NaPoWriMo #1: Forget it, and don’t ask about the rest—nor for whom—

Oh, shoot!An ekphrastic poem is actually for the early-birds and I thought it was for the first day of NaPoWriMo. My,bad! I'm going to write a poem anyway based on the given prompt. We have to go to Reb Livingston’s Bibliomancy Oracle and compose a poem based on that quotation. I hope I'm not too late. Here goes:

"Forget it, and don’t ask about the rest—nor for whom—"

Perhaps, we are meant to taste these tears,

and take the wrong routes,

sometimes, it's cul-de-sac.

Sometimes, we encounter into people

who gnaw on our

soul,

most of the time,

we listen to the inevitable music

of heartbreaks.

Sometimes, we are shrouded

by hopelessness,

sometimes our dreams are ground into dust

and our efforts

flowing in the drain,

sometimes, we tend to doubt

the Wisest One,

"Forget it, and don’t ask about the rest—nor for whom—"

don't ask but to endure

as every despondency or catastrophe

will shed your unwanted layers

 and unveil the invaluable gold.

-Nuruljannah-

P.S. I got this excerpt "Forget it, and don’t ask about the rest—nor for whom—"

from “Don’t Ask” by Alexander Xaver Gwerder (translated by Marc Vincenz).

NaPoWriMo: Mindscape

Yeah, I know I've to focus on my thesis but I've to exercise my creativity and let my imagination roam freely, aite? One of my panaceas for distress is indeed composing  crappy poems. So, I decided to join NaPoWriMo (www.napowrimo.net).What's NaPoWriMo? It's National Poetry Writing Month. Woot!

Since I was born in April, I'm really thrilled NaPoWriMo is celebrated this month. Well, I will be more thrilled if there were NaTheWriMo (National Thesis Writing Month) so I could finish my thesis for a month. Yeah, right.

Okay, let's get back to business, shall we? This is my first NaPoWriMo poem for this month entitled "Mindscape". That title is actually based on one of Latiff Mohidin's paintings, a prominent Malaysian artist. Our prompt for today is to write an ekphrastic poem, a poem inspired by a work of art. Since I'm Malaysian, that's why I chose his painting. Here goes:

                             

 Mindscape
Can you see a galaxy
in my mind?
Oh, how beautiful
those stars bind!
Scintillating like a beacon,
where there is a flying chicken
dancing through the starlight
with an enormous delight.
With no impossibility
as a boundary,
no noises or
malicious voices,
your mind can be free
to create its own galaxy.

-Nuruljannah-

The Secret Recipe

I compose my poems with my scattered rhythms
using a cauldron of words like making a peanut butter
sandwich
with cheese.

Poetry does not
accentuate superiority,
or emphasize strict rules of
rhymes and meters,
Or incomprehensible metaphors
To make your brain suffers,
Remember, poetry is not like our society.

It lets souls speak
and unfurls deepest fears
to help you to listen
not just to hear
your inner self.

That is a true poetry,
albeit no poetic meters
no rhymes,
or composed of absolute meters
or absolute rhymes,
or use repetitive mundane words
and peanut butter sandwich (don't forget the cheese)
as a metaphor.

What makes your poetry
a poetry
is your deepest
soul
(perhaps with a tad of peanut butter sandwich with cheese?)

-Nuruljannah-

An Adventure

I have never realized
I have this subtle fear,
swimming in my ocean
of dreams.

I always yearn for an adventure
with my soul mate,
clambering up together
to reach Him.

I thought I was bold enough
to undergo this new adventure
with anyone
but I was wrong.
It is not just anyone.

When I look at you,
I yearn to have an adventure with you,
your presence has devoured my fears,
as long as you're in my future
I am fearless.

But, your heart belongs
to someone else,
and you're happy
embarking on your new adventure
with her.
While I am here,
with my shattered courage,
with my fears,
watching them devouring me.

-Nuruljannah-

They say

Not beautiful enough,

they say,

men will turn away and flee.

My body is tattooed

with stretchmarks,

my body is not

aesthetic,

they say,

rotund and huge,

men will turn away and flee.

Not beautiful enough.

they say,

I need to be slender 

and slim,

to steal a man's heart

and to tie the knot.

No wonder you are single,

they say,

shed your weight,

you will attract men like sugar

attracts ants.

I hug my beautiful rotund body,

and look at those nincompoops and say

only a real man

can see my true beauty,

and love me.

-Nuruljannah-

Reflection

I wish I could hug you,
and make you soothing
green tea,
dry your wretched tears
with my half-baked love.
I wish I could heal
your brittle heart,
but, I am incarcerated
in the reflective world
of yours.
I wish you could see me
beyond you,

You never did.

-Nuruljannah-

A heartbeat

If you write with every ounce
of your soul,
Your words
will have a heartbeat.

-Nuruljannah-