For You and Me (In Memory of LuDu U Sein Win)

for You and Me


Every half, every hour,
The clock chimes on the wall,
Empty seats, empty hall,
Fill with fond memories,
In our hearts and souls,
Carry wherever we go.

The meeting place of loving mates,
To learn and nurture the youthful sage,
Share friendship and ideals,
Where are you all, my friends?
How’ve many years passed?
Have you forgotten our golden past?

The Padauk soon blossoms.
The clock on the wall still chimes.
Though bookshelf gathers dust,
The missing thought and love shine on.
For whom the clock chimes?
For whom the flower blooms?
For YOU and ME.

BaKoGi

March 9th, 2013

Happy Birthday to My Beloved Late Teacher, LuDu U Sein Win

When we rang dear you on your last birthday,

We said why wouldn’t you apply for a passport,

We could meet you in Singapore in May,

You said I would not go to Singapore,

It’s too near,

I could visit there any time.

I would come and see you all in States and New York.

We had shared a good laugh.

Oh, how we love your undying spirit and humor.

When I visited you in May,

You said Julie and I come next year,

I promised to visit in next February,

You nodded and whispered ‘good’.

I told him to fight on, over this summer.

Holding your skinny hand,

I sat quietly by your bedside,

Next to tall Oxygen tanks,

I was saying prayers.

You said “I should run along,

Come back before you leave”.

I said, I would not know, if I could.

My stay was so short and tight.

We never say goodbye.

We would meet again next year.

I rang you from public phone at the airport.

To leave a few words……

With very heavy heart.

We know how much you love your FMA members,

They are your special family members,

And you are our special and beloved SaYaGyi, friend and father.

Now that you are gone, gone to the yonder place,

How could we reach you and wish you?

How could we say, “SaYaGyi, Happy Birthday!”

Would you be waiting our calls up there?

Or send you a postcard with some silly notes?

No doubt, we love you very very much.

Happy Birthday, SaYaGyi!!!

We miss you very much.

BaKoGi

August 12th, 2012

9:50 pm

Toad (癩蛤蟆) ~ BaKoGi

Toad cries up,
Loud as could be,
Rain… rain……. rain,
Running up and down on stage,
Some cheer him on.

Toad whines,
Why drought’s on,
No rain, no rain, why no rain,
Cursing village chief, wind and cloud,
Folks Clap him on.

Poor toad,
As he tries to goad
Woeful folks,
Cry of blames,
Lie in vain, still no Rain,
It’s a shame.

BaKoGi

Guardian Teacher ~ BaKoGi

Guardian Teacher

A small group of little birds,
Hunger and thirst for knowledge,
With well of good heart,
You put them up at your home to study free.

A small group of little birds,
Frightened and cowed,
With tender love,
You inspire them to fight on.

A small group of little birds,
Wander around and take shelters,
With loving care,
You give them faith to fly.

That small group of little birds,
Now, spread around this planet earth,
With never ending affection and deep respect,
Always miss you very much.

BaKoGi

August 12th, 2010

Happy 70th Birthday, SaYaGyi....

Place of My Birth ~ BaKoGi

Place of My Birth

Place of my birth,
Home of my blood,
Land of fertile fields,
Folks without ills,
Charitable hearts with yearly yields,
Where farmers were working like honey bees.

Place of my love,
Home of my friends,
Land of my playground,
Climbing trees in the field,
Fishing in the small stream,
Where my fond memories were buried.

Now, the place of my sorrow,
Home of my hollow,
Land of hunger and thirst,
The stench of the death in the air,
And vultures in the sky,
Where my loved one died.

BaKoGi

For 8/8/88, 5/4/08 and 8/8/09

Void ~ BaKoGi

Void
Heart beats pause.
Breathings stop.
Eyes shut.
Worries gone.
Hurry Home, hurry Home.


Nirvana’s Home,
Peace and worry free,
No Sunrise nor sunset.
Goodbye world,
Finally Home, finally Home.

BaKoGi

July 19th 2010

When Will Come? ~ BaKoGi

When Will Come?

When Will they come?
Please help, please…
Carcasses lay everywhere
No clean water.
No shelter.
No care?

When will the help come?
Buried and drowned families in the debris and water,
Leaving me in this brutal world,
No family.
No food.
No help?

When will The time come?
Kinder to be dead than being alive,
To end this living hell,
No fear.
No tears.
No love?

BaKoGi

Please do not forget these helpless folks in Burma. They still need our loves and helps after 2 years post-Nargis Cyclone.

Thunder Cry~BaKoGi

Thunder Cry

The dream of my life,
I met you on the flight,
On the plane of my future dream,
You are my lovely queen.

How could I express myself?
You are THE only one,
Guide me through the starless nights.
I love you with all my heart.

Was it just a dream? I was drifting with the wind,
Dream of you, my precious love,
Yet, love was too far and high,
Like the chasing cloud to the moon.

Love was the moon, if I were the cloud,
Looming freely in the sky,
Trying to catch up with the moon,
Hear my thunder cry.

BaKoGi

(In memory my best friend's love~December 3, 2006)

No Mood To Celebrate~BaKoGi

No Mood To Celebrate

No mood to celebrate.
Now, the system must calibrate,
With freedom and rights,
You’ll be our pride.

No wish to celebrate.
Steadily, the system must change.
Prosperity with Democracy,
You’ll be in our side.

No Time to celebrate.
But, I have a faith.
Peace with humanity and transparency,
You’ll be forever, in our heart.

BaKoGi

October 1, 2009

My Only Rose~BaKoGi

My Only Rose
With a red rose in my hand,
I went to my loved one.
Blissfulness was in my mind.
No other feelings could compare.

The door was shut.
Where my loved one gone?
Emptiness in my heart,
Like a fish in a dried-up pond.

Later, I met my loved one,
She was indifferent to me.
Why should I deserve to be like one?
I, who loved her more than me.

Now, I dare not give her my rose,
Being afraid that she would not value it.
By and by, the time withered my only rose.
If I gave her, would she throw away or accept it?

BaKoGi

501 Merchant Street (For My Teacher LuDu U Sein Win's Birthday)

501 Merchant Street

The door with a sign,
“Sorry, hit the limit this year,
Please come back next summer”,
Wait; do not walk away with a sigh.

Enlist your best friend,
Recommendation needed,
Three hundred for life,
Study and learn as you like.

Freedom of expression,
Be expressive in class discussions,
Encourage us to be truthful to ourselves,
Having a teacher like him is truly blessed.

A good man with kind heart,
Easy smile with a crutch,
Food for knowledge to offer,
Tidbits with tea to savor.

Now, the sign on the door gone.
Faded “Fly, fly high to the sky” still on the wall,
Books on shelf and corner in stack,
Same wall clocks chime in empty hall.

Now, familiar faces vanished,
His tasks still unfinished,
Still at his old house,
The beloved man on the same block.

Now, breathing with weaker lung,
Hair, more grayer,
But, his heart and mind ever stronger,
Wish him a healthy and happy Sixty Nine.

BaKoGi

August 12, 2009

For our beloved teacher, LuDu U Sein Win.

Happy Birthday, SaYaGyi.

Free Yourself

Free Yourself
The sun will shine,
If the morning comes.
Build up your heart and soul.
Be free, free yourself.

You must let go,
If you truly love so.
Love can’t be forced.
Be free, free yourself.

Are you fated to love?
If not, you have to alight.
Solve all your plights,
Be free, free yourself.

Your heart will never be jaded.
If you love yourself.
Break the web of spell.
Be free, free yourself.

New flowers blossom,
If new spring comes.
Cherish many more seasons to love.
Be free, free yourself.

BaKoGi

July 9th 2009

LIFE

LIFE

Life is so preciously short.
In time machine, we got lost,
Hold out to our pristine flames,
While chasing after fame and fortune.

Life is full of perilous obstacles.
To be brutally practical,
No pain, no gain,
Win out all our fair games.

Life can be either strong or fragile.
No time to stand or stare,
No room for roaming woe,
Let yourself be master of your soul.

Life can be an up and down.
Set free from your own fear.
Shake off your fear of personal freedom.
Every new day will be fine.

BaKoGi

June 24, 2009

Our Lady,My Hero-Daw Aung San Suu Kyi-昂山素姬

Our Lady, My Hero
Our Lady under house arrest,
Petite with mental might,
Our Lady with huge tasks,
Keep up this democratic fight.

Our Lady being locked up in Jail,
Dignity under pressure in tow,
Our Lady with conviction in tack,
Face up this injustice with grace.

Our Lady, Our Captain,
Her Love and Courage will not be cowed.
Our Lady will never bow.
She’ll be happy 64.

BaKoGi

June 18,2009

Happy Birthday, Daw Suu. May Buddha Bless you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/昂山素季

True Love (Sir Walter Raleigh) & My Love (BaKoGi)

I got this short extract poem from play reading at British Council. We were the first group to revive the play reading in the late 1987. We read plays and poems at the British Council, British Embassy in Yangon, Burma. That was the beginning of my interest of English poems and literature. Many thanks to Mr. Ahmad, Mr. Poesaw and Mrs Clement of British Military Attache.

"But TRUE LOVE is a durable fire
In the mind ever burning:
Never sick, Never old, Never dead,
From itself never turning."

(Sir Walter Raleigh)

Then, I was thinking, why TRUE LOVE be a burning fire? A burning fire would be hot and full of heat. That won't be a peaceful LOVE. I would agree with never sick, never old, never dead and never turning.
I wrote the following short and easy poem with a few line in January 1990 on the bus.

My Love

My Love for you
Is not a strom
But a breeze
Which's always gentle blowing.

My Love for you
Is not rapid water
But a stream
Which's constantly flowing.

No doubt, Sir Walter Raleigh was a great poet. I am just comparing his thinking of love and mine. I believe in the love of consistency in cherishing and bonding, but not in rapid motion of come and gone. I would never compare that love to fire. The burnig fire will be either give you warmth or suffering. That is why, I used to hear, some elders said "DO NOT PLAY WITH THE FIRE".

PaPa, My Father

PaPa, My Father

When I lost in the maze of life,
He was my guiding light.

When I was sick in the hospital,
He made me feel like in the hotel.

When I was out of line,
He made me pay the fine.

When I was out of love,
He showered me with care.

When I was young,
He showed ways to learn.

When I did well,
He cheered me to excel.

When I failed,
His love never swayed.

When his birthday comes tomorrow,
I wish him happy and healthy fellow.

He’ll have a blessed and blissful day.
We’ll celebrate many more birthdays.

BaKoGi

June 1, 2009

Happy Birthday, Papa.

A Blooming Flower

I wrote this poem while studying and working in Singapore 1992.

A Blooming Flower
It has been a long time
Away from home.
Trying to make money.
Yet, I have not done.

Working all night long
Without a wink,
To meet hand to mouth,
Even don't have time to drink.

Is it worth to all?
I have put into investment;
Money, time and energy,
To stand to be a man?

An old man said “Those who have gone down
To the deepest valley will know,
The magnificent top
Of the mountain".

Whenever I feel messed up in my mind,
You beside me, showing the way,
And giving me strength.
I am again like a blooming flower in May.

BaKoGi
January 11th, 1992

When You Are With

When You Are With
When you're with someone,
I feel as if someone drops a hot
Iron into my heart,
And smoke comes out. It stifles me.

When you're with someone,
I feel as if someone presses my heart,
And my body turns into stone.
It makes me lifeless.

When you're with someone,
I feel, someone sucks out of my blood,
And my languid body out of life.
It makes me faint.

BaKoGi

1990

Chime of Friendship

Chime of Friendship
Parting is inevitable in life.
But never for us,
Who are in each others' arms,
And souls in one.

You are the friend,
The best and the greatest,
Take it for granted,
That we'll miss you the most.

The tide of times
Can not wash away
Your name, Marigold
From the sea of our memories.

You filled our hearts with warmth and joy.
The moments and places,
That we shared together,
Will tell us the best years of our lives.

Never say goodbye,
We'll meet you again,
Somehow, Somewhere, Sometimes,
To make our days again.

Hundred of birds in the air,
Millions of leaves on the pavements,
And chime of friendship's ringing on,
In our hearts forever more.

BaKoGi

A Poem To My Uncle, Peter

NOTHING’S BAD

Nothing’s bad about getting old,
As long as having little woes.
Face every plight with grace.
Stride it with a steady pace.

Nothing’s bad about blurry vision,
As long as one can see.
Feel with beating heart.
Love and care the other half.

Nothing’s bad about feeling sick,
As long as getting better in a week.
Shake that bitter medicine well.
Drink it with a ginger smile.

Nothing’s bad about celebrating birthdays,
As long as forgetting your real age.
Welcome every new day.
Forget yesterday lows.

So, stop fretting about getting old.
Forgive all your foes.
Happiness and peace in return will give you glow.
Good health is in the row.

BaKoGi

April 10, 2009

Happy Birthday to you, Sui Sui.