WHEN WE MEET

Convinced that you’re somewhere
waiting to be joined on a cold bed
Destiny shall lead us there
and erase the times our hearts bled

Wonder what it shall be like
when we meet for the first time
How soon will love strike
for our ears to hear bells chime?

Perhaps we shall know right away
that we each stare at a soulmate
Aching for the arrival of that day
when love’s kiss seals our fate

K.G. says…

A lot of people believe that there’s at least one person out there specifically for them; the perfect counterpart. We may at times wonder about what that person is currently doing and liked to think that their life feels just as incomplete as ours until the we finally meet.

Many questions arise when we fantasize about the soulmate we are yet to meet. Who are they? When will we cross paths? How will our first interaction play out? Will it be obvious that we’re meant to be? These thoughts are often fueled by a realisation of loneliness which in turn is offset by the lingering hope that someone special exists for us to find.

NOT EVERYONE IS ME

Not everyone is me and I’m certainly not everyone
They’re supposedly unique but I’m definitely unlike anyone
Compare myself with an animal, you insist?
Well, that creature simply does not exist
Used to want to bed in with all the others
To lay alongside them beneath the same covers
Grew up shy, feeling awkward and odd
Often left playing alone, just me on my tod
Whether to act like they did, sometimes I’d rehearse
How to make myself fit in and lift this weirdo’s curse

Not everyone is me; I eventually accepted
To stay true to myself and not to what they expected
Troubled childhood memories that long haunted me
Banished to the back of mind by a moment’s clarity
This weirdo’s curse may in fact be my blessing
Loving how my peculiar ways leave them guessing
Being all me, all the time remains a work in progress
Thankfully now, I no longer feel hopeless
Perhaps I’m special or maybe I’m just strange
Whichever way they see it, I refuse to change

K.G. says…

Not many of my poems convey my inner most thoughts and feelings from start to finish. In fact when writing, I’m often able to position myself in scenarios and empathise with emotions I haven’t experienced deeply. Don’t ask me how; it just happens somehow.

This piece, however, is different. It’s one of the sincerest expressions of my true feelings. The subject matter has long been a recurring thought in my mind, particularly when I was younger. It’s something I’ve learned to embrace and hopefully it can help others to accept themselves for how they are. It’s perfectly fine to have quirks and be different to everyone else. Being “normal” is so common.

THE ONE I SEE IN DREAMS

You resemble my lover
The one I see in dreams
Can’t envisage any other
As unlikely as it seems

You star in my slumber
So I savour every sleep
Once awake, I remember
Nightly memories that keep

In dreams you were birthed
Then grew on my mind
Heart’s desire unearthed
Eyes scouring to find

You are a wishful prize
Hence why I play my hand
No need to still fantasise
Because here you stand

So irresistible is your appeal
How it fills me with zest
Let us make dreams real
And lay chest to chest

K.G. says…

The first two lines of this piece were inspired by a chat-up line that my friend used. [Yes, it was definitely a friend and not me]. He said, “Hey, you look familiar”, and the girl asked, “Really? Where from?” My friend then responded, “From my dream last night” – complete with a cheeky wink. Sounds ridiculous yet he did successfully get her phone number.

One of my readers interpreted the subject as a spiritual lady of the night (such as the night hag or Lilith) – which I found hilarious and impressively deep in equal measure. From my perspective, I believe most of us have a mental image of what we’d want our perfect partner (i.e. dream girl/guy) to look like. What would you say to that person if you met her/him in real life? If you ever do run into your dreamboat, feel free to use this poem to woo them. Just make sure you invite me to the wedding for playing wing-man!

THINKING BIG IS UN-REGRETTABLE

IN MEMORY OF KENNEDY, 1990-2016

Thinking big is un-regrettable,
so let’s make our impact unforgettable.
As we pass through this world so briefly,
may we not fade away completely.
Though our time on earth is limited,
our imprints can forever be exhibited.
Flesh decays but names needn’t disappear,
in the minds of those who hold us dear.
By touching the lives of our contemporaries,
shall we survive in their memories.
To live on beyond the world we’re bound,
we must leave it better than we found.

K.G. says…

I wrote this as a tribute to a friend I met at university, who sadly passed away at a tender age. I call it a tribute but in reality he inspired the poem; not only because the title was his final WhatsApp status, but also with how he lived. He accomplished a great deal in his short life and set a good example to his friends (including myself) for how we should continue in ours.

He was someone to be admired. Having met him as a fun-loving student, it was a pleasure to see him grow into a mature and considerate young man. Despite not being one to seek the limelight, he stood out with his ambition to achieve the best for himself and willingness to help out others. I certainly won’t forget him and I know his impact has left a legacy on those who benefited through his charitable acts.

PRODIGAL PRINCE

How’s a young prince supposed to embrace his destiny
If the old king isn’t around to bestow a legacy
A prince who knows not what he was born to be
Growing up in the shadows of a throne left empty
Left doubting his birth right to the monarchy
Made to believe his place lies lowly in life’s hierarchy

How’s a prince supposed to know his mother is queenly
If the king isn’t around to rule with her royally
To demonstrate how to treat his future consort properly
Can the prince then raise his own heirs differently
Although his predecessor abdicated so cowardly
He’s somehow expected to battle his demons bravely

A student learns and surpasses his master eventually
But a stem without roots is doomed to wither fruitlessly
Kingdoms fall when kings and queens shirk their duty
Through it all, the kingdom that suffers most is family

K.G. says…

How does a boy learn to be a man without having one to look up to and teach him? How does he understand where he came from if that point of reference isn’t there? The importance of a parent’s presence in their child’s life cannot be understated.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to grow up with the presence of both parents. Without the guiding influence of a parent, the offspring is left to his/her own devices to figure out the tough challenges life presents. Consequently, this often leads to the child making wrong choices and doubting their self and can potentially enable others to take advantage.

DYING DREAM

Despite the innocence and optimism of youth
Yearning for a time when hardship will soothe
In comes the learning of discomforting truth
Nefariously dashing hopes in a manner uncouth
Growing wise induces pain like the wisdom tooth

Daring to believe that one day all will be better
Rainstorms flood fantasies as tears get wetter
Eons pass by while soft skin toughens to leather
Ambition become inhibition, curbed by a fetter
Mourn in silence for the disenchanted go-getter

K.G. says…

You saw what I did there, right? From a creative perspective, this is one of the poems I’m most proud of because it was more challenging to complete than I anticipated. I’d set myself the task of writing a piece in which the title would be spelt using the first letters of every line – and it also had to rhyme.

There is also meaning beyond its aesthetic appeal. As most of us get older, many of the high hopes we once had gradually become diluted and fade. Reality bites and life comes at us fast. We grow older to become less carefree and more cautious. Although we go on to achieve other things, there remain aspects of life we wished had (or expected to) turn out differently. I wanted to try and capture the feeling associated with unfulfilled dreams.