Will you sing me that song again

Will you sing me that song, again -
and will you be holding my hand, like today,
twenty, twenty-five, thirty years from today -
i wonder... i just wonder...?

Will we still be together, you and i -
twenty, twenty-five, thirty years from today...
or will Fate intervine, take one of us away -
i wonder... i just wonder...?

"It's Destiny's game, when love finally came" -
and we are playing to that game...
so, what has Destiny planned for us -
twenty, twenty-five, thirty years from today...?
is it not going to be that same old game...?
is it going to be a sad, sad song, or a joyful one...?

Whatever it is - we'll just live for today -
let tomorrow take care of itself, if we may...

The barge that rocked your boat

You were sailing in calm waters -
and helping passengers up and down...
you thought you were contented with your lot -
and so did i...

But then Destiny stepped in -
with a new love, a new game:
whipped up a storm, from coast to coast -
and swept my barge into your calm bay,
and left me there, all tattered and torn -
in front of your boat, looking so forlorn...

It was that silent little cry for help -
that sprung from my lonely heart...
it was a tortured voice -
that wrung your heart...
and you had to stretch out your hand -
out of sympathy, to offer your help...

'Coz we were once two pieces of wood -
in a mill, then in a dockyard,
in our beloved homeland -
handled by loving skillful hands,
who know the notches and nitches of the trade -
together with others we were shaped:
i was a plank on a lovely barge,
and you were part of a sturdy boat...

Then on separate journeys -
we both eagerly embarked:
i went south - 'banished' from my homeland -
while you went north - to seek your fortune...

A half century elapsed at the wink of an eye -
Till the day when our paths crossed, again...
till the time when, all battered and torn -
i let off a silent sigh, a silent cry of pain...
and the wind carried it to your sympathetic ear -
and i heard the echo of your sad song, come softly back to me...

"Two pieces of wood from the same forest tree -
Living so far apart, but still i pine for thee..."

There Will Come a Time

We go through life - strife upon strife -
and try our best to make things work out;
we take all the blows as they come -
thinking that this might be the last, but no...

We trudge on, day after day -
hoping that tomorrow will bring some cheer;
we laugh and we smile, though it gets harder everyday -
praying that things will change for the better, they must...!

Till one day, we find that we could no longer go on -
we find that our hearts have gone dead,
our feelings have dried up - dead,
and we have no feelings, no heartache left - all dead...

We have become 'the walking dead' -
we have become burnt out - dead...
nothing to look forward to - dead...
no joy in the heart - just plain dead...

Unless God took pity on us -
we'll surely be just dead;
unless He sends an angel to help us -
we surely will be gone - dead...

So, lucky are we that God did have pity on us -
He sent us that little angel to pull us from the dead;
He sent a messenger from heaven to tell us we are not dead;
He sent you to help me live, and love, again - great...!

For, without His pity, and also His help, i feel -
you would not have found me, and i would be left for dead...
so, i do thank You, God, for your insight and your compassion -
for sending Your little angel to me, Thank You, God...

Looking At Life - From Both Sides

I used to be so optimistic about life -
and what surprises it has in store for me;
i used to love to sit in the shade and wonder -
at life's beautiful dreams... with you in it...

But now i tend to just sit and contemplate a little -
and just wonder how i am going to take it:
if i have to visit you - for the last time;
if i have to just stand there - can't even say goodbye...
if i love you deeply - and can no longer tell you so;
how then, am i to live with the pain of parting, forever...?

I tell myself if it has to be, then it has to be:
i'll learn to live with my rich past in mind -
for in the past, all was well - and you were there...
in the past, i basked in your love, and danced to your songs...
i laughed when you joked, cried when you were sad:
i lived, with your love warm on my cheeks...

So, if i can't have a future with you in it -
then i'll just live that future with the memory of your love...

I will always love you

I will always love you -
if that's the last thing that i do;
i will always think of you -
if it's the last thing that i do...

For loving you -
is the best thing that i do;
loving you -
tells me it's the right thing to do...

For you've loved me -
for so long and so true;
you've loved me -
with no reserve, and no qualms...

You've loved me so intensely, too -
that i can't help but be overwhelmed;
you've loved me all this while -
without even my knowing how or why...

You've never stopped loving me -
i could tell - from that look in your eyes;
and i've realised i do love you, too -
more so everyday - for the gallant things that you do...

You love me -
that special way that only you do;
you love me -
that special, loving way that i love you to...

So i'll always love you -
if it's the last thing that i do;
i'll really truly love you, too -
as much as you love me, true...

"Every Place I Go, I Think Of You"

It's that warm feeling -
of having someone to share one's joys,
as well as one's saddest moments -
that overwhelms me...

It's that joyful feeling -
of having someone hold your hand,
so you don't have to walk in the darkness -
all, all alone...

It's that feeling -
of great love,
too big for words to describe -
that overwhelms the heart...

It's always your loving words,
your soothing voice,
that consoles, and that revives,
the feelings of joy in my lonely heart...

Though We May Be Poor In Worldly Possessions

You told me this:
though we may be poor in worldly wealth,
we are rich at heart -
a heart that gives...

I love to give -
especially to a heart that grieves...
for i feel good to give -
though i don't deny myself sometimes to receive...

Now the joy is doubled -
since i discovered another heart that gives...
all the joy of giving is now doubled -
for together, we will give... and give...
from our hearts,
from our lips,
from our touch,
together, such a great wealth we will give...

So though we may be poor in worldly possessions -
we will never want - 'coz we are rich at heart...

That Stranger In The Mirror

Today i looked yet again at that stranger in the mirror
and the unsmiling face stared back at me, in stoney silence...
i tried telling her it's okay to be wronged -
'coz it's nothing new:
'coz it has happened so many times before -
but she kept her stoney silence, and would not listen...

i looked deep into her eyes -
and thought i saw the hurt and the pain -
and, wait, something else, a memory of the pain -
of what had happened a long, long time ago -
i thought she had forgotten that tearful chapter -
but no, i could clearly see -
the hurt and the pain...
the furrows and the lines -
and i thought i saw - a tiny tear in her left eye...

I tried telling the face it's okay -
but she still stared in stoney silence...
and though she said not a word -
i feel, i finally understand,
that the hurt and the pain -
were never gone - it's still there...
and though a thick layer of scab had grown there,
over the years that had gone by -
the wound beneath had not healed...
it is still there: bleeding and raw...

For it has happened yet again -
when a good intention had been wronged...
and she was made to face the music -
for things that she had not done - intentionally...
so i do not wonder when i see that stoney look -
for i know she could handle all the blows,
no matter how hard the monsoon wind blows...
and in my heart i know that she knows:
there will be sunshine at the end of the tunnel -
she knows she will see the light again as it glows...

For it has always guided her along the most difficult paths -
and shown her the place where the light touches her heart...
and shines in her eyes... and rekindles the love -
and brings the smiles back to her lips again...

"The Stranger In The Mirror"

Today i looked at the face in the mirror -
it is still a pretty face, i should say,
but i stared at the hardened eyes of a stranger -
and the stranger stared back at me...

I've always thought i understand
this pretty stranger in the mirror -
but it looks like
somewhere along the long, harsh way
i've lost track of myself...
become a stranger to myself ...

I've become hardened - i could see that -
in the lines around her lips, her eyes...
i am slowly letting the years wear me down -
it shows in the dark rings around the eyes...

I have let life leave its toll -
in the deep furrows on the stranger's forehead...
i have let things go out of hand, sometimes -
by blurting out things that hurt, without remorse...

I looked deeply at the stranger's eyes -
and thought i saw a tinge of sadness there...
i looked again and thought i saw another light -
a strange light that seems to want to struggle free...

And it's that strange light -
that seems to soften the lines
around the corners of the lips...
it's that strange light of finding hope and joy,
that seems to speak of a love of a different kind -
that brought a secret smile to her lips,
and the laughter back to her sad, sad, eyes...
and brought the stranger back to me...

"All My Bags Are Packed"

It is today - at last -
the day when i'm flying home,
the day i've been looking forward to
since the day i touched down at Bandung...

It is not that the people are not friendly -
no, far, far from it!
neither is it 'coz the city is not beautiful -
it is - cool and scenic and lovely - for a honeymoon...

It is just that i miss home -
and the people i love back home,
it's just that i wish you were here with me -
as it would be a most wonderful honeymoon...

So i've been up and waiting since 3.30am (Malaysian)-
though it is only 2.30am over here in sleepy Bandung;
and all my bags are packed and i'm ready to go -
though my hostess says, "Don't go...")

They are all so warm and loving and caring -
i could feel the warmth as part of their family;
but still my heart longs to be home, in Malaysia -
'coz you are there... back home...

So, to the beautiful people of Bandung:
i thank you from the bottom of my grateful heart...
for the joy you've brought to us all -
through all the nice things that you do and say...

Giving away the things i love most

Today i gave away my treasures -
the things that i love most
it is a second reminder from friends -
to return gratitide for gratitude...

For, a long, long time ago
a sweet young thing gave away
the things she treasured most;
and i was told that she was told
that love means giving away
the things that are closest to the heart...

So, i've been doing just that:
Parting with the things that i love most
if it would bring a smile to someone's lips -
then why not?
if it would make him happy -
why ever not?

So, today i gave away
gratitude for gratitude:
the set of 3 paintings that i love most -
to my host, for taking me under his wings...
i gave his friendly wife - for her warm hospitality -
my favourite beads with purple roses...
i gave away my beloved bangle with 3 roses,
and a new blue dress - to 'Bu Fitri,
with whom i am staying...
i gave away, another stone-studded bangle -
to 'Bu Idar, her sister next door
who sends us to school and back...
and i reserved my most treasured crystal bracelet -
that i'm wearing for the last time now,
for the plump maid, who does my laundry,
and stands by my side to help me as i cooked,
and i'll leave her my scented talcom powder
that you like, too, that she may remember
the lady who stood beside her in her kitchen
and asked for chilli and asam and petai and belacan...

So, though i am much lightened in my treasured items -
i am leaving little momentos of love for them
to remember that once, someone came to their abode -
and touched their lives as much as they have touched mine...

And i could safely say, i've taken your advice, my friend,
i've given away all that i could -
save for one - you
that i could never, ever, bear to part...

"When God closes a door"

"When God closes a door -
He opens a window somewhere else..."
When God slammed the door to my heart
He left a little peek hole somewhere -
for me to still see the light...

And all these years
i've struggled on, as best i could -
Looking at the bleak world
through that little peep hole, in my heart...

But lately, it seems, you gave God a gentle reminder
about that little peek hole in my heart -
so God closed that tiny window
and threw open a huge door to the world...

And now i could see the light -
the light of love that shines from your eyes...

"I could walk a thousand miles"

Yes, i would surely do it -
if i could just see you tonight...
i would take that first step -
be it a journey of a thousand miles...

For you are the only one who loves
and cares if i am happy or sad;
you are the only hope i have -
of ever being understood, (or cursed)...

You are the only pillow -
on which my weary head i could rest;
yours are the only words -
that could console and put my misery to rest...
yours are the only arms to give comfort
and say that i have done my best - so just rest...

So when i am sad or miserable like today -
when everyone is so nice and smiling and happy,
i miss my little pillar of comfort, to take a rest -
that you may cradle me in your arms and watch over me
as i take a long, long rest -
for i am tired, and i need to rest...

So i'll trudge those thousand miles, if i must -
to see you tonight - to rest my tired heart, i must...

Doing Little Things With Love

I've always been doing just that -
sowing little plots of barren ground
with the seeds of love,
in the hope that one day
it will bear the most beautiful fruits
for the world to see and admire...

I've always done little, little acts of love
and little favours full of compassion,
with a passion that's not just my own -
for i know that somewhere, somehow,
someone is doing the same thing - for me...
somewhere, somehow, i know - You are there...

But lately, i find it hard to go on
doing the things that i used to do -
for the little brat that i nursed and loved
had turned around and told me
i'm that hateful person she does not want to see
i'm so hateful, in the same place, she doesn't want to be
and to count her out of all my activity -
no camp, no commandant - she had threatened me...

So i see... though no one is indispensable -
i would still want to choose my company;
and if she could just turn around
and blurt out such hurting words
than i feel i have failed
to sow that seed on a barren piece of land
and to hope to reap for the world
a harvest fit for the King...

i feel i have failed, as a parent,
as a teacher, as a counsellor - failed
for one isolated case is as good as many -
i have just failed in my mission
to love and to spread the smile -
to save an angry child,
so she could grow up with a smile -
and forget the anger and hatred for the world...

Clearly i have failed -
and it saddens my heart to have to say so...

Hurt

I told myself it matters not
that someone i love should say things that hurt
'coz she is hurt and angry
it's nothing new, to be hurt
when another is hurt and angry
and to be accused of being the cause
of all the hurt and all the anger
but deep down, it still hurts a great, great deal...

It hurts alot when it comes from someone one loves
it hurts to the core, deep, deep down
where i could reach not to console,
neither could i reach out to ease the pain...

I remember finding you: a little bird
with a broken wing, (like me)...
i remember nursing you, with all the care
and the love i had to spare...
i remember telling you stories
and listening, as you weep your heart out...
i remember making that little lifelong promise
to care for each other, for as long as we are able to...

But i didn't expect it to end so soon -
just by a passing comment, i had proudly told
that you were and are good - the best, in fact -
the best of my students...
the best that i could recommend -
better than anyone i know, then and now...
but it was up to him to investigate
up to him to interrogate,
up to him to have an audition
to select the best for Kluang...
but he took the quick way out:
no audition, no interrogation,
no second opinion -
he took my word as true, no doubts about it
and sent that fateful letter
and caused the great anger,
the pain, the hurt...

I told myself it does not matter -
i"ve been wronged many a time before;
but what had hurt to the very core -
was what you had, in your anger, blurted...

So, i'll just say this to you:
if you wish to see me,
you'll know where i'll be: at the camp;
if you don't wish to see me,
you'll know where you mustn't be: at the camp!

For, though i've told myself a thousand times
never to be hurt, never to feel hurt again -
i still am very, very hurt
and the pain is very, very real
when the one holding the knife -
is the one that i have nursed and loved...

Just Tell Me If I Am Wrong

Just tell me -
if i am wrong:
for i will know not,
when i am in the wrong...

Just let me know -
if ever i am wrong
for i believe not -
that i've done any wrong...

For i've tried my best -
to do what is right (to me)
and never what is wrong (to me)
but if i still am wrong - just let me know...

I feel that whatever i have done -
i did after a long thought,
after much reasoning,
and careful contemplation:
i've always weighed the pros and the cons,;
and the rights and the wrongs
before deciding on any move, any action,
before doing what i feel should be done...

So, help me God - if i'm still wrong -
guide me to do right
and tell me when i'm wrong
and tell me when i'm heading the wrong way...

And my dear friends -
thank you for your guidance
thank you for telling me when i'm wrong,
thank you for showing me love and forgiveness,
that i may lead a fulfilling life
that i may love and enjoy life, anew...

And my dear, dear friends,
speak to me when i'm right,
talk to me when i'm wrong,
tell me again and again,
to just put down my troubled pouch
to just take a deep breath
and pause to rest a little
before taking the last lap in life...

"I Wanna Live, I Wanna Give"

I want to live -
not only coz life is so beautiful
but also coz only if i live
can i give - and i want to give...

I want to give -
to the world my tender touch and care,
that other souls who grieve
may get to live and care, in return...

I want to give, too -
of myself and my love...
to one lonely soul who grieves,
that he may feel the love, and live again...

I want to do all these =-
for the world at large,
and for Him, especially -
that they might all be filled
with love in their heart...
and joy in their soul...
happiness to be alive...
and thankfulness for God's blessings...

And then i can sit back and smile -
and enjoy the fruits of my labour...
and tell the world that i still care
and show the young that though the path of life is never smooth,
there will be helping hands along the way -
helping hands to guide us along the right path,
those invisible hands that God provides, we claim:
the hands that toss the dice, in Destiny's game...

Love in a Hut, with Water and a Crust

"Love is not love -
till you give it away..."
how true - love is not love
until and unless one gives it away
and the one who gets it
feels so blessed to be loved...

For when you give love
it is a gift from the heart -
the most beautiful part of yourself...
the most treasured and meaningful... - your heart!

And you would want to go on giving
a bigger and bigger chunk each day
till you have given your all -
and loved fully, whole-heartedly, unreservedly... all!

And you would not want anything more
than his undivided love in return:
"For love in a hut - with water and a crust..."
is love indeed -
if it is with that special heart
that feels and that grieves...

And you would want to thank God
for all his blessings:
to be able to love
and to have your loved one by your side,
be it love in a hut -
with water and a crust...

I Bless The Day You Found Me

Today i'm sitting alone -
in a crowded market place;
waiting for friends to finish their chores'
and come looking for me...

Today i'm still thinking -
of the day you found me...
it was indeed a blessed day for me -
to sit and wait for my friend to find me...!"

I remember braving the rain and storm,
and the possibility of more rain and more storms...
just to see my friends of long ago -
just to be there for you...

for i would have braved much, much more
than a stormy weather or two
to be there to see this friend who had said,
"Your (every?) wish is my (very) command!"

For i was thrilled by the sincere offer -
to help where i can't;
and "Your wish is my command"
rings loud and clear in my mind...

And true to your words -
you did as i wished,
(though i did not ever command)
and i was touched and moved by the sincere gesture...

So, i've been blessing that day -
the day that you found me;
and i've been well taken care of -
blessed, since that blessed day you found me...

Today, sitting here all alone - in a crowded market place -
in a foreign land, among strangers, waiting to be found,
i can't help but to count my blessings, lately -
and the joy of knowing that they are all from you...

Thank You, God - for all the favours

Dear God,
i have You -
to teach me
where i go wrong;
to tell me to be patient -
when i am angry;
to tell me to be kind-
when all i could see is vengeance...
to tell me to be strong -
coz someone still needs me...
coz someone out there waits for me...

Thank You, God,
For Your kindness
for You shower upon me
all the love and care
that i may never lack, never want;
Thank You, God,
for all sending a loving heart my way -
that i may feel what it is to love,
and be loved, the right way...
Thank You, God,
For all the other nice people -
You've placed along my path,
that my life may be the most wonderful dream:
of "walking along the beach at sunrise,
hand in hand, with my most beloved" -
Thank You, God...

To Love and Be Loved in Return

I love to watch young lovers -
as they stroll, hand in hand, in the park,
for the joy that i see -
lifts my spirits, and lighten my heart...

for i could hear the light laughter -
that speaks of the joy of being loved,
i could see the loving little gestures -
in a touch, a little kiss on the nose...
i could see the stars that shine in each pair of eyes -
and they tell me of a joy that comes from being in love...

And when you say -
taht you could live without love...
that you've found joy in your career,
in what you do and where you go -
i could sense that it's a message for the world -
and not from your heart...

For even a hermit needs to be loved -
what more a girl of twenty-four?
so, tell me not, that your heart is dead -
that all you could think of is work, work, and more work!
for i've been through all that before -
and driven myself so hard and so often before -
that when i crawl into bed - exhausted -
i need not hear my lonely heart cry itself to sleep...
for it is so easy -
to laugh and joke and smile in the day...
but in the silence of the night -
the lonely heart needs to put down its heavy load -
to rest, and heal the wounds as best it could,
and to be ready to trudge through yet another day, another tomorrow...

And often i could hear, in the silence of the night -
a deep sigh: "... dreams i have, too,
but they have vapourised long ago..."
so i don't want young hearts to suffer,
i don't want to feel you cry,
i don't want another's heart to be yearning -
for a love you wish to let die...

for though i've kept my little flame of love -
trapped in the deepest corner of the heart,
i do feel, sometimes, that it is reaching out -
to find another heart that grieves...

That Secret Love

I have this secret love
that i can't ever openly declare
it's a wish that i'd very, very much
wish to tell the whole wide world
but the fear that i would be misunderstood
is what's holding me back...

for i have this secret love
a love that i had nursed -
a long,long way back in time...
a love for something in my past -
a love so pure and magnanimous,
none can ever concede to contest...

Each time i make my way home to you
even through dark or stormy weather -
my heart would lurge and sing with joy
about this secret love of mine...
all the way with mile after mile of excitement
i would fly through stormy weather
to stand there before you -
to be able to declare my love to you, alone...

For i don't wish to be misunderstood -
and be a second Vincent Van Gogh...
i don't wish to be thrown into prison
or have my ears removed - my God!
for these are the worst things that man can face:
to be robbed of hearing my love's voice calling my name,
and singing lovely praises to me...
to be robbed of the very essence of living:
freedom to talk to the trees in the forest...
freedom to touch the earth beneath my feet...
freedom to look up at the beautiful blue skies...
freedom to stand there before you...

My first love, my most beloved -
my South China Sea beckons to me...
for i've always run to you -
when i need to cry;
i've always gone to you -
when i'm tired and need to rest my tired smile;
and you've always been there for me:
to listen to my heart as it weeps...
to console and to heal the heart that bleeds...
you've always taught me to be brave -
and to smile in adversity...
and i've always done the best i could....

So when i leave you, my love -
it is with a joyous heart;
and the footsteps that i leave behind -
sing of joy to the world, not misery...

Missing You

Yes, i miss you - i really do -
cos you are nice and warm and caring;
and i'll always be missing you -
for all the love and care that you give...

You've showered me with so much love -
enough to last me a life time;
you've seen to it that i get all the care -
that only a tender heart like yours could give
you've made me feel so special, so well-loved -
that i would never need anything else, anything more...

And for all these that you have done so willingly -
i just can't deny the great love i have for you, alone;
and i just can't suppress the yearnings of my heart -
to be with you, to be loved, to be cared for, ever so tenderly...

If I Should Love, It Would Be My All

If i should fall in love -
it would be with my heart, my soul,
my mind, my all -
for i can't give a little, keep a little:
it's either with all that i have -
or nothing at all...
'coz if i were to fall in love -
it would be so intensely...

For i can't think of loving you -
otherwise... without my all...
For it would never be complete -
unless i love you with my all...

When Love Comes By

When love comes along - just grab it
for you might not have a second chance;
if you have done wrong - admit it:
just give yourselves that second chance...

For i've been through such times before -
i've loved intensely, and broken off before;
and the hurt and the scar remains to this day -
like a wound that would never ever heal...

Each time i see lovers break up:
and each go their separate way -
after having shared so much together,
after going thru such intence feelings for each other...
i'll ask myself, where did they go wrong?
i'll ask myself, is there nothing else that i could do?
i'll surely ask myself, do i have the heart to just let it be-
and see the ones i love suffer so...?

For i've have been thru all the misery, all the suffering -
when an intense relationship is no more, failed, deleted;
i've cut off my lovely locks before -
with just one click of the scissors,
and all my lovely locks are on the floor ...
i've even toyed with the idea of how it would feel like
to have a sharp blade slash my arm... watch the blood flow...?
would anyone be sorry... would anyone cry at my grave...?

I've been thru all those times of misery -
over a broken love - a break up - and it was hell!
so i would not want to see you suffer, ever,
over any break up - if there is anything i could do...
for when you have put your life and soul in a relationship -
there is no way you will ever forget;
and even if the world thinks you are better off apart -
leading separate lives, loving and caring for others:
there is still this little hidden wound in your heart
that would never, ever heal...
and when you lay awake in the night
or prowl around in the dawn
that little hidden wound would still bleed
like a sad, sad song in the night...

So, if you can, give yourselves a second chance -
for you might not get another chance
to say,"I'm sorry, i lied -
for it is you that i love
and no one else..."
and you'll be saved -
from all the misery,
and the pain -
of having loved intensely, once,
and never again...

A Touch of Humanity

Oh i have seen many a kind deed done -
and as many cruel deeds, too!
for this may be a land of riches and plenty -
yet sometimes lacks the flavours of humanity...

I have seen the poor farmer slogging on the field
to send his children to school and put food on the table
but i've also seen the exorbitant fees
that eats away half of his meagre savings
printed on the list of payments to the school!
and i thought i could hear the poor gardener sigh
as he stands at the fast food outlet,
counting his hard-earned pennies -
his child wanted a taste of that aromatic chicken
but the price was enough to feed the whole family...

I have also witnessed a different kind of poverty:
i've seen children hard at work at eateries or roadside stalls
helping to wash and serve till late at night -
(while others their age are fast asleep before the TV)
struggling to complete their homework, for teacher
under the street light or the light of a candle...!
I've seen the older ones working, too -
sacrificing their weekends,
and after school rest hour -
to help his single mother buy food for the family,
to help send a brother to college or varsity -
and i do hope that lucky little brother
will always remember the sacrifices made by elder brother
when he drives around in his Merce or BMW...

Oh i've seen many, many more -
too many to remember...
and i just hope the world will remember -
every day may be a great struggle
for those less fortunate than us
without a roof over their heads,
without food on the table,
with only the comfort of each other
still smiling and thankful for God's blessings
at every step of the long, hard way...

and i've always wished i could help in any way,
so let me bring a little comfort your way...

Home Away From Home

If you are a foreign maid, in a foreign land
so far, far away from home -
you are really at the mercy of others
for your needs... and your life even...

For if you are a foreign maid
you are all, all alone
in a land of strangers
in the land of fear -
fear for your own safety,
fear for what you are landing yourself into...

For a boss could be sweet as sugar -
yet maintain the coolness of a stranger
one day she might sister or mother you -
the next day she might be the tigress,
ready to swallow you up:
"head, and shoulders, knees and toes" - all...

A boss may shout at you - treat you like a dog -
but you are expected - to treat her like a queen;
running about - on your feet all day -
smiling politely - to her every beck and call;
sometimes she can be generous and shower you with gifts -
but most times she'll be counting the pennies,
that she had spent on your upkeep -
and squeeze every ounce back from you!

Oh and you are not supposed to cry -
but to show a happy, smiling face to all her friends
and to say you are very happy and grateful -
God had sent you to her and no one else!
When you could hardly stand all the work
and the stress, upon stress of non-stop work
(she'll even dig out old forgotten treasures
and all her ancient silver ware
to be scrubbed, and scrubbed, and polished,
till you could see your tearful face!)

Oh that's the lot of a stranger -
working for strangers in a foreign land;
and no wonder too you had to cry -
when too tired to drag your feet,
you are at last allowed a few hours' repose -
to begin the drudgery all over again in a few hours!
No wonder you had to cry of loneliness -
in this foreign land of strangers:
missing your loved ones so, so far away -
and the dimpled smile of your young children,
and the tears would flow freely -
to think of the love you could not give...

And when it's your birthday -
and your mum did not call to send birthday wishes
you could not stop the tears from flowing -
a stranger, in this land among strangers ...