The Scribbles of a Lonely Traveller

You left me just a few hours ago
which seemed ages and ages to me
Without you around
my mind is messy
as the disheveled hair
on the head of a hobo
People say
another cold front's on the way
I'm afraid
this world will become eventually
beyond hope
barren as the Arctic circle
with only winds
growling and howling
Don't ever leave me
my mistress
for you're my Muse
my inspiration
Only with your stroke of a genius
will I be capable of painting
in my poem
a meadow with countless wild flowers
on this freezing wilderness

Revised

I hope one day
I can somnambulate to the lake
where you used to lie
on its bank
and contemplate
your beautiful face
on the surface
of the mysterious water
Being a caterpillar
I guess I'd also gaze
long not at my own reflection
but your enthralling reincarnation
the swaying daffodil
graceful like a pretty girl
If I could borrow
some delightful petals
from the daffodil
to hide my blues away
perhaps I wouldn't consider
plunging into the water

Revised

Good morning
lovely lasses and lads
please don't bother
to clean up the fallen leaves
on the campus
after the early spring rain
for they're no different
from the flowers
in April
or the colorful butterflies
in July
You may wonder
whether it's practical
to leave them scattering
here and there
on the pavement
Definitely not
but they forms
a yellow brick road
leading me
to a paradise of beauty
when it's still too chilly
for the spring blossoms to bud


Revised

For a couple of days
the spring rain
has come back
from a long journey
and is lingering
All the trees are sprouting
and little birds chirping
The sleepy land
seems to be waking up
from its deep winter slumber
whereas
when and how
will the seed inside me
begin to bud
since you're still
nowhere to be found


Revised

Without a reason
I dreamed of you again
last night
Without a reason
you lost your dear parents
as a kid
and never had a chance
to go to school
to learn how to read
yet your heart was pure
and beautiful as Mother Nature
Without a reason
you were full of love
when you had your family
though you were
a struggling farmer
all your life
Without a reason
you went to heaven
many years ago
yet I still come across you
once in a while
in my dreams

If my poetry turns out to be
an ugly duckling
plain and agonizing
please kindly
dig a hole for me
and bury it gently
with some seeds
of forget-me-not
Maybe
they will germinate
in spring
growing up to be delightful
as soothing
as the light blue sky
in summer
and this world
will appear much better
Maybe not
then please be kind enough
to let me
keep daydreaming


Revised

Just like the merry lark
having flown away
to a far-off land
no more singing in the sky
you're no longer
staying by my side
What's worse
at the park
there's nothing but coldness
of the weather
to keep company
with those leafless trees
And in between
our riotous laughter
our precious youth
has sneaked past us
together with
the beautiful Sunday

Young as a caterpillar
you shouldn't wonder
whether people like you
or not
or what you will be
in the future
Instead
simply devote yourself
to digging in
to those lush green leaves
and getting as chubby
as can be
Sooner or later
it will dawn on people
that this world
is much more colorful
with your presence
when you transform yourself
into a butterfly

Revised

Having had enough
of this cold windy weather
I guess I'd better
turn it off
by gently closing my eyes
Hence
returning to a warm summer day
in my mind's eye
when I was taking a rest
in your shade
Blowing out of nowhere
a playful summer breeze
scattered your pure white petals
all over the floor
and onto my humble clothes
I was wondering why
why you smelt so aromatic to me
since I wasn't a butterfly
or a honey bee
Now I guess
not only are you pretty
as a fragrant lass
but also witty
for you intend to attract me
to spread your sweet memory
in the air
via my poetry
in the monotonous winter


Revised

Oh, Motorcycle
you're like my uncle
in dashing so fast
that even time is left
far far behind
in the past
Running here one day
and rushing there
another day
you seem to be
second to none in racing
but will you ever
get somewhere
instead of ending
in the middle of nowhere
one day
when you have to
stop running
in the long run


Revised

Azaleas are blooming
here and there
on the hill
though I can still feel
the early spring chill
I'd like to pick a pure white one
for you
to put it in your hair
But where are you
I shouldn't have missed you
so much
in the first place
for I know
you're nothing but my echo
I'm not Narcissus
but I'm wasting away
for the same reflection
all the same


Revised

Wearing a sombrero
of slate grey sky
in the winter
and walking along a street
with only the chilly wind
all the afternoon
I felt like a lonely caveman
living in the ice age
No sooner had I
started missing
those cheerful sunflowers
which bloomed fervently
on your smiling face
last summer
than
from you
my dear Nikita
I received a well-wishing card
which
you would never believe
did thaw the iceberg
in my heart
in no time

Revised

If making a great fortune
means
having no choice
but to cut down a forest
or to step on others
I'd rather be as poor
as a hermit
living a simple way of life
than admire a billionaire
living in a magnificent mansion
and claiming
it's politically correct
for cannibals to eat people
if with fork and knife

Thank you, little bird
for the sweet melody
you make for me
this morning
and for your company
while I'm weeding my garden
on this breezy day of spring
not too warm
and not too cold
Don't you agree
Nevertheless
happy hours seem to go by
more quickly
In the blink of an eye
it's almost high noon
and time to say goodbye
While I'm going home
to have my lunch
please make yourself
at home and
eat to your heart's content
those chemical free pests
that feed on my veggies
You're more than welcome
for you never enjoy
those fat worms
without rewarding me
with organic fertilizers

Seeing pretty butterflies
flying and
dancing here and there
on the sunny street
all of a sudden
I sense
spring is coming
but I don't feel much
like singing this time
since I'm now in the autumn
of my life
elbowing my way
toward the ruthless winter
even though I still remember
I once promised myself
I wouldn't let spring
pass me by
so easily
when I was young
and silly as a puppy

When I was still a kid
as small as you were
I wondered why
you always carried your house
like a tiny tower
on your back
wherever you traveled
Later on
I realized
it was your borrowed shelter
in the sands of time
beside the ocean expanse
When migrating birds
start flying south
it dawns on me
we're not much different
Like them
we're just taking
a seasonal journey
without a permanent home

Is it the spring rain
or just another cold front
that's drizzling
outside my window
However
does it really
make any difference
as long as
in my small town
there're still delicious
and various Chinese foods
that can keep me
staying alive
all the year round
after a tiring day
in my veggie garden
I don't really care
especially when
one has passed the age
of sweet dreams

And
we're all playful green leaves
for our mother is a tree
a maple tree
living in a small town
on the other side
of a mountain
Though she recognizes
only a few words
she's able
to read those clouds well
To raise us
she has tasted
all kinds of weathers
Nonetheless
the season
when we're most colorful
is the season
when she's young no more
Maybe we're going nowhere
yet
for those lost butterflies
in gloomy autumn
we'll paint a yellow brick road


Revised

When I open wide my eyes
to search for my old hometown,
it seems as far
as the farthest star in a night sky,
and in a blink of an eye,
it's gone.
When I close my eyes,
it's right in front of me,
in the mind's eye,
appealing as a rural tapestry,
with boys running
with wind in a field,
girls playing
with water by a brook.
One day
when I eventually close my eyes
and never wake up,
I wonder
whether my green grass of home
will still exist
as well as this illusory universe.

Revised

Living like a green sapling
deep in a valley
I'm afraid
I'm forgetting about the world
or the other way round
I'm not very sure
yet I still have a pen
to write down many a dream
on the clear water surface
of a winding stream

When I vowed
I'd never be
a captive to your charm
I felt as calm
as a mirror pond
Yet when I see
a gentle breeze
lifting up those
enchanting pink petals
of peach blossoms
and throwing them onto
the still pond
hence my heart
starts rippling again


Revised

Yesterday
it was still breezy
now it's snarling and growling like crazy
And the day before yesterday
it rained like cats and dogs
all the way
if my memory serves me right
nothing seemed all right
How can I expect a sunny tomorrow
now that I'm fed up
with so much sorrow

When each bird flies softly by,
waving goodbye
to those piles of moody clouds,
sailing serenely
to a greener land,
and leaving me nothing
but lonesome blues.
How I wish
to be able to cut off the line
that has been controlling my life!
One day
when eventually I am free
from the hand
that holds the line of my destiny,
I wonder
whether I'll be flying freely
like a bird
or falling like a free-flying kite
from the top of the world!


Revised

It's the third day
of the Lunar New Year
supposed to be
the happiest time of the year
but I feel
there has seemed to be
a huge boulder
on my heart
since the first day
of this spring festival
I wonder
why I'm not as ethereal
as a wisp of smoke
as usual
and I'm trying hard
to find out the answer
to be again
that free and easy man
I used to be
Perhaps
I should blame it
on the seasonal depression
springtime as it's now

Yesterday
the weather man said
the sky's going to cry tonight
till the next day
yet the sun will smile brightly
during the day
so I went to my garden
in the early morning
to soften the soil
and to let the sun
shine on and disinfect it
After I finished planting
some vegetables
in the evening
there wasn't much time
left for me to water them
before dark
not to mention the fact
that recently there had been
a shortage of water
Hardly had I got home
before I found
I had lost my depression
Maybe
it was because I was too busy
and too exhausted
to remember where I left it
Maybe
it was the sunshine
that had stolen it from me

I liked how the sunshine stole the depression. The sun would probably not "sterilize" the soil but warm it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by YesNo

I liked how the sunshine stole the depression. The sun would probably not "sterilize" the soil but warm it.

---

Thanks, YesNo, for your reply and the correction.
I googled for the info and I found the correct way to say it is disinfect instead of sterilize. I'll use disinfect instead right now. Thanks again.

Taking a walk
on the sidewalk
I catch a glimpse
of a small yellow flower
sticking out of a crack
and smiling quietly
all by herself
I feel very joyful
though I suppose
she's not so gorgeous
as Iris
and not so elegant
as Orchid
yet I know
the pretty romantic Rose
is not the one for me
for I'm just a nobody
like her
living in the middle
of nowhere

Maybe
I'll never have a chance
to see you again
yet I'm still missing your smile
like a drooping leaf of grass
waiting for the summer rain
Maybe
I'm now like a bee
getting lost in a concrete jungle
yet I'm still dreaming
one day
there'll be spring rain
showering down
on this lonesome dry land


Revised

The distance between us
can be compared to something
like this
Supposing
you're a romantic cloud
born to wander forever
and ever
then I'm a small rippling river
lying by the meadow
with splashes of yellow
enjoy singing for you today
as well as tomorrow
Maybe
you're too far away
to appreciate my lovely melody
but I couldn't care less
as long as you once
and deeply
impressed a charming reflection
on my clear water surface


Revised

Dear loved ones
I'm feeling terribly sorry
Others are so obedient
to their parents
grazing as much as they can
on the meadow
to make more fleeces
while I'm still setting
my affections
on the weeping willow
by the pond
the wandering cloud
in the blue sky
and the soothing stream
in the forest
I regret to admit
that I'm the black sheep
of the family
for I've owned anything
but an empire building

The sparrows are flitting
around from branch to branch
in the woods
in this green paradise
especially bustling
on this sunny morning
It appears that they're telling
one another it's coming
The Spring Is Coming
Let's get busy
busy as the noisy city
not very far away
just outside the fence
busy making a decent house
busy looking for a pretty spouse
busy having a nest
of lovely fledglings
so that human beings
won't miss our singing
come next spring

Revised

In the refreshing morning
you're shining
like a tiny dew
in the garden
I'd turn myself
into a leaf of grass
for you to cling fondly to
if I could be with you
for even a fleeting moment
I know
you'll be gone
even before I wake up
from my hallucination
but I don't care
whether there's eternity
or not
as long as we once treasure
this casual encounter


Revised

Once upon a time
in spring
azaleas were decorating
your campus
with a kaleidoscope
of new colors
At that time
you were most poetic
and enthusiastic
about those exotic lands
of romance
You once said that
you would write down
the most beauteous moments
in a book of poetry
one day
after you had traveled
like a Gypsy
to many far away places
Now the same azaleas
are blooming again
like young girls
in March
and you've come back
from a long journey
weather-beaten and worn-out
You're still sentimental
but passionate no more
How could you
create a piece of inspiration
seeing that
you've lost your passion

When my heart was young
and my soul restless
I'd rather come across
a violent storm
once in a while
than live a simple life
as always
How could I see
at that time
facing storms was
no laughing matter
Isn't it a shame
that only in the sunset of life
and only in the wake
of numerous tears
do I truly wish to steer away
from any trouble
Now I don't mind
if I have to be humble
simply to be able to enjoy
peace and serenity

By chance
I look out my window
from my place
in the late morning
I notice
and feel amazed
the trees are budding
on the outside
refreshing pretty and lovely
as a newborn baby
then it comes to mind
only last night
it was still raining
dark and wet and cold

If we're born
and destined to roam
all our life
like floating duckweeds
easier to separate
than to cling to each other
then why not let a small river
carry us to wherever
the water flows
The time when
we're happy together
may be as short
as a joke
yet we'll turn it into eternity
in our sweet memory

(Revised)

If you were a white cloud
I'd rather be
a green mountain
lying flat on my back
gazing admiringly at you
up above my head
night and day
Don't be upset
if I'm gaping and speechless
Not very far away
there's a little brook
rippling a sweet melody
on my behalf
If you happen to wonder
what I'm most worried about
then you'll see
it's you
that might get sad one day
and turn into tears
I'm not afraid
to get soaking wet
but I might miss you for ages
before running
into your reincarnation
once again


Revised

When you were young
and enchanting as a flurry
of falling cherry blossoms
I was seriously blinded
in word and deed
at that time
How I wished
to be able to lie
under your dazzling spell
day and night
and never wake up
Now the dreamy days
have all passed away
No more charming petals left
but sweet cherry fruits
Maybe you're now reaping
a rich harvest
whereas I’m still lost
in the nostalgic past
under the tree

A tiny pearl
is sure to glisten
more brightly
than a mountain
of sand
When there is
a mountain of sand
in a poem
how could we
expect the pearl
to shine through