

Nevertheless, let's move on and savour the present moment.

The landscape above was one of the many pictures I took on Merdeka morning this year at the Penang Botanic Gardens. The chair was wet after the morning shower, and mists could still be seen in the background, muting the sunlight and creating a soft glow in the surrounding greeneries.

Indeed the trees in the tropics are always lush and green throughout the year. The lack of seasonal change can sometimes make the passage of time illusive. One moment we are still young, cherishing the fruits of youth, and the next moment, old age has set into our porous bones.

Though our trees are evergreen
Autumn falls like it's never been
When once vigour flowed through our veins
Now our bones are wrought in pain

With no milestones to mark the seasons
Time passes on in the guise of illusions
The crawl of decades flicked by in seconds
And fields of Elysium constantly beckons

The Sky, The Sea and The Pinang Tree

The Sky, The Sea and The Pinang Tree

Of turquoise sky and emerald sea

An island with a Pinang tree

Where clouds of white float light and free

’Tis the the place I want to be

Abundance in life, in food and play

Though prayers plied in different ways

In spirit unite, hence comes this day

A pearl in an oyster shines its rays

So here it is, come one and all

Who celebrate freedom’s auspicious call

Of tolerance and respect, together stand tall

With welcoming arms, embrace, enthrall

By See Teik Guan

Welcome to Penang, my island in the sun.

This picture was taken on a hot sunny afternoon after a bout of heavy thunderstorm the night before. The white clouds look like they have just been freshly laundered and left hanging in the clear blue sky to dry. The sea appears like emerald with textured tones and inclusions, just like what a genuine emerald gemstone should look like.

The Island of Penang, with its former name of Prince of Wales Island, has been welcoming traders and settlers from both the east and west for centuries, enriching it with a multitude of colourful culture, delicious food and a rich historical heritage. Penangites have always prided themselves for being sort of different from the rest of the country, and yet always welcoming to all, irrespective of creed or colour.

Perhaps, living together on a small island is one of the factors that gave birth to our great tolerance and respect for each other throughout all these years.

Selangkah Maju

On the occasion of Malaysia's 61st National Day (31 August 2018), I would like to dedicate this poem entitled Selangkah Maju to all Malaysians, of all creed and colour. No matter which side of the fence we are on, let us give ourselves a pat on the back and celebrate the very essence of what being Malaysian is all about. The events of 9th May 2018 has shown us, and the world, that CHANGE does not have to be followed by CHAOS. Let's celebrate UNITY IN DIVERSITY just as we have done so throughout the ages.

Happy Merdeka Day Malaysia! And many, many more happy and prosperous years to come.

Selangkah Maju

Oleh See Teik Guan

Lahirnya negara di kala subuh
Berkobar semangat jiwa tubuh
Malangnya hasrat tidak dipatuh
Paginya maju, petangnya runtuh

Kain usang selendang mata
Kuburkan wawasan anak bangsa
Jejak mara dibendung gelora
Suara tentangan dipadam nyala

“Merdeka apa yang dilaung-laungkan?
Terlepas gengaman, masuk cengkaman”

Bahtera terpesong kian tersesat
Arah tujuan tiada bertambat
Angin tamak meniup kesat
Arus hina terus menyumbat

Sungai dibendung, tanah digersang
Ranting rintangan rimbun membengkang
Tahun melangkah bulan berkembang
Usaha keringat rakyat terjengkang

Tetapi;

Di bawah awan gelap kemundang
Semangat warga menyala kencang
Di saat tanahairku genting terpincang
Rakyat bersatu berikhtiar menentang

Gelombang kuning mencecah pinggiran
Batasan kota retak tepian
Riak gembira merata semboyan
Selangkah maju negara sayangan

Ufuk gemilang terbit kembali
Bahtera negara ditemukan kemudi
Merdeka disambut kalian ini
Merdeka di mata, merdeka di hati

SELAMAT SEJAHTERA MALAYSIA BARU

English Translation

A Step Forward
By See Teik Guan

At dawn, our nation was born

With great enthusiasm in both body and soul

But the will of the people was soon forgotten

And progress achieved in the morning, was ruined by evening

An old cloth veiled and blinded our sight

Burying the vision of the people

Each step forward, halted by crashing waves

Each voice of dissent, extinguished like a dying flame

“What is the meaning of Freedom (Merdeka) that (past) leaders are shouting about?

When in truth, it is akin to being released from a cage straight into a tiger’s mouth”

Our nation’s vessel has lost it’s direction

There is no set destination

The wind of greed blows coarsely through the land

The current of despise fills the void

River flows are blocked and our land is drained, arid

The branches of resistance are binding

Months and years pass by

The people’s hard efforts are stuck

But;

Underneath the lost and wandering dark clouds

The spirit of the nation is flamed once again

At the moment when our country perches precariously at the brim

The people unite and vow to march on

The yellow wave reaches the outskirts

The stronghold of the fort begins to crack

Ripples of joy spread throughout the nation

Our beloved country takes another step towards progress

The horizon of success rises again

The nation’s vessel has found its rudder again

This year’s Merdeka Day, celebrated by all

Is a Merdeka near in sight, and a Merdeka deep in our hearts