PAULLYN SIDHU

PAULLYN SIDHU

OUT IN THE COLD

Out in the cold,

I have to be bold.

The wolves are braying,

The moon is not swaying.

Curdled hearts are crowing,

Their clamour is growing.

The wild horses are stamping their hooves,

They don't want me claiming their grooves.

The apathetic with cynical eyes are watching,

My compassion is weak and heart-wrenching.

The grey gorilla is thumping its chest,

Stay clear or be hurled out like the rest!

Prejudiced voices are shouting out,

They will not be pacified in their clout.

The irate rhino will charge out of the bush,

It's not interested to know of pull or push.

Those with constricted views narrow the field,

And in their selfish glory ultimate power wield.

Yes,

I am out in the cold,

I have no choice but to be bold!

JASMINE IN MY HAIR

There are minds and souls which choose to meditate.

The divine traveler in me, sails out alone, no mate.

Prefers the path of heavenly love, not hell's hate.

Ventures to seek old arches and crosses the gate.

Give me people, places and the delight in taking photos.

Deliver me to old Hindu temples or Athenian stone grottos.

Let me spin a web, have my say, engrave my own mottoes.

It matters not if there is praise or rotten tomatoes.

When I espy a mother stringing jasmine in her girl's hair.

I walk up, and say, "Thread for me too, my head is bare!"

Her smile, my very own and the joy that we three then share.

Makes me walk forward with a spring in my step, nary a care!"

The dawn breaks, the sky lightens, birds take flight from a grey tree.

My eyes take it all in, my ears hear pigeons coo, I just let things be.

Why not choose to hear life's bold trumpet, up in the air and O so free?

Priests in white; pottus' in red; fields in green - are notes too for me!

A LEER FOR VENEER

If others do not see what you can see,

Does that make you blind?

If they do not hear what you can hear,

Does that make you deaf?

If they cannot understand all that you felt,

Does that make you mad in your mind?

If you can smell what they dare not even whiff,

Does that make you wheat or chaff?

Who are these false and fake people anyway?

Why lie to themselves but call you bad names?

What do they think of themselves?

What kind of mould did they spring from?

Where do they go when they wish to hide?

Where is their courage to play real games?

When will they emerge and reveal the truth?

When will they admit to being puppets in a prom?

If you can bite a bullet between your teeth,

Does that imply that you do not know how to shoot?

If you can climb up a tall pole and shout "Hello!"

Does that make you a monkey showing its behind?

If you are willing to dress up and play the role,

Does that mean you have forgotten your old root?

If you can courtesy and smile with hand outstretched,

Does that mean you can't distinguish flesh from rind?

PAULLYN SIDHU

PAULLYN SIDHU is a retired teacher of Biology from Malaysia. She has 19 years' writing experience as a former education columnist with The Star and Daily Express newspapers. As a masterful poet, she is the author of three books of poetry - "The Proffered Lotus", "A Sparrow In My Heart" and "The Whispering Wind". As an educationist and motivational speaker, she has, since 2014, traveled solo to more than 10 countries in the world and is an empowering role-model for women to "believe, then achieve!"