Baronhawk's Nest

Still, unmoving
in silence standing
saddened by tidings
from ancestral 'steadings

a fire burns
the red in the ears
as vengeance calls
boiling blood stirs

the honour of race
lifeblood of culture
the sacredness of faith
caveat lingua franca

questioned and raised
discarded of value
dissected displaced
stripped of virtue

answer the call
these days of thunder
ride the squall
and come hither

seize the bugle
the pen and paper
join the struggle
with words and valour

be ye the vanguard
the edge and coda
the rising tide
of Melayu Muda.

* Malay version here

A little bit of RUMI to salve Auden's search in O Tell Me the Truth About Love, for there is no answer to what love is, but for the experience and deed of it. You can only know it when you find out and its only description is the notes of its song sung out.

EACH NOTE
by ...Rumi

Advice doesn't help lovers!
They're not the kind of mountain stream
you can build a dam across.

An intellectual doesn't know what the drunk is feeling!

Don't try to figure what those lost inside love will do next!

Someone in charge would give up all his power,
if he caught one whiff of the wine-musk
from the room where lovers are doing who-knows- what!

One of them tries to dig a hole through a mountain.
One flees from academic honors.
One laughs at famous mustaches!

Life freezes if it doesn't get a taste
of this almond cake.
The stars come up spinning
every night, bewildered in love.
They'd grow tired with that revolving, if they weren't.
They'd say, "How long do we have to Do this!"

God picks up the reed-flute world and blows.
Each note is a need coming through one of us,
a passion, a longing-pain.

Remember the lips
where the wind-breath originated,
and let your note be clear.
Don't try to end it .
BE Your Note.
I'll show you how it's enough.

Go up on the roof at night
in the city of the soul.

Let Everyone climb on their roofs
and sing their notes!

Sing loud

What do you do when you find something great
do you reach out and take it or do you wait?

But reaching out risks losing out
if and when the venture doesn't work out.

While waiting's just too much
to have your heart wrenched
on a regular basis.

Eff Eff Effing it!

Lucky you can always run to your Penang Hermit cave and hide out.

Eyes wide I roam the silver moon swept skies,
as starlit heavens cried streaks,
forlorn spears striking night's velvet.

Invisible pillars propping eye-lids,
despite countless sheep across picket fences,
endless warm milk chocolate down yawning gullet.

I am restless thoughts feelings memories
strung across omnipotent internet
pudgy listless eyes blinking diodes.
If I search me out, will I then cease to wake?

I walk the world wide web,
halls of digitised heart-mirrors,
perusing why the mind-astray,
caressing night-time-breezes,
sleepless embracing thought-succubi.

I saw you in mirrored surface,
filling mind-eye to brim,
tugging heart messing feeling,
pushing crying wanting,
clear-direct news-tidings.

Your vision haunts.
Lilt of name, caressing smile,
memory-touching depths of soul.
I remain, eyes awake, heaven's wake,
beating heart, yearning hard.

The counterpoint to my thoughts,
a pendulum-duality unrequited.
Mind heart soul intersecting,
wakeful restive pestering.

Shall I seek you out,
end this wild goose chase?
Whose presence seeps soaks succor mine,
throughout the multitude-path cyberspace.

Shall I tell and confess,
the tumult in this heart-cave?
Where I as hermit meditate upon your kiss,
the answer to why I lack sound sleep,
the lullaby to my unfound bliss.

Shall I philosophise the eddies,
of this feel-tide, the gravity that pulls planets,
causing me to fail, to fall, deeper and deeper into debt,
where the currency is sin, the interest ever-lusting.

Shall I dream and dream,
pull out this little string,
grow up go old without knowing the "if" of things?
Or sip upon this wine, of distilled heartbreak,
the sweet probability of which consumes me, I ache.

I gaze upon the mirror-image.
Look-deep into reflected eyes.
Pondering of reaching out and taking the summit.
But is the future this? Shall I retrieve my bliss? Do I deserve your kiss?

Declaration typed, words composed,
hushed-feelings laid bare,
Facebook Twitter Voicemail Text,
eye-caress poetic-gist poem page whisper-kiss.
Finger poised, tap "Enter" or "Delete"?

"Walks the hall of heart-mirrors, perusing why the mind-astray, caressing night time breezes, sleepless embracing thought-succubi, I saw YOU in mirrored surface, filling mind-eye to brim, tugging heart messing feelings, wishing I can write this out, in more direct news-tidings."