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| A picture of my recital | <><>
I wrote this for the third Delphic Games held in Jeju, South Korea last year. I was honoured to represent Malaysia in the Lingual Arts category (poetry). The recital was a great experience. I hope the message shines forth.
A Story of Let me Sow Peace
An old wise man lived in the town,
He lived alone right by the fount,
No one knew of his real name,
He had grown past beauty and fame
Everyone seek him because he was wise,
You get a piece or two even if you’re not nice,
He was someone and whom everyone sought after,
For he was eccentric and unlike any other
One day came a shy young lad,
Handsome and tall but scantily clad,
He was what the world perceived as mad,
One who knew nothing of fashion and fad
The old man pitied he who was smeared with grime,
Gave him a seed the size of a dime,
He took it gladly with a newfound joy,
Promising to nurture it with a look so coy
He skipped and danced overflowing with happiness
He still could not believe this old man’s graciousness
There was none who has given him such treasure
He would keep to his heart his one and only pleasure
This young boy had no gold or glitter,
He had nothing that would make eyes go flutter,
He had no riches, not even a coin or two,
He had no one to love, hug or even to coo
He thanked the old man with deep gratitude,
Telling himself to be charged with greater fortitude,
He hugged, held and clasped the seed so tightly,
For fear of losing what remained his one and only
The next morning he gathered some brown soil,
Back at the park where he begun to toil,
He buried the seed with extreme care,
Something he did on a note so rare
He sprinkled water on the spot so damp,
Finishing his task he felt like a champ,
He knelt on his knees ignoring the searing pain,
And prayed God will grant him sunshine and rain
He had no place to call a home,
So he slept by his seed with no need to roam,
He watched over it every second day and night,
Never leaving his precious seed out of his sight
Days went by and turned into a week,
He patiently waited by himself nearby the creek,
A small stalk begun to shoot and grow,
Sprouting baby leaves but it seemed so slow
The young man endured long hours of cold and grind,
Keeping warm by all means that he could find,
Never giving up despite pangs of hunger,
Although at times an empty stomach provoked him to anger
Alas the stalk grew taller reaching to the sky,
He made sure no one trampled on it when they pass by,
He loved it even more with tenderness and care,
Although his own sufferings are hard to bear
Spring came and the sun shone with majesty,
Heat burned the young man and he couldn’t help but be sweaty,
His stalk grew bigger with small buds sprouting,
He jumped for joy with his young face beaming
He faithfully continued to lie and wait,
Of what would become of his seed’s fate,
He did not lose hope nor became agitated,
Lovingly he watered and tended to it unabated
Summer came and shined forth a blinding glow,
Even the trees, birds and grass to it must bow,
A small purple flower from the stalk started to blossom,
Its petals were delicate and soft like a mother’s bosom
The young man was overjoyed to see a flower so dainty,
He could not help but gazed at its dazzling beauty,
His heart cried with pride and glory,
All his efforts were returned bountifully
He felt like a father seeing his daughter mature,
His purple flower had blossomed even without manure,
Such a rare sight in the midst of an empty park,
What a charm that it had made its mark
It grew and bloomed and multiplied
Smaller buds rapidly emerged and one wondered why
Soon after the park turned into a flowering bed
Passer-bys stopped amused at a park once used to be dead
Each passing day became enlightenment,
A bigger crowd would hung around with faces of bewilderment,
Children playing hide and seek amidst the enchanting flowers,
Parents admiring the scenery without realising the passing of hours
The young man felt contented and satisfied
He felt he had done his job right
He longed to show that old man his accomplishments
He hoped to meet him and fish for compliments
More and more visitors came to relax and unwind,
Some walked their dogs while some brought wine,
It was quite a spectacle to see,
Till the press and media had to agree
Someone found out about the young man’s actions,
Seeing his poverty the public gave him donations,
He then owned a home which he claimed his mansion,
Young and old they made endless contribution
Students are inspired and started making plantations,
College kids are encouraged to build gardens of carnations,
Housewives are influenced to plant roses in their apartments,
Secretaries are prompted to have flower pots in their compartments
The city was booming with a picturesque so lovely,
A colourful array of flowers filled every corner amazingly,
A scent flooding so great it was almost heavenly,
A sense of peace and tranquillity filled the entire city
The young man could never be happier
Alas one day he found an old man looking at him so dear
An instant flash everything came back to him so clear
This was the man who touched his life without fear
He thanked the old man and asked if he remembered
‘Of course’ he said ‘you’re the one covered with sod and amber’
‘Why did you give the seed to me?’ the young man implored
‘O why not? I was only passing a piece of me to my fellow kindred’
Tears swelled up in the young man’s eyes,
The old man never looked at him as if he was infected with lice,
He vowed to be kind and compassionate without hesitation
To spread messages of love and peace with full exhortation
Who would have known a single seed,
Could be fruitful and encouraged all to do a good deed,
What more to say if a single soul would please,
Stand up and say ‘Let me Sow Peace’
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