poet – Page 44 – rike jokanan

Whirlpool

Whirlpool, Beloved,
Rotates to flush the stagnant.
Brain? No exception.

—

Izakaya-san*: How are you, Rike-san?

Me: I’m well. How are you there? Hopefully Japan welcome more foreign visitors.

Izakaya-san: I’m great! Yes, starting this month we relax the policy. How is Asia?

Me: I beg your pardon.

Izakaya-san: How is Asia?

Me: Oh. South East Asia? Much better. Most countries open borders without test and quarantine.

Izakaya-san: Oooh! Asia is good, too. Good, good, good!

This head was whirled yet decided to sound normal this afternoon. God bless Izakaya-san and his people from his generation. 🤭

Salaam.

* Izakaya-san is a pseudo name I use to talk about unique Japanese that gives me some experience. It’s not because I dislike izakaya. I like izakaya so much that everything about Japanese unique reminds me of izakaya. Only Japan has izakaya.

Tonight Is A Good Night

Learning, life, Poetic, This Person, Those People

Good night, Beloved,
They slow down even the trains.
But times, it moves right.

—-

One friend said “Some people show their sweet side when they need me, I just knew they laughed at me behind my back and said how stupid I’ve been for (she mentioned one big social contribution she made). Do you think I should stop being kind to people?”

Another friend said “No. why stop? There is karma so you’d better do good deed. Your good actions will be repaid with good reactions. Believe it.” This one is also very kind.

Another one said “This life doesn’t owe you anything. So how much ever you spend, it will not be paid back. You will not be repaid 10 points just because you donate 1 point. Look! How much have you lost, just like that? No one gives you 10 times the amount, right? What karma? Whose karma? You’d better do what’s the best for your benefits and without harming others.” She is the most critical.

The other friend said “it should be balanced. You do good things and don’t forget doing bad things.” 🤔 Gosh she is always the most confusing.

I said “I’m hungry. Let’s go dinner. Our brain needs to slow down.” Those three stopped arguing.

Night is always good for a chat with some friends whose heads contain different things whose heart is of one intension — to respect friendship.

Salaam. ♥️

two trains to/from opposite directions of the same line, Red Line

Finding the Coherence

Learning, Poetic

There is no natural conflict on earth.
When there is conflict, it must have been because of wrong thinking model installed in the nerve system.

Why?

Because everything is coherent in the universe.

How scientific but disappointing!
Her life craves for drama
Like her brain craving for sugar.

Fix the point of view
Or the distance of view
Or the angle of view
Or whatever to see things clearly
To save my own life
For comfort?
For sanity?
For (false) equilibrium?
For clarity!

The journey restarts.
No regret.

—-

Harmonize!

Jun. 7, 2022 / 5:20am

Dandelion

Learning, life, Poetic

Achene’s a message
Sent to wish more joy and bliss.
Sad no more, dear earth.

—

Each day new day. It is equivalent with Javanese wisdom “mati sajroning urip” which literally means “dead within life”. It is a very deep wisdom teaching Javanese human beings to let the old self to transform to the new one. It is simply acknowledging that some problems are let go and self is moving on with better understanding about what life is truly is.

If life challenge is considered a seed, it will free the human being, fly away to fall on Mother Earth’s lap somewhere and be part of green woven blanket beautifying and cooling.

Life is just like that.

Salaam.

Bright Day

Learning, life, Poetic

Bright day, Beloved,
Brought by bright colours or thoughts
About tomorrow—

—-

Stuck is just stuck! What colours she should put on the day, only Heaven knows. It doesn’t get better, it just gets full and dirty. Maybe tonight Hermes will come to her dreams, bringing a message about what colours she should splash and stroke on the canvas to become a decent outcome….

…. Or Mercury will communicate about what and what on where, when and how. What about who and whom? Ahhhh! Ignore those gossiping and discouraging.

Well…. Welcome, Monday. Please be nice to me. 🤓

May all beings be happy.

♥️

weekend is primarily about washing, painting & drawing, singing random stupid lyrics and planning the Monday brightness 😎

hey, tell me if there is any message for me 🪶

Tickling My Ego

Learning, Poetic

Sometimes I’m somebody
At a conference room
Where win-win
Isn’t always a solution.
Powerful—
Decisive—

Sometimes I’m anybody
When long lost friends
Suddenly say hi and cry
“Would you please help? Would you help?”
Unconditional—
Used—

Sometimes I’m everybody
When I blindly devote myself,
When I wholeheartedly do everything needed,
When I run around everywhere to find you.
Preoccupied—
Stand-alone—

Sometimes I’m nobody
When I feel my heart beats,
My breath slows down with calmness,
When I know nobody is with me.
Blissful—
Submissive—

Thanks, my body.
You’re a complete gift to me.

I dedicate the above free verse to Emily Dickinson who has touched my life with many of her poems especially “I’m Nobody! Who are you?”

🐣

Salaam.

this poem was introduced by Ibu Siti Parwati Soemarto, our lecturer who always challenged her students to bravely see who we truly are – 28 years ago! damn I’m an old nobody! how bitterly fair life is! Terima kasih, Ibu Soemarto. 💝

Smooth Not Smoothy

Learning, Poetic

These ears, Beloved,
A pair of love birds in love.
Treble and bass on—

—

Finding a sanctuary in a breezy evening.

Salaam 😇

a home with smooth jazz is heaven on earth – and silky smooth touch of cold hell of doing some Japanese class homework

Flowing

Learning, Poetic, This Person

The flowing rivers
Full with floats and mud blocking—
My idea stuck.

—

It takes space to bring creativity back like river needs cleaning and dredging to make it flow again.

Picasso, help meeeeee!

May all beings be happy.

thinking about colours can be a traffic jam like a canvas standing in the middle of toilet, bedroom, storage and where I stand 🤹🏼‍♀️

Voice

Learning, love, Poetic

The voice floats away,
Traveled to where dreams reside.
A gentle smile blooms.

—-

Lyrics are often more appealing than the musical composition in the song. They either compliment the composition or ruin it, at least to these ears.

Musical composition without good lyrics is good sleep without snoring. 😴😝

this song is full of beautiful everything 🥰 happiness, sadness, hope and despair, flowing music and sweet diction – 君だけわかってよわかってよ

Amazing Day

Learning, Poetic, This Person

No day but today
The remembrance about you
Lives through melody.

—-

Amazing day is when my teacher said that my guitar playing is getting better. 💃🏽

There will be one day perfectly amazing when Coldplay’s Amazing Day is smoothly played along by me. Soon, soon!

Thank you, Sunday. Welcome, Monday.

goal guitar cover of Amazing Day – a must happen!!!

or this! 👏🏼

😱

What’s Behind Beauty

Learning, life, Poetic, This Person

They live in the mud.
Flowers wanted. Story not, 
Real beauty that’s missed—

—

Dark and bright, two limits that often corrupt my perception of facts and so affect many plans. In fact both bring different strengths supplementally support my life.

What is it about? Oh, it is just about that night ride is cool and serene, morning ride is colourful and fresh.

In the dark I hear more; when it’s bright., I see more.

Hey! Riding morning makes skin darker! Damn right! 😿

Salaam.

the blooming happiness along my normal route of fun this morning

some can see their reflection on the water, some not 💝

Senses

Learning, love, Poetic

What’s real, Beloved?
Sensible? What’s sense? Those five?
Or six? What if more?

—-

find me behind the trees, under the green grass, between the lush leaves, anywhere where your shadow is lying down on which you are standing ♥️

good time

Learning, life, Poetic

Good time, Beloved,
Sitting silently, centred.
Grazing on the time—

—-

Life is never bored of reciting how grand a name when zoomed in and how tiny its reality when zoomed out. Oh! It is the other way around, tiny when zoomed in and grand when zoomed out.

don’t disturb, she’s enjoying her good time as if she’s real – is she?

What is your name, dear? Deer!

what is an animal as sturdy and cold as metal? this! is it real?

Are you a buck or a stag? You don’t look like one. Or, you look like both?

Sheltered

Learning, Poetic

The dark shelters you
From the dark behind the light.
Blinking starry eyes—

—-

Vision sits silently through blinking light, on and off showing clarity of direction.

Thanks for everything.

Salaam. 🙏🏼

you see through the right eye – no, no, not always right

Go Jazz

Learning, love, Poetic

Go jazz, Beloved
Improvise on your own path
Where hidden seeds grow.

—-

Jazz is like secret love, confusing and almost unknown at the first catch but wrapped in harmony through time… and space? Seems space never takes my side. 😎

Jazz each day up!

⭐️

Java Jazz is on – wish I were it 🎷🎺

To The North Star

Learning

Forward, Beloved,
To the North Star. Ride the wind.
Ignore the thunders.

—

⭐️

Lower Seletar Reservoir – thousands of mosquitoes but breezy and serene to see bright stars

Yellow

Learning, life, Poetic

How are you, Yellow?
Happiness, warmth, sunshine, or
Other perfect fits.

—-

Nature never fails to convince me that all are beautiful given appropriate angles. Not all love winter but with the yellow crocus growing in the middle of white snow, who will say no?

Yellow isn’t my favourite colour but the yellow crocus is one of those I’m wanting to see with naked eyes to witness Mother Earth’s generosity even in its coldest period.

May time lets me explore more places on earth.

🐣

yellow crocus, brightness coming out of the icy blanket

imperfect drawing but making my day relaxed and bright

SIN – May 25, 2022 / 21:57

Coming Out of The Dark

Learning, life, Poetic

Did you see the light
Or the dark? Or both? Or none?
Now you see the light.

the light behind the cloud yesterday. magnificent

Light above light. Layers of light. Spectrum of light. What is light? Is it the radiation? Is it the brightness? Is it the wavelength? Is it the source? Or what?

It is what’s defined but at the same time what is not definable. It is what is seen but at the same time what is not visible.

May all beings be happy.

my sister lent her cassette to me and this song was ever favorite – cassette? what a history, so dark yet beautiful, giving me some enlightenment 😎

Here – May 25, 2022 / 20:15

Taken for Granted

Learning, life, Map It!, Poetic

For granted I take
The green, the blue and the red
Until they turn grey.

—-

Sometimes I’m thankful that I’m not given opportunity to have children. I can’t imagine what playfulness and nature exploration they will have in their future with very minimum real nature around. I’m thankful. 🥰

Sometimes I’m broken-hearted that I’m not given opportunity to have children. I can’t agree on how some people raise their children. I egotistically imagine how well I would raise them to be human-respecting and nature-loving generation in the family tree. I’m selfish. 😐

Meanwhile I’m always feeling lucky to be me, born when and where nature was willing to introduce her excessive bounties, grew up when and where human interaction was real and warm, working when and where human right and environment protection is a paramount topic. I’m blessed. 🥰

♥️

just realised there is a fully shaven greenery farther across the road 🙃

zoomed in – oh…. maybe not long after this the greenery around me will turn to patches of garden and playground among grey concrete 🙃

How Was The Day

Learning

After one Monday,
Throw laughter before Tuesday.
Or at least a smile,
That draws a line on a face,
That strengthens steps miles away.

—-

Laughter brings brightness. It carves good mood. It (hopefully) enables longevity.

creative people turn poverty to joy 🙃 slapstick isn’t my favourite but this channel has made me laugh out loud, roll on the floor on one slow Monday.

Amazing Day

Learning, life, Poetic, This Person

Amazing day, Love,
Completing what’s committed
Without supervised

—

Weekend is amazing with completing a pile of clothes. What a nice closure before Monday.!

Thank you, Life! I love hand washing and ironing. Seriously! As long as it is not a paid job. 💓

Welcome, Monday!

this song is a magic to laundry 😘

amazing day is this! ironed clothes, good help for good sleep 😎

Money

Learning, Poetic

Money
Count it
Save it
Spend it
…
Whatever wanted,
Decided
Through a nature
…
They grow together.
…
What a show!
It gives relief
And chokes
At the same.
…
Hey, Money!
You’re so genuinely
Mirroring me.

—-

One wise friend told us that money will not change a human being into a good one; it only resonates what is.

Look at Scrooge McDuck. He may be naturally greedy and stingy. When he has all those dollars and coins, he doesn’t even pay Donald Duck decent salary as an employee who is at the same time his relative. His money resonates his nature!

Look at Belle. She may be naturally kind and intelligent in a small village. When she becomes the wife of a rich Beast, she is kind in even larger society. Wealth resonates her nature!

Undeniably the only matter most people want to dive in after water is probably money. It makes life breathable they said. Hilariously true, paradoxical.

Note: Money, a non discriminative belief system that will either makes someone’s life truly meaningfully valuable or vaguely temporarily luxurious. Our choice! Remember that $100 here is $100 there, no matter what one’s ethnic groups, race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, political interest, etc is.

May all beings be happy.

diving in to this – what a luxurious experience 😎

Sunset

Learning, Poetic

Sunset, Beloved,
Gliding, hiding in the night
Blanketing the day—

—-

Night and day are protecting each other, a complete package, a balance of duality.

Happy weekend! 😇

Star

Learning, Poetic

A star, Beloved,
A face gleaming in blue tears
Dried by the north wind

—-

💫

Kite

Learning, Poetic

A kite, Beloved,
A bird all wings soaring high—
Rain, don’t fall too soon.
A kid is running, laughing.
Peaceful sky, joyful earth. Here.

Singapore – May 19, 2022 / 00:26

Smile

Learning, life, Poetic

A smile, Beloved,
Not to or for. It’s just there,
A ready bounty.

—

All the lyrics and the music — lyrics were recited, music was listened to. Those lyrics and music were so beautiful that they invited the best smile of the day. A smile that appeared like a good shape coming out of a foggy morning in the moorland. Until some reality struck, telling that those were directed more to a head than a heart, and to somewhere else.

Uh oh!

Well! A smile must still be kept. It is a grace, an alms, a bounty, a gift, a bonus, an appreciation; or from hidden wisdom formed through sedimentation of things annoyed yet forgiven. Or probably a smile is a package of lyrics and music — sweetly flowing. Aaah! Must be appreciated!

Put a best smile on the face and world will smile, too.

May all beings be happy.

😊

because I know any news is worth smiling – bitter or sweet

Time Zones

Bob, Learning, life, love, Map It!, Poetic, This Person

Time zones, Beloved,
Limit spaces with blurred ends.
Illusion that jails.

—

One hour makes things different.

Dear, time…. Thanks for the space you just gave for what’s called holiday. Please bless me with nice pace and good vibe again and again like always.

If I forget about your kindness, please remind me gently as I’m fragile. If I take you for granted, please remind me that I’m traveling between your two points: start and end.

Thanks again.

Me that is blessed with both negative and positive yet trying to balance at the zero ❣️

Farmer

Learning, life, Poetic, Those People

Farmer, Beloved,
Waiting for the rain and wind
Patiently with love.

—

Imagine our world without farm and farmer. Famine, thirst, drought, dead soil, dullness, colourlessness, so bored and ugly!

🌏

May all beings be happy.

not so good crop this time – soil starts getting tired of chemicals

as far as lens can see, green, yellow and blue 💓

the farmers I met when walking down the rice fields – so humble and polite, thank you so much!

Amazing Day, Today

Learning, life, Poetic

Today, Beloved,
Filled with laughter of past times.
Bitter was, sweet is—
Time doesn’t heal. It turns taste,
Look. All is well. All shall pass.

—

Rendezvous with my best people, those who are always with ears to listen and to be listened to, with tongue to twist bitterness to wisdom, with foolishness to laugh at what’s not even funny but needing some appreciation.

Some people are amazing with just one reason called trust.

Blessed to have them.

Holiday is getting shorter. Let’s slow the steps and insert more meaningful conversations before it halts.

May all beings be happy.

🐣

TA – May 12, 2022 / 11:46am

Good Morning from Mother Nature

Learning, Map It!, Poetic

Mother, Beloved
She’s giving more than taking
No end since morning.

—-

This morning I saw my mother cleaned our slim long patch of plants and Mother Nature showed the beauty along the patch. Many herbs and flowers are presenting their prime time. Some of them are preparing their exhibit and yields. Many of them are of no bloom after last month.

I didn’t help her. Let her enjoy the cleaning, let me take some pictures. 😝

Some neighbours passed by and greeted us, exchanging some light chat about the neighbourhood. One of them came to us bringing a bowl of nasi jagung (steamed corn grain) before she went teaching.

A short visit with long lost warmth of a real neighbourhood

May all beings be happy.