Visible Only to Me

As I remained in my visible world—

you walked in and

sat in front of me

Invisible to everyone else—

visible only to me

I touched your hand—

gently rubbing mine

against yours

Your skin felt real—

dark purple nails

vivid in my memory

A nervous touch—

I was worried

you’d be seen

You seemed certain all along

that you were invisible—

visible only to me

Strangers Yet Known

In a small cozy room

we shared poetry

calmly and quietly

That moment—

like a captured frame

it felt still and beautiful

It was a short dream

without words—

yet it told our story

On the one hand

we are strangers—

while on the other

a strange feeling of

having known each other

I wonder

I reflect

I ask—

if this is for real

I long to fly deep

through the space

of this mystery

to find the real us

hidden softly within

World Says Not Enough

A feast in dream

despite my aversion

in waking life

to gluttony and

over-indulgence

Food plentiful—

must have meant

something else

Perhaps in dreams—

more means

finding joy in less

Unlike in reality—

the world says

more means

not enough

Like a soft whisper

that constantly tickles—

not enough

not enough

not enough

Parasol Unfurled

Walking through

a crowded market

has never been

my cup of tea

This one time I did—

I was handed a parasol

whose long handle

reached up to the sky

The parasol—

made out of a thick

colourful fabric and

filigree borders

Carrying it—

I started walking,

feeling relaxed,

through the market

White horse—

out of nowhere

perhaps sent 

by a rain god

On horseback

one hand

holding the reins

the other

the parasol

Passing through a meadow

the white horse

carried me swiftly

as I smiled

embracing freedom

in my heart

The parasol

unwavering

stood tall

in my hand

like a victory banner

carried by

an ancient warrior

I rode the wind

through the meadows—

the parasol unfurled

Dreamy Joyride

A dreamy joyride

Ferris wheels race against time

Their pods fly away

Caught Between Creator and Rescuer

Prologue

A demon's

denial of his progeny's love

ends in her brutal lock-up

A soft-hearted accomplice

seals the chamber

—a fortified castle

to delight the disapproving father

The accomplice—

the true beloved—

drifts beneath

the unsuspecting demon

—a silent thief at night

Epilogue

The creation suffocates

under a tight grip

of its very creator

The creation was

initially conceived from the 

liberated mind of the creator

How could a 

liberated mind desire such

imposition and enforcement?

The creator boasts,

“I created, hence my way”

Guided by her youthful charm,

the creation seeks

another liberated mind

as her rescuer

Will her rescuer

walk the same path of the creator

to impose and enforce his will?

The rescuer claims,

“I rescued, hence my way”

The creation miserably 

romanticises her endless rescuers,

each promising liberation,

yet delivering only harrowing misery

Crow Panic

A black crow was trapped inside my bedroom. It was guarding its nest. I tried to shoo it away quite vigorously. I should have been a bit gentle with my actions. As it stared at me, I tried to run away but the door wouldn’t open. It flew right at me and started attacking me. It absolutely startled me and woke me up in fright.

Mother’s love makes her —

Gentle, fierce, or violent

Her nest unshaken

Unspoken Farewell

A man returns home looking frail and worn out. He has been unwell and kept in the hospital for some time. His family greets him with indifference. It’s hard to tell if they’re relieved or reluctant to have him back.

The family is unaware of the invisible eyes observing them.

 

It seems like the man is quietly aware that he’s on the brink of his life ending. Perhaps his family senses this too, though they consider it disrespectful and ill-mannered to have such thoughts.

The thoughts themselves are confused and are unable to convey their emotions to their thinkers.

The invisible eyes quietly observe the situation.

The family holds a solemn ceremony with food arranged on the table. It looks like an offering to their ancestors or perhaps a symbolic precursor to the man’s impending demise.

The man says, “I will take with me some food to my ancestors.”

The invisible eyes continue to observe.

Through gestures,

they convey

unspeakable

repressive thoughts 

to lighten their mood.

Thoughts held captive,

yet they communicate.

The Room

A friend and I were strolling casually in the evening, enjoying ice-cream. We would have been teenagers. We arrived at a house with a long exterior staircase that led to the main entrance on the next level.

Tossing away the empty ice-cream cups, we started climbing the staircase. Darkness thickened as we climbed along.

We were fumbling and finding our way up the staircase. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I brushed it off and turned around. Hardly visible in the darkness, it was the hand of a skeleton hanging from a wall. I wasn't frightened. I was more focused on not tripping in the dark.

As we approached the main entrance, I noticed the door was open and the lights were on. A few steps closer, I saw the hands of a woman pleating a red gown. It was eerie and mysterious. I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

When I arrived at the door, an elderly woman appeared and greeted us in. There was another girl in the room.

As we were talking, an old man — who happened to be the woman’s father — rushed into the room.

He said, “I gotta leave. My dad’s always asking me for money. He might be here anytime soon.”

Magpie

Why was I driving a magpie out of my house? It wanted to stay with me. It knew it would be better fed at home than outside.

Perhaps it had started getting used to the luxuries of home. Perhaps it had become complacent and lost its abilities to live in nature.

Perhaps I was bothered by its harsh cries. Perhaps I was afraid of it being so close.

I started throwing grains at it, hoping it would fly away. Instead, it would reluctantly climb one step at a time on the stairs and ask, “Why?”

I kept throwing grains and splashing water. It kept asking me, "Why?"

Finally, it reached the threshold of a balcony door and stepped outside. I hurriedly closed the door, deciding I would continue to feed it every morning.

I just didn’t want it to be inside.

A Little Girl

A little girl, maybe five, was peeking in through my window. She looked more like a doll than a human with a grim look on her face. When she noticed me, she seemed scared and darted to the corner of the window.

After a while, I saw her peeking in again. As I stepped closer, I noticed she was being carried by a woman.

I asked the woman if the girl was hers. She didn’t answer but looked annoyed by my question. When I asked again, she grew a little upset and told me to leave them alone.

Afternoon Nap

My afternoon nap had extended into a deep sleep.

I woke abruptly, realising I had forgotten to pick up my daughter from school. I checked the time. It was 10:15 PM. Yet, it wasn’t dark outside.

I noticed that she had actually come home on her own and was sleeping. I recalled that I had been teaching her how to cross the road and getting her prepared in case she would have to do it herself.

Apparently her great-grandfather had opened the door for her, whom she had never met. He had died long before she was even born.

The Paw

A Paw

Dark and hairy —

I had never seen before —

Would emerge out of nowhere

Like an intruder in the dead of night 

I would shudder as it

Grabbed my feet

The monstrous eyes on the Paw

Coldly staring at me

I would panic and

Try to scream

My mouth wide open but

My vocal cords tied

I would scream my lungs out but

Only felt the winds blowing out —

A voiceless bellow

Such was the Paw's spell

I would be totally paralysed

From head to toe

I would sweat

My heartbeat would race

Unable to comprehend —

I would attempt

Yet another failed scream

Unfazed

The Paw would

Vigorously drag me

From my comfy mattress

Out of my room and

Down the stairs

Like a wave crashing on my face —

“Wake up!”

The call drove away the intruder

My voice set free

For a longing scream

Cold, wet and trembling

I sat upright

The Paw — 

I desperately wanted wiped from memory — 

Would return again and again

To haunt me

To leave me incapacitated

As if revealing a mystery

Or simply overpowering me

The Paw

Wouldn’t speak

Nor would it scream at me

Just a physical act of

Shaking me

Like a tin can

To pour out

Stuck residue

The ongoing episode had to end —

A plan devised

For the final encounter

I knew it would return —

Me ready for a face-off

Another silent night

That familiar sensation

At my feet

The Paw — unwelcome —

Back again

The anticipated drag

About to commence

My heartbeat rose

But I was calmer

More attuned

Than before

The Paw started

Shaking and dragging me

With the same fervour

Along the floor

Out the door

Down the stairs

I let myself go —

No constriction

No restriction

No fear —

I surrendered

Curious

To see what it would do —

I went with the flow

Halfway down the stairs

The dragging stopped

The Paw gave up and

Vanished

I opened my eyes

No fear

No trembling

Calm ensued

The Paw never returned

It lost the battle —

To my surrender

To my willingness

To go with the flow

It taught me humility

Not victory

I was quietly grateful

To the Paw

A tragic nightmare

Transformed

Into a sweet dream

I survived

One of my earlier posts was about my dream that had a prediction of my death. The dream led me to a premonition that something might happen to me. It wasn't such a strong feeling, but it had me thinking for a few days.

Now I am back again. The dream has gone, the premonition passed without any ill effects. I survived the whole episode. The death did not occur, and I really don't know if this experience has changed something in me.

Today is my last day on earth?

I had a dream last week. A doctor advised me that August 30 was going to be my last day.

When I woke up, I didn't panic at all but the dream got me thinking for a while. I believe dreams are just my subconscious trying to communicate with my conscious mind and perhaps trying to suggest something that I haven't been able to decipher.

Perhaps death in my dream suggests I will be reborn with a new mindset or something new is on the way.

I will wait and see if I open my eyes tomorrow morning.

A quick death and a sudden revival

I thought I was fully awake. I was lying in the bed when my eyes shut for a few seconds. I noticed a rapid movement of my tongue and heard a faint racheting sound just above it.

I saw a rapid flickering of narrow horizontal black-and-white stripes that shifted diagonally before turning off like a television screen, followed by a few milliseconds of absolute darkness and stillness.

I suddenly opened my eyes without moving my body and stared blankly ahead, wondering what had just happened to me.