Happy Valentine – Saying it with Orchids & “Desired Things”

I've had just enough time to...   say it with orchids and desired things...

All these orchids are taken in my garden in their as many different moods as us...

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day so I’ll postpone my intended post to wish all my readers a “Happy Valentine” and I’ll say it with a dozen of the orchids that I decorated my garden for the Chinese New Year. It has become a yearly ritual to bring more colors into my surroundings. Roses are lovely and I love the fragrance but few flowers last as long as the orchids which I think makes it a more appropriate flower to declare your lasting affection with. 

And I will also take the occasion to share a poem “Desiderata” (Latin for “Desired Things) by Max Erhmann which though is not a romantic poem is romantic in spirit for it concludes that “…it is still a beautiful world”, “Be cheerful. Strive to be happy”. It is something I like to share. Try something different this year, say it with orchids and a poem (not necessarily a love poem) and see what happens. :) 

"Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story"

"Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself."

 "Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time."

"Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism."

"Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass."

" Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness."

"Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here."

"And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful."

"Strive to be happy."

HAPPY VALENTINE!

Keeping My Nose Above Water

I've had just enough time to...   keep my nose above water

Taken of the turtle keeping its nose above water in Gunung Lang, Perak, Malaysia

Keeping my nose above water

That is what I do

As my whole body goes under

I fight to stay afloat

With my nose just on top

Pulled down by my weight

The world upon my shoulders

Pushing me under

I struggled to the surface

Push my nose up above

Desperate to survive

Another moment

For...

Maybe a helping hand

A chance upon a random log

Or to make it to dry land on my own

But that seems so far away…

I paddle there…

Bobbing up and down

Grasping air with every breath

I just keep going

Keep reminding -

Courage is in the struggle

That spirit is all

Keeping me

From going under…

The Monk Who Would Not Ride On An Elephant

I've had just enough time to...   want to ride on an elephant

Taken in a Hindu temple that we stumbled on by accident in Termeloh, Pahang, Malaysia

To ride on an elephant 

A sultan not a mahout 

High above my subjects 

A subject of envy 

Feeling like a king 

High above all 

Till I met a monk wearing 

A smile 

Walking on bare feet 

He did not want 

To be on the beast 

I can tell 

For some reasons 

That infuriated me 

What pleasure can there be 

To ride on an elephant 

If others are not envious of me? 

So I try to steal his smile 

By fraying his skin 

Though he cried in pain 

As the lashes flew 

His spirit could not be broken 

As I could his bone 

What pleasure can there be 

If I cannot submit 

Every one to my will? 

I rode the elephant back 

To the palace 

And the rain 

Falls on me 

The elephant 

And the monk that I killed

Part II – To Carve Out the Soul of An Elephant.

I've had just enough time to...   see how life was breathed into the elephants of wood.

Taken in a handicraft shop on the way to the River Kwai from Bangkok.

To carve an elephant

First, feel its might pulsating

Under your finger tips

Feel its gentleness

Feel its strength

Feel its tenderness

Towards its young

Feel its complexity

Feel its friendship

Feel its relationship

With its herd

Feel its rage

Feel its anxiety

Feel its freedom

In the wild

Dream what it dreams

See what it sees

Feel what it feels

Under its skin

Your hand will know when it is ready

When its spirit course through your vein

When tears well up in your eyes

As you touch the soul of the royal beast

We Humbly Bow to Thee.

I've had just enough time to...  humbly bow to thee.

Tzu Chi volunteers humbly bow to thee.

On behalf of the poor and unfortunates, we bow to thee.

For all your care and compassion, we bow to thee.

For the fate of humanity, we bow to thee.

For your love and tenderness, we bow to thee.

For mother and child, husband and wife, we bow to thee.

For your precious time and effort, we bow to thee.

For brothers and sisters, for friends and strangers, we bow to thee.

For your spirit and empathy, we bow to thee.

For a world in harmony, for love and happiness,

For a caring heart, for supporting hands,

For you, and also for me,

We humbly humbly bow to thee.