Project Rhapsody

2006-07-19T11:36:00.000+08:00

The day I heard your name,

Tilll the day i played your game.

Confessions i made, my heart i ate

Faith in love, i rather not instead

Are they true, the things you said?

Or were they empty shells you made?

Sweet nothings, chanting, playing,

My heart deceived, it kept on praying.
Songs you sang, like letters blank

Lyrics i wished, you always meant

But will it start, or has it end?

a tragedy predicted, love is such bitter-end

Memories collided,

Slowly yours faded,

Love led empty hearts astray.

I silently pray, tears, please go away

Words they drown, in my heart they sank.

Tham Si Wing

Merlion

2006-07-19T11:32:00.000+08:00

The majestic sight

With all its might

Gives us Singaporeans a surge of pride

Especially in the night

When its eyes shines bright

Giving off two rays of wondrous light

With the majestic head of a lion,

The graceful body of a mermaid

The merlion is stands proud

For all to gaze

With enchantment,

And not a hint of distaste

The mesmerizing monument

So big, so bold, so beautiful

Emitting gushes of water from its mouth

What a sight, a lovely sight

Admire the merlion

That signifies beauty,

Be awed by the merlion

That radiates power,

Remember the merlion

That depicts grace

Samantha lim pei yi

3 Grace

Family Portrait

2006-07-09T22:52:00.000+08:00

Dearest Readers, it is my up most duty to tell you gleefully

Of this rather traditional yet strange family.

Where old folks’ hushed whispers and children behind long skirts stay away from

Endless corridors and two-way mirrors, the norm.

To pass the point of no return was the poisonous motto

Of the oldest son. Quietly brilliant, innocently cunning, the emotionless smile,

Oh that sadistic boy assassin was about to find out the little fact that

Not all demons were those in the shadows under his bed, nor his pitiful victims.

Entrancing smoke of her classic Mother’s oriental pipe

Dreamed amorphous castles of yesterday, the eldest daughter always said.

Wise as the night owl, she would not stand for lack of iron discipline.

Watch her walk the fine line between juvenile delinquent or, criminal mistress.

Radiant black widow flees from her silken lair.

No other could scare the tiny

Murderess but the second son of Chinese syndicate, strolling without the

Slightest care for the world.

Why should he when there were other pressing matters

Such as listening to the rare serenity of the sinister breeze.

Rabelaisian court jester, the wicked grin of the maleficent joker

Were his favourite costumes. For the first cousin had a tendency to

Play cruel pranks and hurl taunting mockeries.

A mirror image of his laughless past

Perhaps? The jack in the box was not fond of reminisce, but repress.

Obscure mechanic sounds echoed against his workplace, yet the

Youngest son heard naught. Delight in creating one toy after another.

It is the least he could control. He decides to take a step further and

Builds his pioneer soldier army on a solid foundation of hatred.

Rococo shine of the porcelain window chimes; Ah, the

Pallor of the second cousin.

Her skirts full, her lips rosy pink, her tresses would be Goldilocks’ envy.

Simple-minded and a tad bit too cheerful for their taste,

Nevertheless had only their best interests in her little good heart.

Incidentally the baby of the family shall be mentioned last, as the

Case for the final daughter. Black Mary-Janes, black and white striped stockings,

And a Lewis Carroll’s melancholic child face to match. The nursery was

Her palace of forbidden imaginations, she was it’s dark princess.

Sufficiently horrifying for a bedtime story, do you not think so?

No one claimed it was one, a myth of rise and fall.

I am sorry to say every inch of this tale is true,

Though some may wish it voodoo make believe.

Maybe there is a desperate answer. A way out of this

Rampant madness. But will people be willing to fight when

Put in the limelight? The solution is simply a four-letter word

That knows no boundaries.

Dearest Readers, it is my up most duty to tell you gleefully

Love is about loving, not being lovely.

So ends my poem, Oh bittersweet scepticism!

Do prepare (in case, you scoundrels) for the rise of Terrorism.

Rabelaisian: Derived from style of French writers, Rabelais, making crude jokes, usually pertaining to sex and the boy.

Rococo: Period of French History (early 1700s) in continuation to the European Baroque era. Rococo dolls are made of porcelain and easily breakable.

Valerie Champion

Chérir les moments

2006-07-08T22:40:00.000+08:00

A tribute to MS Khoo Peck Sim

The little details you leave,

“Remember…” told to us,

Annoying brats are we,

Undeserving of your imparted skills,

Unappreciative, how immature are we.

‘Désolé ’

So much for the time,

That is about to come,

For you to retire,

We would also remember,

The kind things you did.

‘Chérir les moments’

Yes, we sure will.

We love you.

French:

‘Désolé ’: Sorry

‘Chérir les moments’: Cherish the moments

Samantha Gizella Choy

Welcome To My World

2006-07-08T22:37:00.000+08:00

Welcome to my world!

A place of contrasts,

Infinite possibilities

A dreamland so real.

Come, look here!

So many things to do.

Games, sweets, a menagerie.

You’ll never get bored.

So sweet isn’t it?

Candy floss, cakes and clowns.

A veritable funfair.

What else can there be?

Unless you count the serial killers.

Or the robbers, thieves and burglars.

Those with blood on their hands

Walking lostly, eyes empty.

Then you have the abusers

The liars, cheats and hypocrites.

They don’t look so bad do they?

All so nice and docile, chained up there.

But don’t worry,

You’ll fit right in.

In fact, you’re the best.

This is now your world!

Priscilla Su
4E

Desperation Beneath

2006-07-08T22:36:00.000+08:00

She danced.

Under the bright lights,

She spun.

She flitted,

Here and there.

She enthralled.

She flew.

Like a cloud,

She floated

She enchanted.

And as the curtains closed,

She changed.

Face pale.

Eyes desperate.

A lone figure.

Dark emptiness.

Everywhere.

No escape.

No strength.

No more tears.

No hope left.

So weary,

Decision made.

Time to go.

Sighing quietly.

She lay down.

And slipped away entirely.

Priscilla Su

De Devil

2006-07-08T22:35:00.000+08:00

Listen and listen well, underlings!

Once is all I’ll say.

The world’s such a boring place.

So serene, secure and satisfied.

You have 1 year

(3000 earth years)

Use Destruction; unleash him.

Cause despair, disappointment

Definitely discontent and dissent.

Devastate families;
Brother to deceive brother

Spouse to despise each other

Spread desperation; let her grow.

But take care never to scorn her!

After all,

Home hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Remember! No need for subtlety.

Humans are dense. They’ll never deduce,

De Devil is behind this.

Go! My little minions.

You are dismissed.

Priscilla Su

Let Go

2006-07-08T22:32:00.000+08:00

"Let go, it’s for the best all round.”

With pain and obvious reluctance she let go.

That small precious bundle of joy and grief.

Changed, never seen again, never the same.

Let go, it’s time to part. Life’s chapter closed.

Last glance, fleeting caress. One torn to two.

Love always remembered, bringing lost memories.

Parted, never again whole, always searching.

Let go, there’s nothing more to do.

Dead’s as dead is. Yet, a whisper glimpse, memory.

A lifetime together, an eternity apart.

Love, once chance, once lost never found again.

Let go.

Priscilla Su
4E

Paint

2006-07-08T22:30:00.000+08:00

Paint

If you were to paint a picture
Would you fill the skies with your
Dreams of gold and silver?
Blending the morning's sequinned
light with the moonlight's sliver?
Would you brush the stardust above
My head. Then sprinkle them into
the deep blue seas as you wanted
Once, you said to me?

Are you that angel from up above,
Painiting sunsets for me with love?
I know you fly amongst the
Heavens so high. But would you
Descend upon my midnight sky?
Would you hold my hand to run
Across the ageless seas, as you
cross the tides along with me..

But if your hand should slip away,
If with me you were not meant to stay..
I only ask for a thought, a fleeting dream
Of me. Will you agree?
Remember me, remember me.
And keep painting sunsets for us,
For we.

Natasha Lim
4 Grace

Fly

2006-06-29T12:55:00.000+08:00

Fly,

You dangerous creature,

endangering other’s lives.

Would you like to know,

How painful your bite is,

How expensive your urge for blood costs?

Fly,

You revolting, vile being

With no morals, no remorse

just to quench your desire for food

you endangered my life.

You’ll never know,

You’ll never feel this pain,

for you are just a little bloody Aedes mosquito.

Edwina Goh

4Humility

Char Siew of Singapore

2006-05-24T16:00:00.000+08:00

In a kitchen lay a piece of meat

Priced as cheap as dirt

The rich won’t eat it

The poor see no value in it

Forever thinking highly of foods

Of the mountains and the seas.

IN the Pacific Ocean stands an island

Unknown to the outside world

Pioneers ignore it

Locals see no future in it

Who will? IT wasn’t Europe.

It wasn’t America

A man came

And in the meat saw a potential

He took it up

Added some seasonings

And left it in the stove

Cooking on its own

From a ship appeared Stamford Raffles

He knew we could be a port

Add some developing

A little industrializing

Our economy

Started to bloom

Left in the fire

With no one to tend

The meat laid alone

Struggling through the heat

While the man played a game of chess

World War 2

The Japanese came

Pain, suffering

Who was to blame?

We struggled alone

Forgotten once again

The agony was finally over

The man had remembered his meat

Rushing over he found

An delicacy of bright red

Soothing to the mouth

Great to eat

Singapore pulled through

Surprisingly alright

Becoming red as of brotherhood

White of pure and virtue

We became what we are

A great country

From an unexpected beginning

Just as of Char Siew.

Charmain Teo

Singapore

2006-05-24T15:55:00.000+08:00

It was a country

That saw many

Hardships and sufferings

That had also braved

Through many wars

She was previously

Just a fishing village

Where people went through tough times

The conflicts they faced

Through the years

That had passed incessantly

From that very fishing village, it is

Now, nurtured into an urban city

With high advanced technology

It is all thanks to our forefathers

For what we are today

An independent nation

Adele Wong

Geylang

2006-05-24T15:53:00.000+08:00

Black and red

The scent of Shanghai Rose

Lingers. As threads of silk wrap themselves

around her curves.

She puts on a mask of powder

And gloss of crimson

In the hopes of a

Better life.

In the hopes of the coins rattling as they fall into the tin.

Dirty.

Cheapened.

Used.

Reluctant body

caressed by unfamiliar fingers.

The candle flame,

extinguished.

Athirah Bte Mohd Norahim

New Posts on Hold for Duration of Exams

2006-05-08T21:35:00.000+08:00

We will be back on track with new poems as soon as the exams are over....HELP! I am drowning in lit essays.....

Mrs Tan

Goodbye

2006-04-15T22:44:00.000+08:00

This time-
I won’t cry, I won’t sigh
I’ll give in, I’ll let her win
I’ll be strong, she can have everything.
Because a dozen a dime, and
You were never worth the time.

I waited- but where did you go?
I tolerated- but what did I get?
I compromised- but did it work?
I trusted- but it was betrayed.

I was happy, smiled genuinely
I was naive, thought you were my only
I believed, had faith that
you wouldn’t double-deal.

But I was wrong.
Should have listened to friends,
Should have believed them
like how I believed you.
I was wrong- I admit,
it was my mistake.

Lies upon lies,
Countless tales you fabricate just
like how the spider spins its webs.
You got so good at it,
got me believing them time
after time, got me deceived
just like preys of sticky webs-

Stuck, struggling,
and suffocating.
Untruths and truths, I can’t
tell them apart anymore.
This is the pain of naivety, and
it tears apart the heart’s flesh.

I won’t cry, I’ll wipe my tears dry
I won’t fight, I’ll let her win
I won’t be put down, I’ll be strong-
I’ll grit my teeth, I’ll move on.

Hee Biling Dawn
3 Grace

Looking back

2006-04-08T23:01:00.000+08:00

When it’s all still so vivid,
It hurts looking back.
Looking back so many times,
Tears just sting my eyes.
Wishing to go back to what we use to be,
Even knowing it’s never possible.
Fighting the tears of long ago, I try to move on,
Knowing that all you want is for me to be happy.
Try as I may,
You will always be the biggest treasure in my life,
The best thing that has ever happen to me…
I will always love you.

Averil Lee
4I

2006-04-08T22:57:00.000+08:00

The moment I set eyes on you
I loved you.

You were brought home a tiny baby;
With everyone crowding over you
Maybe you got more attention
You were the limelight, I knew.

I could still vividly remember
Your first touch,
Seeing your first smile,
Your first hug,
Hearing your first word.

You started going to school;
Making friends and getting homework
You came back bubbly and happy
But at times, you came home upset.

I could not help you much,
But I welcomed you at home.
I wanted you to see that sparkle in my eye
So I could see your own.

I could still vividly remember
Your everyday tummy rubs,
Your secret extra biscuits,
Your conversations,
Your everyday walks.

You got your first part-time job,
You were fifteen.
I only saw you through the first week,
So I don’t remember everything.

I could still vividly remember
Your first day at work,
You came home tired but proud,
You made my day too.

I tried to jump on your lap but couldn’t,
I tried to make my eyes sparkle but failed,
I looked at you with love in my eyes,
I knew, I was going soon.

You took me through my last moments,
With tears in your eyes
I knew how much you loved me,
I knew I love you as much too.

Time went past fast with your company,
Perhaps I was too tired
But I was happy with you beside me
I smiled to myself, did you see?

The moment I closed my eyes,
I still loved you.

Cheng Jia Ying

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned

2006-04-08T00:24:00.000+08:00

Timeless and spaceless
Millenniums go by.
No beginning no start
And thee would have thought once bitten twice shy

Outside, temptress beneath
Sly grew not shroud.
Four times before fall
Slashed and sold to envious hands of the blasphemous and proud

Egyptian goddess of Sun
Enticed by white blood.
Her mighty downfall
Last glance at poisonous viper before the Romans flood

Into massacred thousands
Over Eastern mountains died.
Masquerade of Adam’s clothing
Headstrong in her Father’s honour and Motherland’s pride

Is unwanted where God was
As Man’s words spoke evil.
Led Holy fight in His name
Even as tongues of fire consumed her raped and curled

Body burned or hanged
No escaping death’s claws.
Integrity above succumbing
To the rigid majority culture of hallucination over reality

Was marriage and family
Imagination an endless maze.
Trade a parasol for a musket
When life was a sea scavenger’s swashbuckling vessel always

A warrior embedded deep
Native lines ran long.
Spears against rifles
Colonialism was but a troublesome stranger fought till gone

Were sunshine daydream
All was fear and death.
A living breathing nightmare
Yet she followed him dutifully to her very last breath

Through the history worn ages
So see the forgotten and the mourned.
The respected and the remembered
Did Scarlett’s words ring true that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?

Valerie Champion
4J

2nd stanza: Delilah (Famous biblical figure as the one who deceived Samson into telling her the secret of his strength).
3rd stanza: Cleopatra (Egyptian queen famous for her affair with Roman soldiers Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony).
4th stanza: Hua Mulan (Chinese women warrior who disguised herself as a man to fight in her Father’s place in the Emperor’s royal army against the Mongols).
5th stanza: Joan of Arc (French girl who sacrificed her life for her religion).
6th stanza: Women slain during the late 1600s Salem Witch Trials.
7th stanza: Grace O’Malley (Dubbed ‘Pirate Queen’ of the Irish seas).
8th stanza: Lozen (Fought in the Apache wars; Native Indian tribe of Chihenne-Chiricahua Apache against the European colonials of the 1800s in North America).
9th stanza: Eva Braun (Adolf Hitler’s mistress and later wife, shortly before both committed suicide).
10th stanza: Scarlett O’Hara (Fictional character in “Gone With The Wind”, most famous for the line “Hell Hath No Fury Like A Women Scorned”).

2006-04-08T00:22:00.000+08:00

Four million strong, a nation to behold
A soaring city with its wings unfold
A kaleidoscope of cultures;
Coloured grass
The harmony of different colours that will us

One voice!
Soar as one
We’re proud to say
Through turmoil we have undergone day by day
A nation in harmony,
Respect for different races
Pictures holding hands;
With bright smiling faces

Are we really living in harmony?
Or just simply tolerance?
Are we really bonded?
Or is it just a mere act?
Are we just keeping mum?
Afraid to be defiant?
Are these just questions?
Or are they facts?

Faeezah
3G

2006-04-08T00:19:00.000+08:00

The tall skyscrapers behind
Bring us nowhere back in time
It seems so modern but in memories we trace
Then-an old sunny island,
Now-with buildings that amaze

But there were no memories of the old
The only history were the stories that were told
And past down by generations from the old to the new
But it is sad to say it is passed on to but a few

It is no longer unique;
Just like any other country
It turns into an urbanized city,
Much like the rest
The east and the Asians in us had been missing
But no one notices from the start till the day rests

Gone were the old wooden huts
Or children playing in puddles of mud
When the old is gone what will be told?
Which kind of memory will each one hold?

Will you remember the bustling city and
The fats paced life that leaves you busy?
Or a slower more peaceful part of life
Indulging what’s left in the sunrise
Of a very different Singapore

Nurul Freda Jamaluddin
3 Grace

That Love

2006-04-08T00:17:00.000+08:00

Once a broken dream,
A wasted love it was,
Left unclear and lost in the mist.
Never intend to look back,
For the past need not be rewritten.
Broken lies and the insecurity I had,
Make me never dare stray too far again.
I saw you struggling back,
You held on to all that you’re left with,
Promise to find back what you lose.
I turned away from you,
For I’ve forgotten all that is mine,
The feelings will be gone in no time,
It’s just a game of two I lost,
After the fall I’ll be standing once more,
Through the rain I’ll become stronger.
Back then I used to cry alone,
Shedding tears which are never of worth.
Since then time healed the wounds,
I’m all ready to start anew.
Now half a year had passed,
You still cling onto the love we knew,
I could not deny what I know,
Your feelings for me now are true.
I know somewhere in my heart,
I still miss the way we loved,
And all we used to be.
I took all I had and followed my heart,
Believed once more,
Trust you with all that I’ve got.
Gave you a chance,
You took my hand.
Together we seem like we’ll never part,
Hand in hand we’ll cross the line,
Till eternity you’ll still be mine.
Right now we had beat the phrase,
“Never meant to be” was never you or mine.
Because baby we’ll make it if we’re heart to heart,
Keep my heart close to you,
Even when the stars collide,
Together we’ll see it through.
Just you and me this time round,
We’ll stay unbreakable,
Fate got us going on,
Love leads us to forever.

Chua MinPei
3G

Paradise in Class

2006-04-08T00:15:00.000+08:00

The sun shone
Spilling light all over the land.
The red velvet curtains opened
The sunlight revealing a familiar face
Billy, my butler.
“Morning” was all he said.

I walked out.
Out of my Beverly Hills mansion.
My Louis Vuittion bag clutched in one hand.
Shopping was the only thing that came to my mind.

2 pairs of Jimmy Choos
1 pair of Christian Louboutins.
3 Chanel dresses.
And a rhinestone covered blackberry.
Was all I bought.

Next stop…
“Ring…Ring…Ring!!”
Goes that well-known bell
“Go for your next class.”
Was the next thing I heard.
Realizing I dozed off,
I ran out of class for the next lesson.
To continue my paradise in class hallucination.

Debbie Chan
3J

Walk In her Shoes

2006-04-08T00:13:00.000+08:00

It’s so hurtful what you do to her
But you think it isn’t.
You judge whenever she sheds a tear
even though you don’t know the reason.

Are you so shallow?
Are your hearts so small and hollow?
Think about what you do
because one day, it may come back to you.

Don’t cry out then, because no one will hear you calling.
Think about how horrible you have been
And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find like she did
The Strength Within

Her life’s not a fairytale; she feels that she often fails
Her confidence is low, but does anyone of you know?
She tries to be nice but even then you despise
You can’t see the good, only the bad

I don’t know if you’ll understand the lonely past she’s had.
Excuse me for speaking up, my words are not mend to offend
But the message I send is the hope you will understand.

Look deeper than the surface and put yourself in her place
At this age it’s not easy being alone, taking on the world on your own
We may all feel it one day and only then will we understand
Why she felt that way.

Nicole Samuel
3J

Lessons

2006-04-08T00:10:00.000+08:00

Lessons are very important.
Water in our mind’s drains
Stir up the fluff in them,
Which we call our brains.

English teaches us words,
Which we will rarely use,
Mother Tongue is mumbo jumbo,
Upon which we muse.

Science is just so factual,
It is an awful bore,
History is about dead people,
Rotten to the core

How is geography useful?
Do we rattle off the maps?
PE is not something to mess with,
After ten rounds, all collapse.

Art is such sketchy fun,
An outlet for our Picasso,
And literature is analyzing,
Books, plays, so and so…

This is the end of the poem,
I think I’ve written awful guff,
Looking at it, I realize,
Lessons are very different stuff.

Janani 3G

Rose

2006-04-08T00:09:00.000+08:00

You were my friend,
You were mine.
And I knew all your fears

Such joy to hold you in my arms,
And kiss away all your tears

Now you’re gone
There’s only pain
The cold metal sinks into my flesh,
And hot blood flows down my arm again

I feel all empty
Like there’s no beating heart
All is numb
And like just sucks

I cry silently,
Under the thick covers.
I lie

There was nothing I could do
Nothing
Just watched you withering away,
Like a dying rose,
In your numbered days.

I don’t want to live this life
If I can’t live for you
Cross my heart,
I’ll die with you.

Lilian Huang
3G

She’s Just Nine

2006-04-08T00:07:00.000+08:00

The door creaked opened.
Slowly,
he walked in.
‘Ah…finally asleep.’
He whispered with glee.
He walked towards the girl.
the girl who calls him ‘Father.”’
He bent forward,
swept her blanket away.
‘Now, it is the time to strike.’
She’s just nine.

She jerked awake.
Sniffed out a familiar scent.
‘Don’t be afraid, my girl,’
‘I’m doing this cos’ I love you.’
The pervert whispered in her ear.
‘What is daddy doing?’
She just knew she didn’t like the feeling.
She’s just nine.

‘He is doing this every night!’
‘I told him I didn’t like it!’
Whatever happened to the teddy bears from him?
Now all she gets are
punches and kicks.
‘Mummy didn’t believe me,’
she is behind him.’
She stared at the ceiling after it is all over.
Tears trickled down her naked body.
A strange body she no longer recognized,
a body with fresh bruises and wounds.
Not only physical wounds.
She knows all will repeat itself again.
Like always.
She has to endure this all alone for now.
All by herself.
But…
She’s just nine.

Jaime Wong
4H

Singapore

2006-04-04T14:59:00.000+08:00

Singapore Singapore,
Clean and green.
But under that exterior,
Lies tears and grief.
Cold-blooded murders,
Here head there toe;
Body parts lying around-
Just for show.

With the General Elections coming,
Expected, are the rallies.
The politicians fight for Constituencies,
And they win, though barely.
The stakes are set,
Emotions run high.
The intense nervousness,
The results at night.

Electronic voting or the manual way,
It doesn't matter-
For it’s all the same.
You choose someone that you like,
You cast your vote,
With many other people,
In the same boat.

So this is how I see my country,
Though its not necessarily just that.
I like its tropical weather, its landmarks,
not to mention the many stray cats.
But in spite of the bad,
There's always the good.
My dear, dear Singapore?
Has delicious food.

Samantha Sng
3 Grace

Singapore

2006-04-04T14:56:00.000+08:00

I'm just a sophomore, livin' in Singapore,
and I can tell you, how my best home looks like.

Rojak; Singapore's a multi-racial place.
So many people, no matter the race or faith,
caring smiles they put on their faces.
There are so many things you can explore,
and I could be your tour guide, for the day.

Random breakdances at the Esplanade,
plays they have that blow your mind away.
Take a sunny ride down to Sentosa,
Experience Island Life, feel the heat.
Night life, just a step away,
frequents at clubs, pubs and the kopitiams.
Break to dawn, the people get up,
go to school, rush for work.
Some puts on a face in their neat Army uniforms,
a smart frown, built muscles.
Passing cars and motorcycles,
polluting the country with this odour.
I take a bus down to school,
people squeezing, out on the loose.
Off the bus, down I go,
clean and green campaigns all over.
They read, "Do not litter, do not spit",
kiasu Singaporeans, they willingly heed.
I hear the fighter planes, they fly past the school.
"ROARRRRR", the engine screams.
And I know, I'm always safe and sound,
with the police, out on guard.
I always go to sleep at ease,
not forgetting it's Singapore I'm in.

This is the place, where the typical people rush for free gifts.
This is the place, where people had won SARS in a big feat.
This is the place, smallest in the world, with an advanced peak.
And I'd say, this is forever the place, I'd wanna stay in.
Simple yet hectic, this Singapore city.
I swear on it, this is the best place anyone could be in.

Sheryl Yeo
3 Grace

Inked Thrills

2006-04-04T14:54:00.000+08:00

The words you use today have been estranged,
insignificant to this love.
Yes, and I can see the dying, this moaning, the weeping.
Saint Valentine, I feel a trait of a trend in love.
Why do you make this vision, so unclear.
I feel this foul setting in,
It pricks, it hurts, it's killing me.
I can feel like I'm setting foot on dry ice.
Yes, the pain of a torment, a sin,
the numbness, the smooth friction,
all so much for contradiction, the paradoxical stories.
The pressure lurks, you can feel it bite.
Yes, pain, the pressure,
You want to kill, yet the target's you.
Madness, yes it is, so much I get for these little things I do.
I will put up a fight,
for the day, for the lesson of the week.

Sheryl Yeo
3 Grace

The Secret She Hid

2006-03-30T22:12:00.000+08:00

The secret she hid away,
is still in her heart today,
this solemn old woman,
who earnestly begins to pray

She pleaded God to forgive her, though
she sensed that He was always there;
yet she needed to tell someone,
what she could no longer bare

For many years ago,
as though it was a nightmare,
she had killed her only daughter,
for the life brought to her was never fair

She re-enacted the scene
often, since the horror began,
how she managed to kill her daughter,
the tiny infant whose name was Pam

Most would have condemned her,
never accepting her reasons ,
but they weren't there each night
when her husband would inflict his malevolence

Pam's mother watched in terror,
as her daughter was severely beaten
the monster would then turn on his wife
as her child huddled in a corner, frightened.

She tried a thousand times,
to flee from this vicious man
but he always laughed "I'll follow you
wherever you go, don’t you understand?"

She lived in poverty and fear,
wishing for the aid she never had.
She tried reporting him to the police
but they could not bother to lend a hand

She decided one day,
to go against the odds;
she could not endure the beatings,
that were shredding her without a thought.

Hence on a chilly gloomy night,
she tucked her daughter to bed,
kissing her goodnight and goodbye
for by morning Pam would be dead.

She had put in Pam's dinner arsenic,
and along with many tears,
whispered softly to her weeping daughter,
"Soon you'll never have to live in fear."

She found her daughter dead,
when morning arose.
she cried tears of sorrow and pain,
but asking Pam to forgive her was the utmost

She covered the corpse with a blanket, placed
it tenderly in her dump, drove to a river bank
a few thousand miles away, and began to
sob as her beloved sank

She was questioned by her relatives
the whereabouts of Pam, an excuse was
created, and soon everyone forgot about
the child who was never given a chance first.

Knowing that Pam would forgive her,
this old lady found great solace
for she had confessed what she had done,
and at last she found great peace.

Edna Pang
3 Grace

Hidden Within

2006-03-30T22:06:00.000+08:00

A shadow casts deep in her heart,
Feelings swirling with rage.
Kept thoughts and desires stored within,
Unwilling to reveal.

Masks put on to hide and cover,
A happy face always seen,
But deep within with sadness,
No one but her can see.

With attempts and determination,
She struggles to overcome.
But as obstacles jeer her each day,
She starts losing hope.

But every cloud with a sliver lining,
She gathers courage again.
Facing what lay deep in her heart,
Her direction found at last.

Gwendolynn Tan
4 Grace

Singapore

2006-03-30T22:04:00.000+08:00

Young and innocent once we were,
Not knowing the way ahead,
As we take each stranger step,
Uncertainty overcame.
The storms that arrived,
Made us unite as one,
As we the nation merged,
All dangers were conquered.
Though unsure of the future,
United we will stand.
Enemies we must not lure,
Peace we must observe
Today though sturdy and strong,
We still must persevere,
Hand in hand along,
As more dangers stir.

Gwendolynn Tan
4G

Countryside

2006-03-30T22:03:00.000+08:00

Green pastures set behind
Scent of flowers wavering
Troubles put aside for now
As the mind sets off wandering
The wind whispers softly
As the puffy clouds stare
The horses gallop gallantly
Each step with great force.
Peace observed throughout
Slight disturbance rare
Calmness eagerly sought
As the body goes to rest.

Gwendolynn Tan
4 Grace

Compensate

2006-03-30T21:55:00.000+08:00

Every single minute
Every single day
Life’s in a rush
Rushing for work
Rushing for 5C’s

So rushed
That we had forgotten
Forgotten our happiness
Forgotten our promises
Forgotten our heart

Seeing our little innocent child
Growing up to a teenager
Makes us feel guilty
Guilty of neglecting her
Guilty of our irresponsibility

Distress and helpless
We tried to compensate
Compensate with gifts
Compensate with money
But she told us sadly

My eyes can see
Nothing but darkness.
Anxious and frightened
Seeking something important
But all is lost

Lim Shi Min
3 Grace

I Still Remember

2006-03-30T21:54:00.000+08:00

I still remember the time you taught me to walk,
When I was a little girl.

I still remember the time I fell
You picked me up and helped me.

I still remember the time I failed,
You encouraged and motivated me.

I still remember that you believed in me
Thanks you for all you have done.

Michelle Lim
3G

He Was My All

2006-03-30T21:36:00.000+08:00

He, was the one person whom everyone wished they had.
He, was the one person whom everyone adored.
He, was the one person with a heart of gold.
I was lucky enough to have received him as my dearest grandfather.

I remember when I was five,
We were at the park
And I saw a beautiful butterfly.
Out of curiosity, I chased it
And ended up with a bad scab on my knee.
Because of your rare medicated lotion, I was healed.
I thank you for that.

When I was eleven,
You were there to see me through
The seven days when I was hospitalized for dengue fever.
Thanks for your care and concern.

Through these years,
I have not done anything for you.
Not even thanks from me.
I know I am wrong
And I regret it terribly now.
I wish I could leap
The gap of age, background, dialect
To have a heart to heart talk with you.
But I guess it’s impossible for us to do so now.
As I see you lying on your death bed,
Tears filling up my eyes,
I gently whispered into your ear
“You were my all” in dialect.

Charmaine Kwok
3G

2006-03-30T21:32:00.000+08:00

In one of the multitudinous, lacerated, camps lies his abode
Feeble and fragile, however hopes still kept afloat
That pipe dream for silk, satin, and such, to embrace him tight
The coarse earth he rests his head on every harrowing night
Is, but, one of the myriad sufferings he endures
In dire hope of keeping that dream secure.

Shelter, warmth, and love
Something he solicits from up above
The young asylum carves his unheard pleas into a tune
Prayed, with one intent.
Make war cease or us immune,
Give us a home and let us retrieve that sense of belonging, that’d be a godsend.

It is things like these we do not experience
Therefore taking peace and harmony for granted
A little bit more overboard and we’d lose our balance
And we’d be back where our past had started.
Let us be appreciative for stability and tranquillity in this place we belong
Impending wars shall remind us to stay strong
Together we build up and unassailable citadel
Home, where our heart is, undeniably loved well

Goh Xiao-Qing
3 Grace

Thanks Mum… For Everything

2006-03-30T21:19:00.000+08:00

Every time I see you
I know that you are there for me

I came out of your womb
Saying thanks was what my first cry meant
All the people fussing over me
Every where I went
Thanks for the life you breathed into me

When I was seven
You made me go to school
School was not heaven
Every one knew that too.
Thanks for sending me to school anyway.

When I had my first job,
Times were tough
I had to slog like a dog
It wasn’t easy though
But thanks for being there

Got married, had children
My marriage nearly failed
If it wasn’t for you.
You helped me through the storm
So thanks for the care and concern

But mum, all I want to say is thanks
Thanks for cheering me up
Thanks for understanding me
Thanks for everything you gave me
Thanks for being there when I needed you

Every time I see you
I know that you are there for me

Esther Chan
3G

Perhaps

2006-03-30T21:15:00.000+08:00

Perhaps, you shouldn’t have shouted at her when all she did was to ask you to get off the phone.
Perhaps, you should have told her how appetizing her meals were.
Perhaps, you should have remembered her birthday.
Perhaps, you should have told her how fine-looking she was in your eyes.
Perhaps, you should have showed your appreciation for what she had done.
Perhaps, you should have told her how great she was to carry you in her stomach for 9 whole months,
Perhaps, you should have told her how incredible she was.
Perhaps, you should have showed that you cared.
Perhaps, you should have told her how much you loved her.
Perhaps, perhaps if she was still alive.

Annabelle Leong
3J

That Special Letter

2006-03-30T21:14:00.000+08:00

I always thought that I wasn’t special
Because there were always other kids who were always better
I always thought I didn’t matter
Until one day, I came upon this letter

I was sitting alone at the side of the church
When it suddenly got colder and colder
I knew then it was my heavenly father
Speaking to me through this letter:

My dear little daughter
Fear not because I am here
You are something special
Because you are a chosen angel

In the process of making you
I had something else in mind
While making you
I, your God took a little extra time

As soon as I read that letter
I began to chuckle
It was the first time
I ever felt so special

Cristalbelle Leong
3G

Me, You, Us

2006-03-30T08:46:00.000+08:00

Crammed up in the inside
Mummy’s little tummy.
For seven months just you and me,
Growing together side by side.

Third of May,
Our very first cry.
You came out first,
I, a minute later.
Tiny, sickly,
Said others.
Grew up tall and fit instead.

Classmates for four whole years,
Came the fifth, then the sixth,
Different classes at long last.
Into secondary school years,
You to Cedar, I to SJC.
Seeing each other only
In the early mornings
And in the late nights.
But still as close
As never before.

Been through a lot together,
Relying on the other
In every step of the way.
Not knowing what we have
In store for us in the future
But knowing for sure
We’ll always have each other
By our side no matter what.

Celesther Wong
3 Grace

Broken Rope

2006-03-30T08:40:00.000+08:00

Handful of regrets,
Mouthful of moans.
owed by a girl,
never been told.

Inside her world,
colours evoked.
out of desperation,
they rebolt.

nevertheless tears they flow,
love thats left,
no one to hold.
faith it drop into a hole,
give up on hope.

praying to cope,
end of story,
end of hope,
end to mend,
a broken rope.

Jocelyn Tan
3G

Dreams Will Wither

2006-03-30T08:38:00.000+08:00

The room was surprisingly boiling.
I made a family of stickmen, scribbling nothing.
I heard the voices behind me whisper,
“Y=mx+c” as the teacher kept shouting.

Sweat trickled down my face
as the fans were whirling deadly,
I sat there in a gaze,
and wished how it would snow astonishingly.

As I sit here waiting for the bell to ring,
couldn’t wait to get out of this hell I’m in.
My mind flutters off to a world of my own
where all my quandary would be thrown.

It’s a place where there are
No lies no rumours no fights.
Only wonderful things like Christmas lights.
A place in an unknown land so very far.
I dream of all the wonderful things there are

Gumdrops fairy dust
Lemon trees Cane railings
Chocolate rivers Marshmallow mushrooms
Strawberry houses Ice cream mountains.

I sat there dreaming
But soon all those thoughts began to shatter
As I’m awoken by the sound of my teacher screaming
My heart tears apart, becoming torn and tattered.

I am back as 15 year old me.
With a lot more years to live,
With dreams that has been crushed,
By my ‘friends’ and the troubles they give.

Here I am waiting for a miracle,
One that would make me feel loved
As I’m moving back to reality, I agree
That dreams like flowers will soon wither.

Fitri Anugerah
3G

Don't

2006-03-28T13:05:00.000+08:00

Before you pass your hurtful comments
Don't.

Because you don't know
And what you don't know
Won't hurt you
But it will hurt those you criticise.

Before you make a judgment
Stop.

Because you have no clue
Of the ties that bind.
Of the hours spent in rehearsals
Of the laughter and angst
Of the fellowship of sisters.
Of the surrogate family that has been formed.

Before you say a word.
Don't.

Because no one cares to listen
To words that harm,
Uttered by ignorant tongues.

Don't.

Mrs Debra Tan

Submitted From Inside Me

2006-03-28T13:03:00.000+08:00

No one knows I wished I’ve never been born
no one knows that I that I hate myself
no one knows that I want to die
no one knows but me and you.

No one knows the good things I’ve done
no one knows the inside of me
no one knows that I cry every time
no one knows why I like to be alone
no one knows but me and you.

Dina Heng
3 Grace

I NOT STUPID TOO. I JUST NOT SMART

2006-03-28T13:00:00.000+08:00

Swollen eyes
Carried sparks
Of rebellious attitudes and
Unbeatable stubbornness.
She burned with a fever late at night
Went to school the next day
Oh, she was an interesting sight.

She wore bruises
Sourcing from last night’s rendezvous.
A body aching with leaden pain
And swollen glands from dehydration
Oh, she was indeed an interesting sight.

She knows no rules
And acts like a bumbling fool
Words did not pass vulgarity filters
Tempers rose high up to the heavens
Then that’s when she begin to fight
Oh, she was an interesting sight

Arguments never end
To the police many times she was sent
Drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, what did she not touch?
She was growing worse
And the abuse grows severe
Yet she feels no fear
Oh, she was indeed an interesting sight

Many guesses, many speculations
Rumours and gossips burned hot
When she was found on the ground
A pool of cardinal water
Soaking her favourite white shirt
Bones broken by impact of her fall from twenty-seven storeys
Oh, she was an interesting sight

Poet's Note: It speaks of a young teenager victimized by domestic abuse. She hid from her home, and was led astray by bad company. She got entangled with the affairs of the gangs, in the end killing herself when guilt finds her.

Lin I-Mai
3 Grace

Let Her Go

2006-03-28T12:56:00.000+08:00

So the time has come,
for us to let go
we'll walk our own ways
and leave the past behind
I'm left with no choice
for our future is vague

Though once thankful I found you,
this time I got to let go
Though promises have been made,
aren't they meant to be broken?
Though we've had our happy times,
what beats our happiness?
Quarrels it is.

I thank you for playing a role in my once lonesome life,
but every story has an ending
I guess out story has reached its end
well it has to end.

Boy, show no anger for what
I fear is that in you
like a volcano on the verge of eruption,
erupt no more
my little one for you
I see a devil in disguise.

Its time we really look at the picture,
that we haven't looked at,
that we haven't figured out,
but for now its time to face reality
the reality that we're not meant to be.

Adora Yeo
4 Integrity

A Day in the Life of a Singapore School Kid

2006-03-28T12:46:00.000+08:00

In the pervading darkness,
The alarm clock rings.
Their sleepy owners snooze the alarm,
Then gets up to pee.

The maid is busy in the kitchen,
Preparing the drink.
Gulp the whole lot in,
Then slouch off to catch the bus.

Walking in the dark,
The bus comes chugging up-RUN!
Or else you might be late,
Trust me, that's not fun.

The news breaks out amongst us,
Our science teacher is not around.
We cheer and arrive at her room,
Only to find there is worksheets to do

We arrive later at a world,
Filled with streams and rivers
And noisy little humans
That?s how Geography is.

Next we get to another world,
Full of revolutions and wars,
Then we see Hitler killing the Jews,
God bless the poor souls.

After leaving the cruel History world,
We get to Lit
With Romeo and Juliet and Othello,
And those tests we sit.

The recess bell rings,
And everyone starts talking-yes, everyone
Exercising their mouths and waiting for the moment
When it is unforgivable to talk.

After finishing a few more lessons,
Like gym and mother tongue
Finally! The dismissal bell rings.
Everyone eats their lunch.

After lunch, we go home-no wait!
We go to the world of calculation,
Don't get me wrong, we?re not managers,
But we have math remedial.

After remedial, we skip out of school,
With bags heavy with homework to do.
We run for the bus stop again
For the bus is here.

Reaching home, we sink gratefully into the bath.
Then we have dinner
Next we do homework (oh no, I don't know this question)
Before jumping into bed.

Good night, my dear friend
A new day is about to begin.

Grace Tan
Sec 3G

Lost Innocence

2006-03-28T12:45:00.000+08:00

Santa Claus
Once real to me
Seems but a distant memory.

Christmas elves,
Fairy dust and such
Believed in that once too much.

Childish hopes,
Magical fantasies.
Far from truth and reality

The days past by
And I grew up
Lost my innocence like a pup

Santa Claus
Now, memories
I’m past the stage of naivety.

Kimberly Ashleigh Francisco
3 Grace

Bullies

2006-03-28T12:43:00.000+08:00

Three o’ clock
Once again
Around the corner,
They came
She saw
She ran
But alas!
They caught her

Down she was knocked
Bam, boom!
A kick and a bruise
She tasted blood
She scurried to her feet but
Boom, she fell
Knocked down again

“Haha! Look at her!”
They laughed out loud
She bit her lip
She wouldn’t give in
She couldn’t give in
Oh, but she did

Like satisfied wolves
After the kill
They sauntered away
Filled with thrill

Exhausted and beaten
The girl lay there
Once again
Three o’ five.

Kimberly Ashleigh Francisco
3 Grace

As A Painter

2006-03-28T12:42:00.000+08:00

I would paint the skies so high for thee,
The lovely flights of fragile feathers
Clouds that sigh in its lonely plead
for we are too, part of the drained and the careless.

I would paint the lights so blinding for thee,
The sun, the moon or the stars,
Just to get rid of the darkness you see,
So you can now take off that black weary mask.

I would paint the sea so vast for thee,
For the reflection of your cold
Cold heart will cease quickly;
The flow of my sorrow you’ll finally hold.

I would paint the trees so grand for thee,
The taste of the bittersweet fruits and romance,
And the touch of the emerald blades cuts painfully.
But you’ll see it is to forget the past, as it cures; as it cleanse.

I would paint our love so real for me,
This love; strokes of trust, no façade,
Only words that speak truthfully,
No presence of mourning or miserable masquerades.

Just to be with you, I’ll leave my life as a painter,
Sacrificial of my dearest memory,
I will destroy them all. It was inevitable, sooner or later
I would go. By your enchanting allure,
I would climb in this painting to be with you, in my sweet, everlasting reverie.

Merissa Tee
4J

Torment

2006-03-28T12:39:00.000+08:00

Imagaine,
The image of trauma,
The first thing you think of
When people ask of your childhood.

Memories,
Full of what you endured
When, you, innocent and fresh,
Unknowingly suffered.

Suffering,
It was not great,
It was perhaps little to most people,
Hardly significant.

Why,
Why such hatred is felt?
I do not know,
That it carries on until now.

Accumulation,
I guess that’s it for
Since young, friendless,
Plots start to form.

Passed,
And it carries on and on,
More and more hatred
As the plots fall into place.

Finally,
With the small breath
of the evil one in my ear,
The plot unfolds to revenge.

Hating,
Hating to do this as you find,
Those you get back at
Are really those who you love.

Melissa Tan
4G

Come Evoke My Senses

2006-03-20T15:01:00.000+08:00

See
the skyscrapers, one last time
the abundant green in every turn.
Diverse people existing as one,
notwithstanding evident differences.

Hear
The cyclic buzz of school, one last time,
The teachers’ reprimands, students’ gossip.
Shoppers queuing up, muttering impatiently.
The rush of footsteps towards a sale.

Speak
Of loving words, at times too mawkish,
To friends one has come to know.
Unexpected friendships formed,
Yet each is there for the other through woes.

Taste
The sumptuous exotic food, one last time,
From the place aptly called The Food Paradise.
Curry, rojak and a great deal more,
A passerby’s glance could spell the food’s demise.

Feel
A surge of bliss through you,
As you breathe in fresh, untainted air.
There’s something different, surely,
Yet one cannot point out what exactly.

See
The departure hall, feeling ambivalent
Chatting and laughing tourists, clueless.
Catch a last glimpse of your friends, forlorn,
And you struggle for a blissful demeanour.

Hear
The booming voice through the speaker,
“Flight SQ 412 now boarding”
Turning back, now unable to suppress your grief
Hot, prickly tears down your cheeks

Feel
The air around you change,
As you reach your destination.
A surge of glee runs down your spine.
Dejected tears now replaced with tears of joy.

You look out your window,
See the terrain you vividly remember.
Slowly it dawns on you, as the plane lands
After such an excruciating wait, you’re finally back,

You’re finally back home.

Carissa Castro
3E

Undecided

2006-03-20T14:59:00.000+08:00

Stuck on this island for your whole life
Everyone thought you should have long died
Surrounded by the dangers of the jungle
They thought it was a miracle for 15 years you survived

Dangers from the sky
Once or twice a flower pot flies
Yesterday another window fell,
The one below was fine.
The one on top, fined.

For the 15 years you survived
Four fifth you were jailed
Sitting in boxes,
Reading from sheets
To figure why pots flew
How one plus one is two

But just as a coin has two sides,
This is jail, but also paradise;
To find your delicate prey
Yesterday you ate the hainanese chicken,
Today the Indian prata.
Tomorrow, I wonder who?

For the 15 years you survived
You know when you’re told to go left
You better not go right
You know you’ve seen it all.
People who complain to wait 15 min for a SBS bus
But penguins to queue 15 hours for a vase

Lim Yan Yi
3F

Ode zum Reinigungsmittel (Ode to the Cleaners)

2006-03-20T14:54:00.000+08:00

Why, oh why God,
Have you made,
Some to work and some to play?

Why have you made
The Pandora’s box,
The tear-washed faces of the youth,
The scheming men in ties and suits?

Then,
Why, oh why,
Did you make the hope that came along,
The small silver of good?

Then God,
Why do we have him there,
Crouched,
Knees beaten with arthritis,
His weather-beaten face?

Then why God,
Do we have blessed children,
Taunting him in the face,
Whilst all he did was acting,
A role in the play,
Desired for all to see?

He is an unknown actor, in this play,
The play of feelings, emotions,
It was a play not grossing millions away,
They why God,
Have you not made him the star?

He is, for all to see,
The greatest reason
Why cash followed in to us today.
They why God,
Have the politicians,
In their protocol clean suits
Claim the credit?

Then why does he continue?
Was it for the money and the coins,
So cold and dead?

With a tip of his cap,
He gathered his equipment;
Brooms and dustpans,
And left us,
The now clean roads of façade

Everyday, the birds will sing,
A song praising him.
And he knows of it,
Just like you, God, did too.

He will be back again,
Tomorrow and the day after.
However, please pray not,
One day,
He might stop,
And leave us our roads of broken façade.

By Kimberly Ang, 3F

The Game

2006-03-11T22:14:00.000+08:00

This game that we played
was one of its kind
This game that we played
was our lives

Some people abide by the rules
had found themselves fortunes
Others who chose to ignored
had their fortunes gone

It is not this case everytime
People who followed the rules still lost
and for those who don't
they won

This game that we played
decided our lives
our victories and our falls
This game goes on, forever

Lim Ai Qi
4J

Madness in the City

2006-03-11T22:11:00.000+08:00

Madness in the city
where we've always been
Madness in the city
where we were being teased

The tightness in our skin
the "flawless" security
Yet crimes take place everyday
the madness in man

The killings of innocent
the nine-year-old girl
What wrong had she commited
to gain this finale

The madness is getting stronger
everyday as we awake
The madness in this city
when will it ever end

Lim Ai Qi
4J

Everything's Going to Be Fine One Day

2006-03-11T22:07:00.000+08:00

EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE FINE ONE DAY

I saw your gloomy face,
as you walked around school in a slow pace,
you seemed so sad,
so out of place.
I wanted to go up to you,
each time and say
"everything's going to be fine one day".
but as I approached you,
I got shunned aside,
I felt so puzzled,
as you always didn't seem alright.
one day,
I grabbed hold of you,
I whispered those words into your ear.
I saw a smile but then a tear.
the day when things were finally fine,
I turned around and saw a sign,
a sign which said you were cool in school,
everyone knew you,
you were no more a fool.
a few weeks later,
I heard you say
"everything's going to be fine one day"
you put a smile on a fellow mate's face,
someone,who felt out of place.

Anne-Marie Cher
3 Justice

Reaching the Top

2006-03-11T22:06:00.000+08:00

As I peered through the tiny opening
Of the cramped, dark, shadowy box,
I wondered if I was able to fly again.

Many a times I have been pulled back down;
Having afterwards to pick up the pieces
Lying on the ground.

Past failures haunted like a nightmare.
With utmost courage,
I brushed back all these thoughts.

In sync with the burning desire
In me;
I broke free with ease.

As soon as I was freed,
The determination of gaining success
Pushed me even more.

I cried and screamed out loud
As I battled
Against the resistance of the wind.

Soon enough;
I was
Above all things.

Looking down with great exhaustion,
A humongous sense of victory
Gushed through my heart, mind and soul.

Alas! I have reached the top.
But
What's next in line for me?

Marie Anne Foo
Sec 4 Grace

My Heart Flew Away Like a Cloud

2006-03-11T22:02:00.000+08:00

My heart flew away like a cloud
As my friends left me,
One after another,
Like foam washed into the sink.

Smiles melted turned to frowns,
Sorrow filled everyone’s face,
As if the world’s gonna end.

I crept out of bed,
Dawn was breaking,
But Mr. Sunshine never rose.

I peeped out of the window,
Trying really hard to find the candy man.
The melodious tone of his bell was not heard
And I wonder why- has he also gone to the place where mama went?

My heart flew away like a cloud,
It flew to New York, Egypt, Africa and many places around the world,
But it never came back to me.

Mui Rui Yi
4J

Everything In Its Right Place

2006-03-11T22:00:00.000+08:00

The head is on the neck.
Checked.
There are five fingers at the hand.
Checked.
The two legs are each attached to the thighs.
Checked.
The Bionic Realistic Automatic Integrated Neurosystem is activated in the head.
Checked.
The Heat Effected Artificial Respiration Tool is under the steel rib cage.
Checked.

Inspection Cleared.
Ready To Launch To The World.
A new Homogenous Unanimous Man-like Android Number 36872 borne.

Loo Hui Ping
4E

POP SCENE

2006-03-11T21:58:00.000+08:00

The daily pop scene is trash.
Pop songs are just repetiton of ridiculously rubbishy rants.
Pop songs are just a decoy to dig the dollars out of your dingy diesels.
Pop songs are just a fast way for faux fellows to get famous.
Pop songs are just for people who presumes that pop songs are proper.
yeah!

[Chorus]
"I love Radiohead, Blur, Gorillaz, Coldplay, Muse,
Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand,
Placebo, Bloc party,
Arcade Fire..."
Stop.
"Who are they?", they said.
"What are they?", they said.

Oh...The daily pop scene is trash.
My taste in music is apparently intangible for most.
My taste in music is clearly obscure to most.
My taste in music is mainly bizarre to most.
My taste in music is typically avoided by most.
Yeah!

[repeat chorusx2]

The daily pop scene is trash,
The daily pop scene is rubbish,
The daily pop scene is junk,
The daily pop scene is nonsense.

[repeat chorus]

Pop scene, pop scene, pop scene...[fades to background]

Loo Hui Ping
4E

The Never Ending March

2006-03-11T21:55:00.000+08:00

Our spirits, aching,
Feet sore and raw.
But still we keep on marching
Only to stop at dawn.

Our purposeless existence,
Serves us only
To march, on and on
For all eternity.

The war has ended,
Yet we are obliged
to march, for our sins.
Murderers in arms.

Every night, our appearance.
We fall into rank,
To continue this eternal
Restless life of dead souls.

We are not understood,
We did not want this.
Unwilling we were to die
Or even go to war.

Why are we punished?
When we are not
The ones who made
Suffering for all?

So on and on,
As eternity peaks,
We carry on our march,
Into the never ending dawn.

Melissa Tan
4G

Sacrifice

2006-03-07T21:32:00.000+08:00

You struggle and struggle to work something good
In the end, you fail pretty badly.
You fight it for years and years
You even suffer for it that whole time
In the end, what’s left is a torn person.

You have a decision to make,
A pretty important one too.
Your decision would be a sacrifice,
One that would change your future.

Whichever way you go,Would alter your future.
What would you do then?

Rene Ashlie De Payva
4J

Sin

2006-03-07T21:30:00.000+08:00

Fumbling in the darkness,
Through this small, constricted cylinder,
My limbs hardly able to stretch,
I reach out, slithering to break free.

The light at the tunnel,
So distant, it seems
To be mocking me,
Taunting my dark and twisted soul.

My skin is scrapped raw,
But I carry on, on and on.
Blood, my blood is pooling,
Streaming downwards, down down down.

I carry on, my last strength fading,
My back, scrapped till the meat is showing.
The grains of sand, stuck,
Like unforgiving burdens upon me.

My sins have thus confined me,
In the place I loath most.
I must break free, break away break away.
Or I will be no more, scrapped away scrapped away.

Melissa Tan
4Grace

Tiny Fingers, Tiny Hands

2006-03-07T21:28:00.000+08:00

Last night a hand reached out to me
Its arm withered by want and apathy
Another famine in a foreign place
Another hungry child with flies on her face
I close my eyes and avoid the news
I’ve seen it all before, the children always lose

Tiny fingers, tiny hands
Broken hearts in a stranger’s land

Whatever I do, whatever I say,
It won’t make the world spin another way
Whatever I think, whatever I dream
Won’t make this image appear less obscene
Won’t do any good to cry or shout
My stream of tears can’t end the drought

Tiny fingers, tiny hands
Broken hearts in a stranger’s land

Think about it, think again
I’m too wrapped up in my pain
Got to wake up and fall back into reality
And self doubt is just a triviality
And though my voice sounds pretty small
If we shout together, we can break the walls

With a drop at a time, if we work as a team
We can all create an ocean of hope and dream

Samantha Goh
3G

A Silent Requiem

2006-03-05T00:36:00.000+08:00

Tired, faint sighs of the winds,
reverberations, slight,so dim,
Surroundings shiver,leaves drifted away,
The night stands still,the mood's on the edge,
Shifting slightly,those prickly bushes,
Hovering,swaying,those conflicting sounds,
So fonder, so familiar, anonymous.

Cranky,the keys of the piano hit it all,
Unknowingly,silence voices out,debates,
Litigated nature declares victory,
hello,hello,they scream,they shout,
Yet,harmonious bristles are odd,fidgety hair,as the breeze blows about,
cold,spine-itching,skin drooling of a frozen momentum,life out,
icy explanations,drawn so blatently,so callously,so brute,
every note,screeched into the devil,verbatim.
Crash.

Grumpy,territorial citizens,staring and glaring,flaring and blaring,
yet,only grey can be seen,initials initiated so widely on their faces,
all excerpts inserted,tatooed on them,yet they move without a move,
swinging uncertainly,with no one looking,yet,so stationary,
eyes,nose,hand,mouth,lips,drenched out in the waking cold,f
rizzy in the wretching silence,the God of Darkness sets in,
His thunderous roar controls it all,he rules that proportion,
So devouring,so haughty,uproarious,chaos?
Clatter.

Washes away,genuine laughter,soon,it all falls upon,
Glasses seem to shatter,making their entry so definitely,
But none can be seen,no weapon of sanity,insanity?
Trees,struggling to hold their branches,wickedly in the night,
They soar,they whine,they drone on,
Black birds of the flight,
Execution was history,Life's temporary,in the caves of skulls,
underground dungeons,a stench,dead dispositories,lay asleep,
Once more?

The music hangs high in the air,pegs let them go,
The gloomy skies,spirits low
A silent night,
Alive or dead,spirited or crazed?
Ghosts or ghouls?
They dance and sing,they hum and blink,the life of the party,
As they beat to the music,the silent requiem,professionally ethic,
The night is so beautiful,the ballroom is filled.
Full;

Melissa Ong
3G

Nursery Rhyme

2006-03-04T23:55:00.000+08:00

T'was morning when we danced you to school
singing nursery rhymes you were taught.
Like mother goose, and the little Indian boys
or the pigs on your fingers that ran up your arm.
But that day in school you sang to a different tune;
The song of sick screams and gurglings in desperation.
First-hand experience like when London Bridge fell,
The suffocation; drowning, like that cat in the well.

Red from the earth, or red from the remains of strewn and torn limbs,
which even the king's men couldn't put together again.
Out of the thousands of bodies lay yours;
the familiar sight of your arm
The cold; bloodied arm which now ended in rotting flesh,
the hand that once tapped to the rhythm of countless rhymes.
'An arm! Just an arm! Oh but how precious it is;'
That was all that was recovered, the only thing they had,
the rest of your bones already ground fine enough to make bread.
Now your cold fingers lie betwixt mine,
The only thing left they could find.
And for the last time, amidst my fears
Wilt you sing to the song of my tears?

Agatha Marie Low
4E

Happiness Is Just A Step Away

2006-03-04T00:33:00.000+08:00

All these days,
happiness seems to be just a step away.
Cups filled with ectasy pills,
don't you know this is how i escape?
Everyday i think of regrets,
And all of the things I neglect.
I'm wondering why I even cared,
when were they even there?
Love, and be cut deep in the wounds.
Trust, and you'll taste bittersweet betrayal.
Yet friendships around has become so superficial,
I just wonder how people get by these days living,
a lie they'll never face.
Maybe I need someone to hop along my way,
cross my path and make my day.
Maybe all I need is someone to understand,
to help me, listen and care.
I'm wearing this year's heart on my sleeve,
and my broken rhythm around my neck,
just for a single hope,
that maybe laughter may come one day.
All these days, my happiness is just a step away.

Loh Peiying
3G

Grow Up, Will You?

2006-03-04T00:01:00.000+08:00

So here's your spell of honesty
After seasoned lies are told
And if truth is given to all
Then tell the young but spare the old.

Let them see the constant rage
that flow forth from angsty youth.
And when the kiddies come of age,
They'll finally see the truth.

That there's more to being gay
other than happy faces,
and that they're hurt by others
made outcasts, as disgraces.

That there's really more fighting
than we dare to say
And peace doesn't exist
Not here, anyway.

But they'll also see
The lighter side of truth.
But it's too little to be
worth more than lies could.

So tell me a lie
before I dare to venture
I'll use this lie as a ticket
For my next big adventure.

Into a realm I wish I knew not
Where false is remembered
but too bad, love I forgot,
And it's here bodies lay dismembered
and woes survive all the time
Until they fade off-
We're living a crime.

Madeline Wee
3G

Uncle Raja

2006-03-03T23:58:00.000+08:00

“… and progress for our nation”
We recite it everyday
His vision that he penned
Lived on and still it stands

A leader, a mentor, a father to all
Yet humility and love was his core
A simple yet accomplished life he led
Indeed a role model we must never forget

The nation mourns of his passing
Giving him their last respects
The imprint he has left in us
Will live forever in our hearts

Wong Jiayen
4G

The Terrorists In Us All

2006-03-03T23:56:00.000+08:00

He stood there shaking, a gun to her head,
demanding a hefty ransom paid

two loud BANGS shook the crowd.
“hostage down!” but both were wounded
“finish him!” they chant like his life is worthless.

They wanted justice to be done.
But they couldn’t see
That they were just as worthless as he,
Just as evil as that sinful lad
Who told himself it was okay to slay another man.

That confused man was sorry for what he had done
But they never gave him a second chance.

Robyn Wong
4H

Miss Pride

2006-03-03T23:51:00.000+08:00

Who will know?
Who will understand?
Those sitting behind her favourite guests,
Packed with least praises
and strongest sarcasms.
Having misunderstandings
that she never allowed to be told.
When explaining what she meant 'excuses',
it knocked us down
with no other weapons,
to fight for this useless argument.

Who will know?
Who will understand?
Those feelings when she raced through the lessons
nonstop
Shutting those up when confusions arise
punishing those who hum a sound
and forgot about those who can't catch up
As if she was only teaching those,
Sited at the front
and understood her,
When finally the bell went off,
Ended with a long list of jobs,
But having no clue what's going on,
I had no choice but to blank them all.
She gave no mercy
to those who didn't complete,
"They can do it, why can you?",
was the only sentence she claimed my excuse,
forgetting that there are black sheep
hidden among her contestants,
for I could hardly even stroll
let alone speeding down the road.

And who will know?
who can understand?
when she hurled her lungs at me,
humiliating,
making things difficult,
showing biasness
but there is nothing I could do,
for I am no bigger,
to whom i'm talking to.
Her patients were little
and no one dare to battle,
as she often thrice up her temper
but only to some people.

Deep inside me,
was miserable, crestfallen,
it became worst,
when she buried me
under her umpteen trampled
right down beneath her feet,
I forgave what she did to me.
I held back my tears,
and I knew that pride lives within her.
For even Jesus could love children most,
and why can't she just do the same?
wasn't Pride the big bad devil,
who taught her to be small,
who taught her
to limit her circle of respect,
to only certain people.

The anguish I felt,
the disappointment I had,
they had no longer existed.
Though she still picks on me,
labeling her signboard,
"because I care",
but no matter how hard I tried my best,
there will never be little stickers,
cheers or gummy bears,
encouragements were never sent,
and for all I know,
because I was just slower then the rest.

But my mind is set.
I’ll prove to her when the slips return,
results that would shock her flat.
But maybe for I know,
that day was reserved,
specially for her precious pets,
for all that she had fed,
glorified her and send her to the best.
By then, she will be too busy to even
peep on mine, or to give me a pat.

But oh Dear people,
don't get mad,
for most are angels,
and they truly care.

Sarah Chan Shi Min
4 Justice

Ode to Gossipers

2006-03-03T23:42:00.000+08:00

We point, wisper and giggle.
everytime she passes us by.
We joke about all her imperfections.

She can't bear the pain inside
She runs home each day and cries till night
hating the way she looks outside.

We give her nicknames, it's no big deal
You don’t know the pain she feels

Her friends stop talking to her
Her life falls apart.

The game that began so innocent
Has broken a fragile heart.

Robyn Wong
4H

Our Fiend

2006-03-03T23:35:00.000+08:00

We weep in sorrow.
They were thrilled with laughter.

We suffered in fear.
They grinned with elation.

We were tempted.
They had smiles spreading across their faces.

We were tortured.
They danced in jovial.

We bitterly failed.
They cheered in victory.

Deserving no such luxury,
We served them to succeed,
For we hunger greed,
We’ll never win.

Sarah Chan Shi Min
4Justice

Scars of Flight

2006-03-03T23:34:00.000+08:00

Nighttime creaks silently forward
Enveloping the world in darkness,
She stops, listens, prays for her safety,
Her body, bloody, swollen with fear
And uncertainty of what lies ahead.

She cannot stop, her past is catching up,
She must run, she must hide, no time to rest.
She took off, flinging away the branches, the leaves, the animals
Those who stood by and watch as she
Bled, scarred all over, while the trees
Hanging overhead stared at her,
Watching silently, branches still.

It reminded her of THE people.
The unkind stares, the piercing chants,
The unforgiving feeling that sank onto her body,
Drowning her in a sea of hate,
She felt the ropes bite into her skin, her mind, her soul
Cutting off more than her blood.

Its time. The blade rose high, gleaming in the sun,
Her head drooped down, her pleas? None.
The arrow came as swift as a fox, as silent as a grave.
No longer was she bound,
Her heels took over,
Towards the woods,
Where she could not be found.

Nur Aniszah
4 Humility

Would I Be Punished?

2006-03-03T23:25:00.000+08:00

“All a poet can do today is warn.
That is why the true poet must be truthful.” -Wilfred Owen

Would I be punished?
If I were to say
you’re like a terrorist?
Terrorising us with
your shouts,
your criticism.
Terrorising us while we were
in the spotlight.
Concentrating,
trying our best.
But you just sat there,
twirling your hair.
Constantly putting us down,
picking on us
with your shrill and irritating voice.
You never appreciate us,
and I doubt you ever will.

Would I be punished?
If I were to say
you’re so demanding?
Let me count the ways…
Shouting at us,
“Get lost!’ you always say
if we missed a line or two.
Ordering your subordinates
like they are way beneath you.
Denying their breaks,
if they were deemed lousy in your eyes,
although they tried their best to
appease and please you.
Come to think about it,
you remind me of HITLER.

Would I be punished?
If I were to say
You’re not fit to be
where you’re at now?
I think you went against
all your professional ethics.
Through the way you speak,
through your actions.
You certainly do not deserve all the
authority and respect.
Do not get me wrong,
I’m not trying to rebel,
I’m just trying to be true,
and I’m definitely not talking about you.
But if you insist that I am,
then there’s nothing I can do.
It just proves you have a guilty conscience.

So, oh please!
Do not sue me!
Do not single me out!
Would I be punished
for just speaking the truth?

Jaime Wong
4H

Beginning Of The End?

2006-03-03T23:22:00.000+08:00

Running, running towards no end,
Swimming in an endless stream.
When will this cease, when will this end,
When it has only just began?
No one can help me,
This stress has shrouded me,
Enveloped me, has digressed my senses
To nothingness.

When will this end?
No longer can this go on,
No longer can this haunt me,
Can I take it, can I handle it,
Please set me free!

The end is near; I feel it in the wind,
The time to quench the thirst,
The time to finish my deed.
Did I do it well?
Did I come out stronger,
How can I tell?
God! This has me spiraling,
fluctuating, derailing,
In and out of control.

Finally! The light has spoken,
I’m coming! Wait up!
No! Can this be?
You promised me for eternity,
Trapped forever in this dungeon,
Myself, the one I unwittingly built for me.
Twin rivers flow down,
Feelings cascading out of me,
Down, down I went,
Further and deeper,
Blinded by fear,
Tied in tiers,
As I fall, the only thought running through my mind,
How can it end?
When it has only just began?

Nur Aniszah
4 Humility

They Do Nothing

2006-03-03T23:11:00.000+08:00

I saw a man sitting,
one day on the bus.
He looked tall and strong,
seemed like nothing was wrong.
Then came an old, old lady,
small and old and weak.
She was holding bags of groceries,
seemed like she needed a seat.
She stood in front of that man,
yet he did nothing.

The other day,
I saw this young school girl,
holding a donation can,
shouting “Come, save the world!”
she approached a woman who
looked like she could afford a dollar.
Despite sincere looks and pleadings,
she did nothing.

Once, while reading the newspaper
with large, bold headlines:
Poverty in Africa: WORSE!
Then I flipped to the next page,
reports on the rich and famous.
The cars they bought,
the latest fashion on them.
They know about poverty,
of course they do.
They know the helpless need help,
indeed they do.
Yet, they do nothing.

Yesterday, I watched the Discovery Channel.
It was showing documentary on Arab women.
How they were treated like slaves,
how they were not getting respect from men.
How many were killed and abused
for just speaking to a male fellow friend.
They called it:
Pride.
Reputation.
Gives them the right to murder?
Claimed that their religion justified it,
is it for real?
Their president claimed the
Government is helping.
But still they need the money,
for weapons, planes and bombs
the irony of it all:
To fight wars.
The women turned to them for help,
bruises and blood tricking down,
Yet, they do nothing.

So how is ‘help’ help?
Or ‘kindness’ kindness?
A ‘big heart’ big heart?
When the bottom line is:
they do nothing.

Jaime Wong
4H

Fear

2006-02-28T09:37:00.000+08:00

The feeling deep inside the heart,
Like a fist crushing and squeezing,
The feeling that I’ll break apart,
It’s the fear that keeps me crying.

The fear of what the future holds,
The fear of loved ones young and old,
The fear of having lost a friend,
The list goes on like there’s no end.

There’s one thing that’s on my mind,
That keeps me awake on lonely nights,
It’s that one-day I’ll break in two,
From all the worrying and fearing I do.

Fear, I smell it,
Fear, I taste it,
Fear, I hate it,
Fear, I fear it.

Rachel Linn Braberry
3 Justice

The Window of Sorrow

2006-02-28T09:36:00.000+08:00

Peeping out the window,
This little one will see,
The sky is overcast,
It will rain soon,
It Seems.

Out of the window,
She sees everyone in her life,
Living her,
All are walking away,
Away from her.

Why is she seeing this?
Why was it that today,
The sky is thus overcast,
Thus dark and gloomy,
Like a rainy November’s day.

The final straw came,
When the one she loved so
Came to the very window too,
To bid her goodbye.
Adieu Adieu.

That was when the rain,
The cold, cruel, rain,
The rain stinging,
Like salt water,
Came pouring down on the window

Then all to her was a blur,
Colors, textures,
A never ending swirl,
Of sorrow of what was left,
Of her soon to end world.

Melissa Tan
4G

Sweet Sixteen

2006-02-28T09:32:00.000+08:00

Sweet sixteen!
Invitations i extend to all!
X-rated, it's childishness, i know. Adults.
Time, Your highness, facilitate me to teleport
Even if they bore their eyes
Even if i'm charged for defiance to a life time of backstabbing, namecallings, bootlickers
Never must you, kids, throw your years away.

On a cushion chair, invented with the newest technolgy, i sat.
Rumbles of a thunder i heard.

The phone rings
Hear the buzzing, clicking, rustling hear the silent struggles
I shake awake and stare
Reality winning the race.
Guess teenage really can't win it.
Thirty! i slapped myself.
Like wildfire, i bid out another invitation
You are sincerely apologized by my runaway adolescence.
I beg for your forgiveness.

Elizabeth Tan
4E

How To Disappear Completely

2006-02-28T09:26:00.000+08:00

You can run away,
you can hide in the forest,
but you'll still be found.

You can stick a knife in your heart,
you can dive down a 13th storey building,
but your body will still be around.

You can wear an invisible cloak,
you can cast invisibility spells on yourself,
but I will still feel your presence.

So what's the best way to disappear completely?
"I'm not here, this isn't happening."

Loo Hui Ping
4E

The Painful Truth

2006-02-28T09:25:00.000+08:00

In this world full of lies,
An innocent heart can’t get you by.

You think someone is doing you good
But truth be told he’s a backstabbing crook.

It's dog-eat-dog in this known land.
The only way out is the Son of Man.

Robyn Wong
4H

SINGAPORE

2006-02-28T09:23:00.000+08:00

Singapore,
An Island in the sun.
Where people work hard
To have some fun

We have shopping districts full of sales,
Which are always crowded with shoppers without fail.
Tourists come for the unique retail,
It's a great deal, no one will bail.

Sentosa is a little Island resort,
With activities and restaurants of all sort.
There is a Musical Fountain and a Merlion,
Which is better to see at night in my opinion.

It sounds much sweeter,
If you are on tour.
But as I am not a foreigner,
Everything turns into a bore faster.

There is nothing
I have not done here,
And nothing
I have not seen here.

And it's also depressing
That everyone is stressing,
With homework and housework,
With studies and no parties.

Loraine Thomasz
3Justice

Monument of Spirit

2006-02-28T09:09:00.000+08:00

Group work based on Naema Disparue: Whereabouts Unknown (A Sense of Belonging)

I wake up each morning
the same thing happens
Each and everyday.
It is recurring, just like a nightmare.
It is becoming a normal routine.

I see the kids
Fully aware of the ongoings.
My smile's a facade
A mask for all to see.

I walk around
And entered the shop
Of the one who died for me.
Though his breath is gone
His sole* lives on
It is open for all to see.

He'd live on in the hearts of those who fight
A proud monument for those who died
A simple yet complex thing to explain
His death was common, though not of shame.

I'll give up all in the fight
To rid us of this tormenting sight.
The kids, I know, can be left behind.
For now it is time to say goodbye.

3 Grace
Samantha Sng, Nicolette
Sheryl, Edna, I-Mai and Lilian

sole: the man who died was a shoemaker

Whereabouts Unknown

2006-02-28T08:59:00.000+08:00

Inspired by Naeme Disparue: Whereabouts Unknown (A Sense of Belonging)

The darkness of the room
With heavy heart.
We listen to the incessant gun shots.
The children are crying,
Cold and shivering.
Outside our small window, I see
a dying man in the street
moan in pain.
His eyes scream for help.
But the merciless soldiers walk on by.
Chaos that surrounds us
seem like it will never fade.

This is my life.
Oh Lord, why?
I see my loved ones suffer.
My heart scatters,
Like broken glass.

Sec 3 Justice
Lynn Chng, Caroline,
Gwendoline, Agnes,
Michelle and Jolene.

Stage

2006-02-28T00:40:00.000+08:00

Especially for my dramatic girls

Thespians of the stage,
Teenage Bards,
Your eyes flicker with delight
At lines learnt and delivered just as
You rehearsed.
At rebuttals furnished without
Hesitation.
At embraces received without
Flinching.

The narrowing of your eyes
As you express the hate of revenge.
The glint in your eyes as the thrill
Of the nerves runs through your body
On opening night.
Emotions developed within
Become emotions without.

You morphed into
Young girl of thirteen,
On the brink of discovery.

You unfurled into
Rebel relishing her first kiss
On the brink of womanhood.

You transposed into
Slave of the body
On the brink of desperation.

You transformed into
Keeper of the sisters
On the brink of living.

You evolved into
Guardian of Life's wisdom
With no ounce of regret.

And as the spot is turned on centre stage,
You step out,
Just as you had imagined.
Just as you had dreamed,
Onto your mind’s stage.

Mrs Debra Tan

Play

2006-02-23T22:53:00.000+08:00

Eyes meeting.
First contact made.
Second and third soon followed,
And led to the permanent bed.

What starts well, always ends well.
The fools always say.
Obviously they never saw,
What happened that May.

Final act: [show pain, bitterness, hurt]
[shout and accuse and recriminate: be curt]
Let them all come,
There’s no need to be calm.

It’s good to let it out.
The counselors say.
See, they never expected
It would happen that way.

He pulls a gun.
And so shooting his wife,
He’s freed from his promise
to love, honour and obey.

What he did next,
Bears no comprehension.
For he shot his little girl,
Then went for his own head.

It’s such a loss.
Everyone said.
Who knew it would end
Before all their debts were paid.

These people they helped
The situation progress along.
A little word here , a little more there.
No guilt they felt at stripping them bare.

What a sordid crime.
Perhaps it’ll get in the news
The one where the poor girl’s life was taken
Before her time.

Priscilla Su
4E

Pass Me The Love, Please

2006-02-23T22:02:00.000+08:00

Her mouth distorted as the sounds of
hurt hurled out. Shivers of despair
and anguish slither down her thin frame.
She yelped with 8-year-old frustrations,
barking out tears of pain.

A note is what she gets each day:
Breakfast in the fridge, Lunch and
Dinner money in top drawer. A picture
is all she has of the parents
whom she never saw.

The clouds were dark, raining black.
She waited, for the excitement of getting an
A when it’s usually D. She waited,
jumped at every honk of cars. She saw kids
running wet to the cars, saw parents with umbrellas
for their children, she sighed, yet
waited. Until when the glows of the night
candles started to melt, she stepped out,
tears mingled with downpour, her A-paper fluttered aimlessly
down a flooded drain.

She clambered into bed, sludge-drenched
snickers thrown careless on the floor. A loud
streak sounded in the sky. She hugged her
moss-filled teddy, using her own voice
to defeat the thundering.

There she is again, staring at the sky, eyes tear –stricken.
With two knees and the clasping of hands, she prayed:
Dear Father Our Lord in Heaven,
Please bless Mommy and Daddy with more love.
Amen.

Linda Ye
4E

The Great Singapore Sale

2006-02-23T22:01:00.000+08:00

The Great Singapore Sale is here!
Everything thirty to eighty percent off!
Whoa! Look at all the glamour in the
shops, shelves stocked high and mighty with
everything from lipsticks to baby needs!

Look at the crowd! Started half a day
before shops opened, Look at their
enthusiasm and manners! Queuing up orderly
and quietly with smiles on their faces.

The gates were lifted, the enthusiasm turned to
lust. Their eyes glowed with the array of
goods, their mouths dropped open
with greed written on their lips.

Without any warning, they charged in like bulls.
Manners forgotten, smiles forsaken.
Arms and legs frailed as they squeezed
through the tiny opening, Shouts
of displeasure rang through the crowd,
mixed with the wail of newborns, the
high-pitched squeaks of women. Men grunted
as they shoved each other in their rush to get
toothpaste. Clothes strewn all over,
advertisements stampeded, torn and wasted.

After rush hour, things settled down. Crowds
started to cease, the air grew quieter. A
quivering old man made his way over, his hands
quaked as he picked up the discarded on the floor.
He gasped for air as he lifted the mop to clean the
milk, spit and footprints. Spying a piece of
biscuit on the floor, he carefully limped over and
with strain, stuffed his dinner into his overalls.

Linda Ye
4E

Blank

2006-02-23T21:57:00.000+08:00

You read the newspapers
And came across
Homicides, headlines
Innocent bystanders
Caught in the crossfire
You’d wish you didn’t get involved.

I didn’t get your name, little girl.
That’s what the police said,
Then you ran back to your safe side;
Going home.

Jayda Ow
4H

The Same Old Lies Again

2006-02-23T21:55:00.000+08:00

“My dog ate up my homework”
“I did not see the stain”
“My sister tore the curtain”
The same old lies again.

“I finished all my veggies”
“The bus was late again”
“I did not copy her answers”
The same old lies again.

“I had already taken my medicine”
“I was caught up in the rain”
“I did not break the vase”
The same old lies again.

Everyone uses the same excuse
Again and again
Then why do we still bother to use
The same old lies again?

Wong Jiayen
4G

The Funeral

2006-02-23T21:53:00.000+08:00

His body laid peacefully in that box,
As a minute of silence was observed.
His grand-daughter who gave him her last words,
Brought tears to many who heard.

The armed force saluted with respect
To say their last goodbyes,
As the coffin was carried past his wife
Who sat there, tears in her eyes.

The nation watched on with great respect
To a leader of great devotion.
Some cried, some speechless, some whispered a little prayer
For the People’s President.

Wong Jiayen
4G

Little Red Splotch on the Big World Map

2006-02-23T21:49:00.000+08:00

A little red splotch on the big world map.
Incidental?
On the contrary.

Four brothers stepped on shore.
Realized there was work to be done.
So toil they did under the merciless sun
The heat of war, of communism,
beating down on their backs.
Through hardship and pain their struggled and strived,
united as one. And out of their foreheads
trickled drops of blood. Four drops of blood, merged
into one. One jewel. The Jewel of Life.

I once was on an aeroplane, with
different people of different lands.
One destination: Singapore.
And as the island comes to view,
murmurs of the nations are heard.
What happened to the stars in the night sky?
Where’s the scenery, so pleasing to one’s eye?
And this island! So tiny! So small!
I sighed and frowned, didn’t they know?
The stars are the nation’s people,
The scenery? Courtesy and racial harmony.
And yes, our island is small.
Small but strong, like an army of ants.
And as the plane touches down, my
heart soars high, with pride, with love.
For the little red splotch on the big world map.

Sarah Wong
4E

Heat

2006-02-23T21:47:00.000+08:00

Bloated bellied babes.
Eyes huge and shockingly white
against the thin gaunt face.
Blackened by the
merciless sun.

Mothers, little bigger than their eldest,
thin after childbirth,
cast off modesty,
throw aside pride.
Sacrificing all they have,
for hopes of a future for their blood.

It is an endless and vicious cycle,
one that holds them captive.
Never enough food and water.
Waking every morning
to the same sun,
to the same heat.

Priscilla Su
4E

Untitled

2006-02-23T21:35:00.000+08:00

Did you really realize,
that what you do today
affects your tomorrow?

Could you possibly comprehend,
that a consequence
backs every action,
every decision?

I never thought about it.
Certainly not before deciding to be cool,
to breathe that poisonous breath,
or when I beheld that little terror tablet.

I am still young,
on the road to Six Feet Under.
Dragging a casket of regrets and lost dreams.
with no room for hope.

Priscilla Su
4E

They Disappear

2006-02-23T21:08:00.000+08:00

One by one they disappear
Her heart begins to shrink,
a piercing pain flows through her blood as her body weakens and
nothing is there to strengthen it.

She takes a shower and tries to wash the nothingness away.
The water flows through her hair and down her face.
She shuts her eyes and tries to disappear.
Just like the rest of them.

She’s under a waterfall. It’s beautiful.
She has never seen anything so wondrous.
Perhaps this is where the rest have disappeared to.
She smiles,
A smile so foreign.
Perhaps, she’ll see them again here.

Suddenly, all is gone.
The water stops flowing.
She shuts her eyes so tight they begin to tear
Perhaps, if she shut her eyes tight enough the dream wouldn’t disappear.
Not this time. Not again.

But she knows it’s a dream.
Reluctantly, her eyelids release.
She looks up and sees a shower head.
It points at her hand and laughs at her.
Her hand shut off the water.
She made it disappear.
She made them all disappear. It was her.
The shower laughs harder.
Fury takes it down and hits it hard against the wall. It breaks to pieces.
Just like her heart.

She falls to her knees and cries. But no one can be her refuge.
She made them disappear.

Robyn Wong
4H

Goodbye

2006-02-21T22:07:00.000+08:00

From the moment you left
I bid you goodbye.
From the moment you said ‘I’m sorry’
A chapter closed.

With tears in your eyes; a smile across your face
You bid me goodbye.
One foot in the grave
You slowly drifted.

Now standing by your lifeless body,
I bid you goodbye.
Knowing I’ll never forget you
Never letting go.

With tears in my heart,
I heard your wordless goodbye.

Grace Wong
4 J

Thirst

2006-02-21T22:03:00.000+08:00

Unaccepted pair
Shamed, ridiculed at.
Society’s reject
But that didn’t matter.
Love did.

There they lay
World of their own
Rough thumb on smooth cheek,
A sensual caress.
Fingers ran in hair,
Soothing.

Lips brushed lips
So softly.
Passion ignited.
They kissed
Entwined as one.
And love let loose

Society’s reject
But that didn’t matter.
Or did it?

Hee Biling Dawn
3 Grace