“Don’t be evil,” they
once said - now they revel in
paid monopoly.
On Thieves and Heroes (or, Twenty-Five Years and Forty-Seven Lies)
For twenty-five years, brisk demands
For change, for moral politics -
A reborn nation, confident
That Justice can stand unafraid -
Now finally claim centre stage
Your avatar can claim his prize.
But look - what fateful compromise!
What cruel bargain - filth-stained hands!
With faithless smiles, with hands aclasp
These erstwhile foes declare their pact
Amidst blithe claims of kingly seal
Your "unity" swept all sins clean
And now you reap your poisoned fruit
A bitter harvest for your sham
And twenty-five years' promises
Are trumped by forty-seven lies
The deathly grin unmasked, unshamed
Bears witness to your blotted vows
The thieves you pledged to overthrow
Walk lockstep with your heroes now.
On Constancy and Treachery
Give us a man of Constancy
A man of iron principles
A man to lead us broody souls
To sunlit hills of Certainty
Not this, this faithless wavering
This double-dealing Treachery
The eager overthrow of Truth
In service of Ambition's ring
You think that we will soon forget
That public minds are changeable
Well our Trust, too, is mutable
Your perfidy you soon will fret!
On Your Birthday (Malaysia Day)
On this day, many years ago
As we were reminiscing about you
You, beautiful adorable you
We realised that we had never known
Truly when and where you were born
You, fiercely loving you
We inherited you
When we bought our lovely home
And you had made our lives a joy
You, loyal joyful you
So on this day, many years ago
As we were thinking of you
We decided, fancifully
(and without consulting you)
that today would be your birthday
You, beautiful adorable you
You, fierce fierce you
You, forever loved you.
Tentang Kelemasan
Setiap hari bergelut tangkas Gigih tekun melawan diri Hampir menang hampir tertewas Lemas dalam perangkap hati.
Tentang Padang Balang
Singgah makan di Padang Balang Gerai Kak La pilihan tulen Tempat jatuh lagi dikenang Ini pula tempat bermain.
On the Autistic Child and Feeding the Chickens
He saw the chickens gobbling the seeds on the ground and screamed his head off!
Tentang Nikmat Membaca
Nikmat sungguh amal membaca
Teman setia sepanjang hayat
Tiap baris mewaris makna
Segar sarat membuah nikmat
Untung sungguh insan budiman
Malar hayat berdamping makna
Tiap hari tiada rawan
Tenang dalam taman saujana.
On Ten Thousand Steps
Each day I try to
walk ten thousand steps - movement
staves off the darkness.
On the Everyday Life of a Value Investor
Through careful sifting of statistics and accounts, one discovers gems.