CHAPTER 1

Over A Cup of Coffee

Over a cup of coffee brewed
Decaffeinated,
We mulled over our daily woes,
Maternal exchanges, others misunderstood;
By the glass counter,
A myriad of homemade sweet pastries and rolls,
Tempting, to soothe our minds,
Oozing in the air,
The flavours lingering,
Mingling with our voices,
We pause, a temptation,
Questioning the calories,
Seemingly harmful for our mature bodies,
Changing ever more!
Do we really mind, we care?
What havoc, a concern for some
To exercise,
Not yet burdened, a warning,
Signaling in advance, a restriction,
Placed upon us so soon.
A refill?
The waitress asks.

In the midst of our conversation,
We do not mind a brief stop,
Interrupting our train of thoughts,
Thinking about the need
To clear our minds, incomprehensible,
Sipping another cup of cappuccino,
Frothy and creamy to the brim.

Sitting to the right of us,
Another woman
In business attire,
Alone,
Her mind seems so distant,
Drifting towards the window sill,
Waiting
And cooling down her cup of green Matcha tea,
So obvious of her slim body,
Her microwaved warmed, Low fat Blueberry Bran arrived,
She quickly swallowed the broken pieces,
Checked her Iphone,
Mesmerized,
Out of the door,
She left Wearing down her heels.

Another hour
Ending our brief stop,
Exchanging our thoughts, now released,
A discussion, soon forgotten,
A maternal dialogue, all so familiar,
To those who understood
The level of stress.

Small wonders,
We often questioned,
We may share,
Unleashed.
Thinking how much our female companion,
Wagging her tail,
Lying on cemented ground,
Glancing up with her large brown eyes,
She often heard, Listening and patiently,
Not even a whimper,
Sensing, she cares about two companions,
Sharing another day
Over a cup of coffee.


Going Crazy over Food

If I had a moment
Going crazy for food,
Though not seriously
Required,
I pause for a moment,
Listen to my inner voice,
Hearing my mentor
Lecturing us,
Be mindful
Of what we eat,
When we eat,
How much we
Should eat,
Where we eat,
Then,
In my desperation
I changed my mind
And
Think of everything
Except food,
To do something else,
I should take a walk,
Just breathe in and out
To clear my mind,
Dropping by a yoga or
Fitness centre,
Exercise for ten minutes
On a mat or treadmill,
Run up and down the staircase
At home,
Take a shower,
Even if I had taken one already,
Email a friend,
Reach for a glass
Of water
To quench my thirst
And hunger pains,
Google a new message,
Call a friend or relative,
Read a book
Or magazine
Write a poem,
Throw in a load of wash,
Go to a movie,
Listen to music,
Stand in line
For a mid afternoon play,
Turn on the radio
To hear a classical
Bach or Beethoven,
Go window shopping
At the mall,
Walk my dog,
Tidy up my garden,
Water my tropical plants,
Etched another painting,
Go to use another hour
Of my gym membership,
Visit a salon
To cut my hair,
Long overdue,
Volunteer another
Four hours a month,
Meditate,
Think of something
To cheer someone
Out the blue,
Be kind to someone,
Ask to help
Someone in need,
Think for a moment
Of those starving somewhere
On this planet,
I feel so guilty
Just need to change
A long condition,
A habit to unlearn
Over the years,
Steeped with rules
Of conformity,
Culturally, superstitiously,
Thinking how wasteful
To leave something behind,
To avoid that
Crazy urge
To consume
Not healthy for my body
Or mind,
After a change,
I do feel better
To overcome an obstacle
To eat too much,
Giving myself
A positive permission
To override,
Empowering myself
To stay healthy,
Rewarding myself
With self esteem,
As no one else
Can take care
Or know
Our bodies better than
Ourselves.


Out for Lunch

Out for lunch
A rare occasion
To spend an hour
Or less,
Perhaps,
Something to do
Left on the desk
From the client
Or the boss
Time out,
The wait
Was not
To be compromised.
Down to the coffee machine
Entered some change
Into the slot,
Regular, decaffeinated
Or cocoa,
Selected,
Oozed the dark liquid
From the machine,
Nearby,
Sugar packages,
Pink and blue ones,
Artificial,
Or yellow
Denoting similar
In sweetness,
Sprinkling a few
Mixed with powdered
Milk or a carton of cream,
Slurping the surface
Too hot for a moment,
Entered another machine,
A bag of salty chips,
And another,
A tuna sandwich wrapped
In cellophane,
No time to waste,
Deadline pending
In a hurry,
Another hour
The boss had
A meeting
Outside the office
One hour later
At a nearby
Restaurant,
Dining on white linen,
Fresh roses in a vase,
Tableware set
Appropriately,
Over a plate
Of mixed salad,
Crab and shrimp cakes,
He ate,
While listening to
His client
By invitation,
His plate,
Wrapped roll
Of tuna sushi
With strips of
Carrots and cukes,
Blended with sauce,
Each of the men
Had a cup of
Coffee,
One only, thoroughly black,
While the other,
Fresh cream with
Brown organic sugar,
Their conversations
Seemed
Enlightened,
Animated,
Interspersed
With tech usage
Unfamiliar language
Named for equipment
Foreign to others,
Oblivious to others.
Among the who's
Sitting nearby,
The music is
Softly playing,
A quartet of ladies,
Dressed in suits,
Hair coiffed,
Messaged faces,
Bubbles and jewels,
Polished nails,
Stylish shoes,
Or another set
Of men
In business attire,
Sharing an entrepreneurial
Scheme,
The two men
Glanced at their watches
Ready for the
Scheduled meeting
At the office
Where the junior assistant
Set out the papers
For discussion,
He quickly
Tossed the half eaten
Sandwich
Into the steel mesh
Bin,
He finished the
Bag of chips,
Down the last
Drop of coffee,
He was waiting
Patiently,
At the boardroom
For the two men
In discussion
Of a project
Yet to be done
And
Finalized,
Pending
On the outcome
Of the agreement
In writing,
Not a sealed deal
Until the signatures
Were
On the dotted lines,
Out for lunch
More
An in for lunch
Scrambling
To complete an assignment
Without hesitation
Leaving little time
For
Out of lunch.


The Food Stand

Outside,
Open for business,
Next to a roadside,
There stood a stand.
Each dawn,
The Old Woman
Collected woven baskets
Of ripened hothouse
Red tomatoes,
Sweet and juicy,
And
Vine grown, organic fresh,
Long English green cucumbers
From steam filtered green house.
The Old Woman
Sorted each fresh product
In corrugated containers
On display
To sell to passerbys
Or neighbours from the
Same vicinity.
The price by weight
She weighed on
Toledo brass scales
And charged her customers
A reasonable cost,
So envied at stores,
Wholesale farm priced
To make her day
A worthy contribution
Of savings,
She collected
Into a metal can,
She splurged on birthdays
And seasonal celebrations.
By the end of the day
Just before dusk,
She swept her food stand
From daily dust
To end another day,
Closed.


A Conversation on
Social Media

A few moments
I pause
Thinking of a conversation
On Social Media,
An invasion of privacy
On the Internet,
Assuming
With a positive attitude
Connecting
With whomever we desire,
Be someone
From our past,
A relative
Or friend.
Seldom seen,
Or once linked
In the past,
An old classmate,
Or someone,
Forgotten
To say sorry,
A wrong
Insignificant
At the time,
It may seem
To someone,
Perhaps,
In a rush,
A gesture of thanks
Should be reciprocated,
Later, better
Than never,
Others may not
Be offended,
Certainly,
Some would
With sincerity,
Some acts
Of kindness
Are expected,
Human nature
Defines who
You are,
Social graces
At home
Or public,
Regardless
Of circumstances,
Rudeness is
Never tolerated,
Or a stranger,
Searching similar,
In agreement
Posting concerns,
Over the years,
Thinking
Out of poverty,
Knowing
Something good
Had happened,
Social Media
Has made
A difference,
Worldwide,
To be connected,
A discovery,
An awareness
To join others
Of similar kind,
A craft perhaps,
Some political thought,
A medical fact,
Maybe a fad,
Scientific or
Environmental
Concerns,
A name unknown,
Jointly followed
For a reason,
Maybe,
Popular
By many
Who may follow
Like birds flocking
In unison
To a designation,
Or a promotion
Of a product
To be considered,
A link
With every conceivable
Imagination,
Making
Introverted
Into extroverted
Without anyone
Knowing
Inside the confines
Of a space,
Just a remark
Replied,
No gesture
Or facial expression,
No intonation,
Monotone derivative.
Incognito
To a printed response,
No identification.
Someone may
Have followed,
Be it on
Facebook, Twitter
Or Pinterest,
YouTube,
And others
On the website,
Blogging, seeking
Some exchange
Of a statement
Or image sent
Through the channels
Instantly,
Mobilizing others
To respond
To the same printed
Matter of concern.
We do fear,
Sometimes
With junk mail
Bugging the system,
Losing data
Unrecovered,
Social media
Inadvertently.
Damaging a reputation
Or interpreted
As cyber bullying
Wasting lives,
Debilitating
With cruel intentions
Unforgiving,
Lowliest cretins,
Absent of facial
Recognition,
Sitting in a
Comfort zone,
Signifying a threat
Manipulating
One's minds
Driving others
To insanity,
Or those
With investigation,
Searching inconceivable
Files
To render
An impasse
Stripped without redemption
Into punitive damages,
A conceived idea
Inviting others to join
Legitimately,
With thousands or
Millions of others
To correct an injustice
En masse,
A simple click,
The message is
Diverted
To the source
Collected
For promotion,
Or join others
To view a video
Gone viral,
Adorable cute,
Or an image
Ominous,
Disconcerting,
Regardless,
Social Media
Is
A concern.


Inside a Chinese Pastry Shop

Passing by the
Pastry shop,
The woman, dressed
In crinkled frock
White apron tied
With a bow behind,
Wearing black patina
Shoes with a dusting
Of white flour,
Her black hair tucked behind,
Her slender fingers
Covered slightly with
A film of
Creamy butter and sugar,
Which stirred my
Hunger pains
Spanning my eyes
Across the array
Of baked goods.
The mixed aromas
Lingering,
Motioned me
From the clear
Ammonia, newsprint
Cleaned
Windows,
To enter,
Inside,
I gravitate
To the assortment
On display,
Sugary flaky
Round donuts,
Which melted my mouth
Upon each bites,
Lard, sugar frosted
Almond cookies.
Adjacent
To a mound
Of quarter sized thin
Crispy brown cookies,
Fittingly small
To fill a child's mouth,
Napoleon bars
Filled with
Layers of thinly
Phyllo pastries and
Sweet custards
And fine icing sugar.
The pies were placed
Into a bell shaped
Three layered glass dome,
First layer,
The best flaky
Macintosh Apple pie,
With the cinnamon
Sugar oozing through
The egg coated
Sweet crust,
The second layer,
Banana cream pie
Layered with
Whipped cream
And sweet custard
And slices of bananas
With strands of
Roasted sweet coconuts,
Piled on high, while
The top layer,
Crowned the high
Peaked Lemon Meringue
Pie, thickly filled
With sweet lemon
Filling, made from
Florida flown
Fresh sweet lemons
Squeezed into juice,
Boiled with starch
And tapioca, thickened
And sweetened,
Beneath
A pile of Jersey thick
Whipped cream and
A sprinkling of
Sweet roasted coconut,
Meringue.
At the other side,
A moveable sliding
Window remained open
To see the row of
Nin Go
Nestled on Pyrex
Round Plates,
Ready for the lunar
Celebration,
I watched
The women
Standing around
The round wooden table
Kneading the dough
Moving back and forth,
Adding sprinkling
Of water
Into the batter
Of rice flour and brown sugar,
Proportionately by the
Feel of hands, stretching
And kneading
Placing each mound
In each plate
To be steamed into
Perfection,
A gooey thick
Texture,
Seemingly made,
Symbolically,
Annually
Titillating,
To serve
The palates of those
Who favour
The delicacy
Of
Nin Go.
On the other side,
The same woman
Suggested
More baked goods
On the other side,
She reached out
With flat trays
Of freshly made
Buns or "Bau",
Huge and warm,
Filled with sweet
Rose water coconut
Filled buns,
Black sweet sesame or
Sweet blended red beans
And other buns
Filled with
Barbecue pork, "char shew"
Chicken mixed with onions, and
Some mixed with ham
And free range eggs, and
Vegetarian buns made with
Minced spinach or
Sweet cabbages,
I had a quarter to spend
Enough to buy
Two hot pork buns and
A brown paper bag
Filled with
Small round cookies
And then,
Left the pastry
Shop, closing the door
The sounds
Of clanging cow bells
Trailing behind me.


Kobe

In an unfurnished room
Among crates of boxes,
Except for an old TV,
Still cabled,
I turned on and listened
To an unfamiliar broadcast.
I listened to the sweet melodic voice
Of a west coast singer
Hauntingly piercing my heart
As photos of Animals,
God's creatures,
Inadvertently,
Displayed on screen
I watched in pain and disgust
Etched on these animals,
An inhumane justice
Of abuse and neglect,
I found missing facial expressions,
Some without eyes, window of souls,
Or ears to listen for sounds of direction, Broken bones to deter a
normal pursuit, And worse, absence of Love and care.
The words, repeated
Resonating
A plea,
In search of a caring home
With warm hearts
Yearning some protection
From wicked cruelty.
My bewildered mind
Seemed futile,
Provokingly,
Unless I take action
Requesting,
To adopt,
Arresting
An insane madness.
What an opportune time
I went to the shelter
To search among the maimed
Four or three legged friends
To adopt
I felt like dancing in the air
Looking through inauspicious cages,
I found Kobe,
Loyal and compassionate,
My Golden Retriever,
Light blond ball of fur
Not quite a year old but
Beaten by hellish hands,
Abandoned.
I felt abhorred,
I locked eyes with my companion
Whose eyes seemed so lost in pain?
I caressed his face
And held his small quivering body, so
Assuredly,
I will care forever
As I am in need of a friend
Who answered my plight?
Of concern,
We understood,
Simultaneously,
We need one another
To survive
And love
Unconditionally,
On this earthy planet.


Bad Habits

Bad habits
We often encounter
Daily
Are we less human?
When confronted
By those we assume
Know the etiquette,
The social graces
Or the rules
Public or private,
Or the ethics,
A thin line
Of choosing
Or doing
The right
Or wrong
Under certain circumstances,
Are we to accept?
Or dismiss
An issue
To avoid
A confrontation
And
Is it really
None of our
Business?
As children
We were taught
To say
Our thank you's
And please's
In almost
All Cultures,
Seemingly expected,
Are we
Obliged and
Prepare
To accept,
When someone
Displayed some
Bad Habits,
Intolerable
To digest
In our minds,
Deemed
Unacceptable
By any standard.
What we do wrong
Are we supposed
To apologize
Or be sorry,
Are we
To tolerate
Or empathize
When
Someone
Do the Contrary.
What rules?
Do we follow?
To be
Socially
Accepted,
We choose
To live
And
Endure
To exist,
Regardless
Of
Who we are:
We gave
A Child
Something,
The Child
Refused
To acknowledge
Your offer,
We asked,
What did?
The Child's parent
Taught the Child,
No manners,
No excuses,
No explanation,
Are we to assume
The Child,
Shy or
Rude,
Others
Would argue,
Why bothered?
Who asked?
Us
To give
Generously?
Are we expected
To be acknowledged?
Never minded.
We walked
Away,
Shaking our heads,
We refrained
To teach
The Child.
The same Child
Became
An Adult.
Bad habits
We encountered
Daily
Exist
To annoy
A vicious cycle!
The Adult
Thankless
Have you ever
Noticed
Walking to the door,
Someone
Decided to push
You
In order
To get to the door
Before you do,
Slam the door
In front of you?
Sitting in your vehicle
At an intersection
Waiting for the lights
To change,
Someone revering
The engines
To speed past you
On the right side
Almost damaging your vehicle
Or give someone
A heart attack
Or stroke?
Have you ever noticed
What others do
While waiting for the
Lights to change,
Oblivious to others,
The driver
Is texting on
His or her cell phone,
Or picking noses,
Combing hair,
Putting on makeup,
Cleaning nails,
Brushing teeth.
Gobbling up a sandwich,
Eating leftovers,
Drinking from a bottle,
Reading the newspapers,
Working on assignments,
Smoking or
Littering on the streets.
That same adult
Standing on the street corner
Waiting with a scraper
And bottle
Annoying drivers
Expecting coins
To feed their drug habits
Never realizing
Their daily loot
Added more than one's paycheque
At the end of the day.