A Battle in Tatters (Homonym)

"Battle" "General" "army" "fight" "battlefield" "warrior"

To Victory!” cries the general as
his men storm across the flat plain,
for he knows the lay of the land
and the treasures they will gain,
their boots grind along the path
the fire in their hearts burn bright,
in a straight line they march, when
soon in the sky they see the light.

 "Battle" "General" "army" "fight" "battlefield" "warrior" "war-torn country"

Town’s on fire, houses burn long
winds gain speed in a March storm,
the men lay flat in despair, light
clothes will not keep them warm,
straight ahead they stare and grind
their teeth, no victory to be won,
the general stands, alone he cries
it’s plain to see, a wily deed done.

"Battle" "General" "army" "fight" "battlefield" "warrior" "sad warrior" "Sad General" "sad war scene"

16 Feb 2010


Homonyms
- are words that are spelled the same (homographs), 
pronounced the same (homophones) but have different meanings.

Examples
cries, storm, flat, plain, lay, gain, grind, fire, burn, straight, march, light


Dregs of War (Trochaic Octameter)

"battle" "soldier" "battlefield" "effects of war" "destruction of war"

War is over! Loud the victors’ cry, their long assault is ended,
Trumpets blast and bugles blow, as weary heroes stagger homeward,

"soldier walking" "animated soldier" "soldier gif"Barren fields they leave behind, the maimed and sick in hopeless terror,
Red the earth of death and sorrow, 

cold the tomb for life’s enclosure,
Ruined towns and gutted homes, with solemn tales of desperate bravery,
Giant armies, skilful weapons, battles won in gruesome fury,
Shamed the vanquished midst their people; loss of courage, low their measure, 

"battle" "soldier" "battlefield" "effects of war"
Cutting short a human life, who gave the other man that honour! 


12 Oct 2011

(Trochee - a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one.
This poem is a trochaic 

octameter : 8 trochees per line).
 

An Ode to Horses

"stallions" "horse" "beautiful horse"
Stallions are splendid speeding spitfires,
Sprinting swiftly round racetracks.
Sinewy, sweating, shivering steeds,
Stripling riders on their backs.


Mustangs are muscular, massive mounts,
Magnificent with a matted mane of hair,
Mobile in marshland or on mountain might
Managing with the minimum that is there.


"mustangs" "horse mustang" "horse" "mustang"




 

Alliteration - a series of words having the first same consonant sound.

19 Jan 2008

The Conquest of Malacca - 1511

It was morning when he walked up the hill,
Unnoticed by his pa and the other men at shore, 

Who continued casting nets with their usual skill,
It was hard work for the boy aged ten or more.

"coconut trees" "seashore" "coconut tree on the shore" "beach side" "coconut tree at the beach"

He reached the top and climbed a coconut tree,
The sights and sounds above, filled him with awe,
Then he turned his head to glance far out to sea,
And nearly fell off with fright at what he saw.


"war vessels" "war" "war ships" "battle ships" "battle vessels" "vessels of war" "medieval war ships" "medieval battle ships"

A fleet of vessels appeared slowly on the horizon,
There were nineteen of them with flags on deck,
Each held a cannon, like a fire-breathing dragon,
And trumpet sounds – a sign of peace or an attack?
 


"war vessels" "war" "war ships" "battle ships" "battle vessels" "vessels of war" "medieval war ships" "medieval battle ships"

Balls of fire from the ships whizzed through the air,
They crashed on the men working in their boats,
The cries of the wounded filled him with despair,
Malacca was left burning by those cut-throats!


"war vessels" "war" "war ships" "battle ships" "battle vessels" "vessels of war" "medieval war ships" "medieval battle ships"

They fought with courage, the Sultan’s forces , 

But fell back, under the onslaught of the enemy,
Their bows and arrows, blow-pipes and lances,
Were no match for the enemies’ heavy artillery.


"malacca battle" "Malaysia war" "ancient malacca"


The boy on the tree wailed in pain and terror,
As he observed the carnage throughout his land,
He knew he had to hide for he was in danger,
The boy who was, became an angry young man.

12 May 2013

Mid-Autumn Festival

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the 
lunar calendar,
"moon glitter" "mid-autumn festival" "full moon" "moon gif"The mid-autumn festival is celebrated with ceremonial grandeur, 
It is a time of great harvesting before damp
winter takes over,
And on that night the moon hangs in the sky
big, bright and clear.


"mid-autumn Festival" Delicious mooncakes are a treat and baked
according to culture,

On the crust, the word ‘longevity’ is printed in Chinese character,
Sweet fillings of lotus seed or red bean paste ooze delightful flavour,
With salted egg yolks, to symbolize the full moon, right in the centre.


"chinese lantern glitter" "mid-Autumn Festival""mid-autumn Festival"

"chinese lantern glitter" "mid-Autumn Festival"Floating sky lanterns light up the night with
colourful splendour,
Children carry glowing lanterns of various
shapes and texture,

Forms of dragons, birds, snakes or goldfish,
- it does not matter,
'Tis joyful moments shared, that bring people
closer to each other.


30 Sept 2012


Image : http://www.glitter-graphics.com/ 
Image : http://www.glitter-graphics.com
Image : http://www.glitter-graphics.com/ 

Both Sides of the Coin

"battle" "battlefield" "war-torn" "soldiers" "army"
"coin toss" "coin" "animated coin" "animated coin toss" "animated flip the coin"
http://animated-gifs.org/

Killing comes easy for those who perceive
only one side of the coin;
the other side bothers them not,
Though the world out there crashes down
they’ve made their point;
they are smug with their own lot.
 

Caring not for a stranger’s dreams, his will
to live and hopes to fill;
they callously snuff out his life,
They think they have one-upped the enemy
as they pillage and kill;
they wreak havoc and strife.


"battle" "battlefield" "war-torn" "soldiers" "army"

No remorse or sympathy when with a bang
the other hits the ground;
it’s all in a day’s work for them,
For conquest and power their main focus,
to victory duty bound;
all done by igniting mayhem.


"battle" "battlefield" "war-torn" "soldiers" "army" "war tanks"

Following their leaders in blind faith, they
cause suffering and pain;
their fight is weary and long,
But when a mightier power wins the battle
toss, naught is their gain;
the losing side is always wrong.


"war" "war destruction"


8 August 2014


Lay Down Your Arms, For Pity’s Sake (Kyrielle Poem)

"going to war" "sad man" "man in trenchcoat" "man going to war"

A son leaves home with courage might,
A trench, the rain his sorry plight,
All night his ma does stay awake
Lay down your arms, for pity’s sake.

"Freedom Glitter" "Freedom gif" "Freedom animated"
http://www.glitter-graphics.com/
"soldier" "animated war"“For freedom”, tis a sad refrain,
No end to wars, men die in vain,
A cause, that peace will never slake,
Lay down your arms, for pity’s sake.

With bloody stains, is drenched the ground,
Engulfed the sky, with mournful sound
A foe, his life, not yours to take,
Lay down your arms, for pity’s sake.

A gun, in seconds, takes a life,
 

A loss to parents, child or wife,
Regrets and wasted lives at stake,
Lay down your arms, for pity’s sake.


"killing" "battle" "effects of war" "battlefield"

To watch a little child in tears
No fault of his to face such fears, 

"effects of war" "children of war" "war-torn countries" "war children"A pipe of peace, a treaty make,
Lay down your arms, for pity’s sake.

 

28 August 2013 


 (In a kyrielle poem  the last line in every stanza is repeated).

Ask the Children

"War Children" "Children during war" "war casualties" "battlefield" "war-torn countries"No-one asked the children if they thought war was fine 
Now they walk unprotected among many a land mine 
That dad would receive a hero’s welcome, well they lied
He'd be confined in chains if he's not on the winning side.


No-one told the children that they would bear the brunt
When parents die in crossfire predators be on the hunt
They are put in prison just for being their parents’ child
Living among the dead, tortured and growing up wild.


"War Children" "Children during war" "war casualties" "battlefield" "war-torn countries"


No-one gave the children the choice to have a good life
And it's no fault of theirs either to have to live in strife
It’s a child’s privilege to have family, home and shelter
When he becomes a child of war he faces a bleak future.



If no-one saves the children then there is no reason at all
To fight, to kill, to pillage and to listen to a warrior’s call
So when man says he fights for freedom it’s a disclaimer
His reason for warfare has always been a show of power.


 "War Children" "Children during war" "war casualties" "battlefield" "war-torn countries"


30 Sept 2012

A cessation of arms

War’s an ugly word
depicting death and untold misery,
an exodus of refugees
forced to escape torture and agony,
It’s endless days of 
hunger for orphans, widows, victims,
and a sea of nameless
faces whose future is hopelessly grim.

"fight' "war victims" "war zone" "war wallpaper hd"

A wise man’s ‘Do unto others
as you would others do unto you’
has become a forgotten parable
an unpracticed conduct of value,
‘Do not kill’ is a commandment
no-one bothers to pays attention to,
‘An eye for an eye’ seems to be
the action humans aim to pursue.

"fight' "war victims" "war zone" "war wallpaper hd" "killing" "battle" "battlefield"

A command from their leader 

and in blind faith they surge,
entering unfamiliar territories
guns and bombs for courage,
sparing their foes no kindness 
hardened criminals in uniform,
the spoils of war they procure
beasts of prey they’ve become. 

"fight' "war victims" "war zone" "war wallpaper hd" "killing" "battle" "battlefield"

As long as men go out

with a prayer they’ve the right to slay,
that they have God and
victory on their side in battle each day, 
believing that their actions 
will provide peace for their children,
that’s when war will 
be the cause for endless devastation.

"battle" "devastation of war" "battlefield"
 
9 Feb 2008


The Dragon Boat Festival (The Dumpling Festival)

"Dragon" "Boat"
On the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar year,
The dragon boat festival is celebrated with pomp and cheer,
It’s when daylight is the longest in the northern Hemisphere,
For it is the summer solstice or ‘mid-summer’ in East Asia.


"Dragon" "Boat Racing"

"Glitter Dragon" "Animated Dragon" "Dragon gif"
http://www.glitter-graphics.com/
It’s the moment, (they say) when male energy is at its peak, 
So it’s a good chance for a man to prove that he is not weak, 
The dragon being of masculine energy, its image they seek,
Soon dragon boats are ready for racing on a river or a creek.


"Chinese Deity"

The festival honors the poet Qu Yuan, who died in 278 BC,
His last masterpiece, ‘Embracing the Sand’ lives on in history,
That he drowned himself in an act of 

patriotism is a tragedy, 
"bakchang" "chang" "Zongzhi" "glutinous rice"The race is for the boatmen who searched for him desperately.

The special food is glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves,
Mugwort leaves are strung on top of doors to ward off disease,
Perfumed pouches on children’s clothes is for evil to freeze,
 

A five-color silk thread on their wrists offers calm and peace.

"Dumpling Festival"
12 June 2013