May We, The Women

See I have this impulse to idolise the dead, the strong
The uncompromised; you can see it in my eyes
The kind of respect I have,
I look up to the women with the strength I'm building to ratify

You can't stop the droplets from slipping in
You can't deny the power that we're bringing in
The tender moments, jokes, and anecdotes that we'll stop at nothing
And the loss we're lapsing into a fond reminiscent

Here's to the heroes that we're missing
To Cleopatra who defined independent strength
To Rosa Parks for the civil rights movement
And Josephine Baker with her rhythmic hands
Stood beside Martin Luther King, not for the fame

Even Malala's bravery was on point then
Who would have thought she could stop the rain
And she fought her pain to open a brand new lane to many stories worth to pen
And Frida Kahlo's agonised poetry on canvas inspired me

You see it's about time we paint our own reality
Like the lady with the lamp in 1853
Florence Nightingale took a stand in equality
And Marie Curie battled sexism entirely
Throughout her journey till 1903
The prize she won didn't mean anything really
But 1911 proved she's not just an accessory

Elizabeth the daughter of one of the most feared Kings
Over decades she was feared like fear was the in thing
Married to her kingdom, the longest serving monarch
The only mistress of half an island, power to the matriarch

But these are only a handful of ones I constantly thank
For knocking on my door of perceptions, never leaving me blank
Heroes in their own right, top of every rank
And Maya Angelou for the poetry bank

And here's to the women soon to be saluted
May the praiseworthy legacy never be polluted
The setbacks, the side paths, may they always be blessed
May we, the major component continue fighting for the rest

-PRK-

Perimeter Point Zero

When I used to look into your eyes, I see you constantly searching
I noticed that the shadow in you constantly wants to escape from whatever it is that your soul longs to run from
I know a little bit about your past but I know you only chose to share what you think I and everyone else can handle
I'm not too sure if you're being true to yourself but I often notice that you try
Around your friends - and I only know a few - I sometimes feel that you hold yourself back
Like you have walls around you
Maybe you like your space
Maybe there's only so much you want people to see
Or maybe you are overprotective about the tiny room you have for yourself
I may be wrong but I know you have so much on your mind
I don't think you're lost but you're definitely looking for something
I believe like everyone else, of course you're also looking for happiness
And I believe there's so much more in life that you want to achieve
I hope and pray that you find what you're looking for
That you find happiness in a place or in a person you believe you can be your true self with
You're vulnerable but you don't want people to see that
So be it anywhere, be it with anyone, I hope one day, you no longer have to escape
That you no longer feel the need to put on your mask and just be true to yourself

-PRK-

Inside, You Cry

I remember that time when you talk about your past
How you upset the people around you
The games you played
The hearts you broke
But I also remember the other side of you
You're not heartless
Just a temporary emotional cripple
To hide who you really are from others
The vulnerable side of you
The part that would bleed
And takes longer to heal than a cut
But that's you on the outside
Inside, you cry
But you'd try not to
You'd push them aside
Your pain, your anger
You're in agony and you won't admit it
You just want to be strong
At least show them that you are
When you're not
Because inside, you cry

-PRK-

Reality Is...

Why didn't you leave?
I'm staying for the kids.
I want us to stay for the kids.

Why didn't you leave?
A divorce is not acceptable in our society.
And it shouldn't be the last resort.

Why didn't you leave?
Every marriage has its own struggle.
I don't want to give up on mine.

Why didn't you leave?
It shouldn't be too easy.
Nobody said it was easy.

Why didn't you leave?
He is my life.
And I'm his holy wedded wife.

Why didn't you leave?
I have nowhere to go.
I don't even know where to go.

-PRK-

Beholden, Need Not

I don't want to own you
A jaywalker, and if you're the fence, I just want to walk pass you
See you every day for a little while as I walk down the street
Sweeping you off my feet maybe; with my cuffs, if you're the ground that is
Maybe water you in the morning on my way to work if you're the flowerbed

I don't want to hang on to you
A bird, and you're a tree, I just want to drop by and perch for a while when it's too hot
Or when it rains, you'll be my shelter
Or maybe I'll lay down on your dried leaves on the ground if I'm being me
I'll pick a book and have a read

I don't want to cling to you
But if I'm a photographer I wouldn't mind a suspicious dollar bill to take your photos
Capturing your smile, your goofy self and your gaze
Even if you feel uncomfortable, not being yourself in the morning, I'll make you pose for fun
And bribe you for breakfast!

I won't try to possess you, convince you
But I'll fight you, make you say what you want to say
Make you say what you mean and mean what you say
I'll cut you till you bleed to make you feel alive
Make you realise that I'll be there if you need me around

Because we met to meet, met to love, met to care
Not necessarily to be with each other, be in love, be in each other's care
Because love is a mystery, love is poetic, love is an interesting phenomenon
Something that wanders in our imagination
An illumination in the darkness

And I won't have you beholden to me
Unless you want to
Unless you want me to
Unless the canvas of your life needs colour
Unless you want me around forever

-PRK-

Still In Agony

See, I've never meant to ever violate your words
But sometimes I go through my existence, harder than you thought
Got nobody to lean on, to count on to keep me bold
And there are moments in my life I almost vacate my hope
And I can never ever brain how you suck it through these years
How you obviously try to hold on, and the moments you've lived soaked in your tears
Never could I understand why you're still standing with those smears
Though at times you'd sounded like you're buckled up to switch your gears
But here's a question - have you ever thought of how I wish it has an end
How I wish that someday somehow, your happiness isn't condemned
That you're up for any challenges for yourself, don't need to bend
That maybe you'd be happier with your ideas, thoughts and no dent
Because it's draining me, side-splitting me as I try to live my life
Haunting me every moment as I try to really strive
A true standing pillar for the home, still trying to survive
And there are times I hated you for taking away my other life
I had to grow up, had to live up to some expectations and such
Had to crash and walk away from a different set of clutch
Guess you never really thought that it's been so hard on me
How I wish I didn't have to be part of my current agony
For it's making me despising too many things that seemed beautiful
And I've been living in monochrome, nothing was ever colourful
See I'm broken bad, bleeding inside, perhaps you'd even see my clot
If only you'd take your time to sit and read my stormy plot

-PRK-

Nafas

Jantungku berdegup pantas
Cubaku menghela nafas
Dan ku perhati gerak tari mu dicantas
Dan irama itu disudahi dengan pantas
Lalu lirikan di bibir mu berubah
Renungan mata mu rebah
Bagaikan dahan yang rapuh, tak pernah basah
Khayalan-khayalan mu mula gelisah
Seperti khusyuk dipermaikan
Diduakan jasad yang diraikan
Kemudiannya dijahanamkan segala ikatan
Cuma kerna masa lalu mu yang digelapkan
Yang tak bisa mereka terima
Tak bisa mereka simpan tanpa rela
Tetapi nafasmu masih dihela
Nafas yang tak mungkin segan diramas dunia
Kerna nafas kita satu
Kita sama, kau dan aku
Dan permainan ini tiada yang benar mahupun palsu
Semuanya sekadar puisi dan igauan lagu

-PRK-

My Forefronters

And so I moved on with the strength
Neglected my weaknesses
Got up and then I penned
To study my own weaknesses
Stuck in the game
Believed I'd overcome my weaknesses
Walked straight through the rain
Let it wash away my weaknesses
But without them
I wouldn't know my best points
Always try to make more sense
Always try to be on point
And then they told me to shut down
Told me there's nothing left to coin
Nothing left to quote
Stay put and squash the groin
But then I asked myself again
Who's governing my cranium
Who's boss and who's the actual hero in my atrium
Who's going to be there besides myself and my family
Who's going to pen down my story once I've completed my journey?
So I ran the whole yard, sowing every seed
With a folded birthday card, I booked them one whole suite
To pursue happiness, to meet and greet
To cure my loneliness, I wrote letters to my unborn kid
As nothing good comes without the bad
Every night I lay in my bed
Believing I'm the good one with the greatest faith
And the courage that I won't regret
Though sometimes I'd fall apart
Sometimes I'd call a fart
Sometimes I'd make them hate me
Though they're stuck, glued to my heart
Staying through to my heart
Maintaining they're my strength
With hit after hit, nobody will act strange
As I've promised I'd stay me
Won't trade them with my game
And I'm letting the world see
What's written in my name

-PRK-