The Muruku Murmurations

MALAYSIA - The Pantun Prompt - #PantunPrompt by Afi Noor The pantun is a form of poetry that thrives in communities across Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and even Burma and Sri Lanka Write a pantun of 8 lines, with the rhyme scheme abab/abab or abac/abac. You can find out more details about the form at the following link: http://formsofsea.blogspot.sg/2017/04/pantun.html #MillennialBonus : Omit all punctuation. Write like the millennials do. #SlangBonus : Include 2-3 local slang words. # SEAPoWriMo2018 #SEAPoWriMo2018Day3 #PantunPrompt Erghmagosh these memes be like Salty af I cant even Try my luck not to suck But that's like so yesterday, irrelevant. Lepak hard coz feeling fomo Bts with my bae Only proof is with swafotos On instagram story all day every day. - Swit Marie 0349H 26th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

#NaPoWriMo2018 #Day29 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #nonet Write a trilingual nonet using all of the following words (in any language)- molecule, mouse deer, man eater, masculinity, mother, manja, merepek. Merepek dengan Kemarahan (Running your mouth with Anger) вызывают изменение ( Vehzehvayut izmeneniye - Causes change) молекулярное (Molekulyarnoye - Molecular) Mousedeers become Man eaters Masculinity Misused against Affection Mercy Мать. (Mat - mother) - Swit Marie 0144H 30th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

#NaPoWriMo2018  #Day28 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #epitaph #death Write an epitaph in memory of the death of all or any of the following - yourself, the world, a dream, an idea, a person, an everyday object, anything that you loved but has now been laid to rest #RIP Today the sun sets over unfinished journals and unwritten scripts of stories that would only be known to those who were in the battle, tucked away in the folds of disappointment, layers of regret and ashes of defeat. The light dims over many obstacles, broken bones and broken spirits of the voices that faught its way through the caves and valleys only to be silenced by time, space, reality, power, mind and soul. - Swit Marie 1819H 30th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

#NaPoWriMo2018  #Day27  prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #50wordsfor There are 50 words to describe snow. What else can you describe in 50 ways? 50. Toes that have smelled the ground 49. Soles that have tried many roads 48. Heels always ready to spring into stride 47. Feet that know where to go 46. Ankles like scaffolding 45. Calves that ploughed a true journey 44. Knees that have knelt before God 43. Quads that have conquered marathons 42. Hamstrings stretched to reach greater heights 41. Gluts that curve bodaciously 40. Hips that have danced till sunrise 39. Core as strong as pillars 38. Stomach that ventures for the exotic 37. Guts that challenge the mediocre 36. Chest as wide as the horizons 35. Heart that beats with warrior drums 34. Lungs that have tasted nicotine 33. Diaphragm that breathes deeply 32. Sternum that is humble 31. Clavicles that are welcoming 30. Shoulders that bear the weight of the nation 29. Arms that embrace fully 28. ...

#NaPoWriMO2018  #Day26 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #jazz #music Find a quiet place and crank up the record player to listen to a seminal piece of jazz. Write a poem in response to it. I loved dancing with you Through our days and nights Every beat felt right In the moment Being us, being true. Pulsing through the rhythm Let it rise and sink Till the brink In the space of the count Living in the anthem. In the breath of the step Filling up the connection Building the tension Rolling into each stretch Feeling each prep. Speaking in your sway Through each move Every part of isolation You had your individual groove With the music we played. You have made my heart full Overflowing with joy Feeling every push and pull Streamlined every pattern You made this dance beautiful. - Swit Marie 0517H 29th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

#NaPoWriMo2018  #Day25 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #tanka Write a tanka using at least two of the following words - bicycle, journey, photograph, gunpowder, pillow, insomnia. Our photograph Taken by flash gunpowder On our journey Your sweet scent on my pillow Cure for my insomnia. - Swit Marie 0449H 26th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

#NaPoWriMo2018  #Day24  prompt from Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #myths #legends This is my personal favourite. Re-write a popular myth from another point of view. Give voice to the voiceless. Let the marginalised tell their own story so they don't simply become a vehicle for someone else's heroism . Undeniably Undines Have fascinated us humans for centuries While they had our freedom We had a soul Willingly they paid a hefty price Shorten their lives Bless us with divinity An unfair trade for immortality. The human soul was all they longed for To share, to hold, to love At sea, the only love they could call for Were wondering seamen In their desperation They called as sweetly as they could Resorting to enchantment All they wanted was affection. Nereides would offer themselves Hoping the lost would belong Hoping for love to be found changing the tides With their song Drunken; they had nothing to hide The seamen would confide Mermaidens gave...

#NaPoWriMo2018  #Day23 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #worldbookday Today is World Book Day! What is one of your favourite books? Write a poem in response to either the themes, characters, style or plot of the book or even a response to the book cover. The Baudelaires had many Bad Beginnings long before that unfortunate day at the barren beach till the admission into The Austere Academy. They were captured and at risk, clawing their way out of the Carnivorous Carnival, digging down and dirty through the Grim Grotto and fighting fearlessly free through the Ersatz Elevator only to find themselves once again in the hands of the obnoxious Count Olaf in the Hostile Hospital. Misery loved company and those none the wiser mulled themselves into the Miserable Milk hoping to find a meal but end up in painful Penultimate Peril. Their one place of refuge was in the Reptile Room, a sane asylum that kept them secure for a while before slandering the Slippery Slopes into the unfor...

#NaPoWriMO2018  #Day2 2 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #earthday #motherearth #gaia Melancholic metronome Pulsing in my chest Lyrical memories Fall like heavy raindrops From the songs of the skies Fall into puddles of rondes Rebounds from the surface with every breath. Take the strings of my heart Play them with a bow Stroke them like a violin Feel the vibrations through every cord Pulling from the depths Stretching every note Inhale and breathe out Till the brink of mountain sides. - Swit Marie 0840H 24th April 2018 Jurong

#NaPoWriMo2018  #Day21 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #objects Choose two or three ordinary everyday objects; a blender, a bicycle pump, a biscuit tin, a side table, a lamp. Find the relationship between them and write about the conversation these objects might have or a story they’d all find themselves in. #Day30 #NaPoWriMo #lastone Last day, last chance, last drink, last dance, last goodbye, last legs, last kiss, last supper, last night, last place, last poem, last cigarette, for the last time, last but not least... Last night their lullaby was about a moment shared between two souls trapped in different times One was growing older, withering like a flower at the end of the day while the other stayed immortal Like the vase that held the flower. They briefly shared each others company, Her body wrapped in his security Him admiring her stunning beauty They complimented each other Like the stars in the night sky Or fields of tulips in the mid of s...

#NAPoWriMo2018  #Day20 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #duet Write a duet poem with another poet about your friendship. Collaborate. You could write about how you met, your first impressions, what you liked or didn’t like about each other, the significance of the relationship to you now. It was a night of dance Strangers became familiar faces became smiles Hugs between bodies turned into warm embraces. My voice caught your attention You were drawn without boundaries possessed by intoxication Surprised by a familiar sound And attracted to a jovial smile. You said you wanted me Not knowing why But you were hell bent On staying in this moment Refusing the odds Stopping time Believing this was perfect. I wanted to write a galaxy of stories Alliterate your voice in my words Your thoughts in my breath And weave you into every sentence To illustrate our universe. You became my world The ground I stand on Where my feet sink into The gl...

#NAPoWriMo2018  #Day19   Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #soundpoetry #soundpoem #jackmalik #dada A sound poem is where the phonetic aspects of human speech are foregrounded instead of more conventional semantic and syntactic values; "verse without words". By definition, sound poetry is intended primarily for performance. Dom Tak Beh Dom Dom Tak Don't Beh afraid now Take heed in your stride Beh all that you are Don't stop coz your Heart don't stop Beh-Beh-Beh-Beating. Dom Dom D-D-Dom Dee Dee Doo Дом книги (Dom Knyigyi) is a library Дом (Dom) is a home Hum to the drums That Beh-Beh-Beh-beat With every dee dee detail Do what your heart says D-d-dig into the book Дом is a dome dee dee dom. - Swit Marie 0914H 29th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

#NAPoWriMo2018  #Day18   Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #abstract #art Choose your favourite painting or sculpture. Write a poem in response to it. This piece speaks to me every time I look at it. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder Who held you near whispers in your ear Telling you had nothing to fear. His arms were your comfort With little effort He opened your heart You gave no retort. He created this safe space Within these walls was your place He showed you his face You showed him your grace. In the lights and glitter Your heart began to flutter Your gaze became more blur There was no way to recover. Your judgement blinded by a veil You could not see the betrayal You trusted without fail His dance with you was going stale. He left without any goodbyes Your ears were hearing lies Full of deceitful replies Leaving you alone to cry. Fragile like porcelain Hurt by his restraints Left pale, weak and in pain Broken in the ra...

CAMBODIA - The Khmer Prompt - #KhmerPrompt by Phina So Write a poem in the Khmer form: 4 line stanzas with each line containing 7 syllables. #FearBonus : The poem is about fear. #BumpBonus : There is a loud sound in the poem, that somebody has to explore. # SEAPoWriMo2018 #SEAPoWriMo2018Day1 #KhmerPrompt #Day17 #NaPoWriMo prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #monsters #jabberwocky What monsters lurk beneath your bed or in your closet at night ? What scares the bejesus out of you? What dark evil entity, idea or nightmare keeps you up at night? Write a children's poem about your monster, either real or imagined. Mama, what is that I hear? Something going bump in here Is it something big or small? sounds like it is coming near But do not see it at all. Papa, what is that I hear? Something moving going creak Tell me where did it go? I am scared I do not know. Gor gor, what is that I hear? Something running going squeak I feel it is over here Help, I d...

#NaPoWriMo2018  #Day16 Prompt from Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #spiritanimal Which animal is your spirit animal? What are its qualities that you relate to or wish you could have? Write a poem about it. This piece was performed for If Walls Could Talk KL 's 3rd Anniversar y show. Cubs grow up with the loving care of their mothers Mama bear looks after them Keeping them close Nurturing them My mama did the same. I learned from mama How to be patient How to tolerate How to look after others But I need to learn how to let go Let others be Learn how to hibernate. Papa bear wasn't always there His time for us was never fair but he was still present Enough for you to know his authority I learned from papa How to be strong How to be resilient How to be diligent How to be silent. Bearing in mind I always put others before me Taking care of them Taking them in as my own Protecting them becomes my priority. Bears are gentle creatures ...

#NaPoWriMo2018  #Day15  prompt by  Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #halfwaythere #15daystogo #magicsquare #LoShu #turtle #fengshui #astrology Magic squares have been used as talismans for centuries to ward off evil or envy and to call in abundance and luck. They have acquired magical or mythical significance, and have appeared as symbols in works of art. If a poem could be a magic square, what would it look like? Write a poem by numbers coded with magic and power. I turn Thirty For this year. It has been Eleven years since I first started my medical journey. UnFortunately having to deal with Three mental illnesses. I was stuck in a department that played Dirty with everyOne. Fighting for procedure with Twenty Two others. Dirty Fights, zero wins and lots of scars. Like when Twins Terribly Treat each other, Swiftly Finding ways to get attention but on other days, the Tension vanishes like magic and all is squared away. 34 11 43 31 22 35 23 55 10 - Swi...

#NaPoWriMo2018 Day14 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #comedy #punny write a poem with a punch line or a funny limerick or something punny. Topic: online culture, social media My Scene first started when you had Pinterest in poetry, Instagramification from all the likes, hearts and thumbs up, The masses Snapchatting their fingers, Your heart beats Friendster than the speed of Tumblr and lightning Memes spreading to every Facebook and cranny Making the poetry world a Twitter place. -Swit Marie 0636H 15th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

#NaPoWriMo2018  Day13  prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #music Write a poem that celebrates a style of music that you love - its culture, its time and space, its people, its country, its city, its sounds. Baby baby baby baby blues Strumming along the guitar Letting the pulse beat with your heart Bleeding words on the stage Becomes a work of art Don't matter what's your age Just write it on a page. All your feelin' All your stressin' All your lovin' and your livin'. "I sing The blues." "Damn right I got the blues From my head down to my shoes " - Buddy Guy Get down deep in your knees Let the groove make you move C'mon on baby, baby please "The blues are the roots and the other music are the fruits." - Willie Dixon Ain't nothing better than The Blues No way you gonna lose. The Blues are gonna jazz ya The Blues is the remedy The Blues will get ya feel better The Blues are gonna get...

#NaPoWriMo2018  #Day12 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #ivegotissues Choose a social issue close to your heart and pick one object to relate it to. Close your eyes Take a breath Count to ten Let it out. Forgive Make peace Find a reason Take the time to remember. E x h a l e... Move forward But do not forget this moment. This is where we let go Release yourself. Be kind To one another Be patient With your neighbour Believe Do not lose hope. - Swit Marie 0502H 14th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

#NaPoWriMo2018  Day11 Prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #middleschool Middle school is that awkward period between primary and high school, the first couple of years of secondary - Form 1 and 2. I recently met up with my Middle School bestie. Seeing him always throws me back to awkward kisses and dancing, Wendy's baked potatoes with cheese and broccoli, the music of The Cure. Who were you in Middle School? What was your smell? What did you love? Who was your crush? 13 was always unlucky 14 was either sap sap sui (easy peasy) Or yat sei zhao sei (once dead is dead) No matter which way you look at it It was neither odd nor even. Skin had bumps and craters Looking like a pizza all oily and yummy Served with awkward smiles Questions dressing our eyes Being nosy with gossip sauce-ing our ears. Infatuation for boys raised quickly Like a scene chasing to its climax Things kept changing Like plot twist endings Those years disappeared As fast as popcorn ...

#NaPoWriMo2018  Day10  prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #elections #GE14 Change of plan! Democracy, elections, nationhood, power, hypocrisy, hope, change, helplessness, corruption - write a poem to suit the current mood. This piece was performed during If Walls Could Talk KL 's 48th sho w in accordance with NaPoWriMo 2018 Tanggal 31 Remove the 31 layers of false flavours Accusation trends and ramifications Every flash memory of people yelling out their patriotism to their race and roots that dug deep into the grounds of Merdeka Hang up the glory days of the life that was and the memories of yesteryear 31 days is not enough to heal the wounds of racism or remove post colonial scars. Bulan 8 Crescent, half, full and blood Moons have gone by Months with no returns and growing loss of hope in the natives' eyes after seeing their lands go corrupt by rust in the hands of the pale Their seas stripped of its oily richness Virgin soil ploughed by in...

#NaPoWriMo2018  Day9 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NapPoWriMo #loneliness #pckl Personify your loneliness. What does it smell like? What does it taste like, look like? How does it add beauty to your landscape? I come around with the seasons When the skies are grey During winter days Here I am Waiting... Wanting... Longing... Hoping... Eagerly waiting to form Wanting to be born Longing to fall from the sky Hoping to fall gracefully Not wanting to be lonely. I stay the longest when there are others around me We fall together Stay together Hope to last forever. When I am alone I melt away by the warmth of people When people walk past me And decide to stay I last longer at night And disappear in the light of day. You won't always notice me unless you pay close attention. - Swit Marie 2058H 11 April 2018 TTDI

#NaPoWriMo2018 Day 8 Prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #dodoitsu どどいつ #pckl The dodoitsu is a Japanese poetic form. This 4-line poem has seven syllables in the first three lines and five syllables in the fourth–and final–line (7, 7, 7, 5, or 5, 7, 7, 7, 5). The dodoitsu often focuses on love or work with a comical twist. Look into my treasure box There you are looking at me With your sweet cinnamon eyes Your gaze calls to me. - Swit Marie 0042H 9th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

 #NaPoWriMo2018 Day 7 prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo Today I'm teaching sonnets to 8th Graders. You can write one too. Topic: Astrophysics, science, the future . Easy peasy! Biology is as close to Science as I could get in attempts of writing this poem Spenserian Sonnet Invented by sixteenth century English poet Edmund Spenser, cribs its structure from the Shakespearean—three quatrains and a couplet—but employs a series of "couplet links" between quatrains, as revealed in the rhyme scheme: abab, bcbc, cdcd, ee. When we open our eyes in the dark Pupils enlarge trying to find light Neurons in the brain fire sparks Our form goes into flight or fight. Unable to see what is in our line of sight Our body is served a shot of Adrenaline No way of telling left from right Dodging what we think we have seen. Low levels of Dopamine and Serotonin Causing anxiety in the midst of 'danger' This rush doesnt release Endorphin Instead a rise ...

#NaPoWriMo2018 Day 6 Prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #pckl #heroes Who's one of your real life heroes? Pick 3 traits to go with this person - kind eyes, big feet, a voice like rain eg. Write a note to your hero reminding them of why they are a hero to you. An ode to you, My source of love, Your endless kindness is my motivation to keep on living and fighting. Your face of youthfulness hides the worry and anxiety you never show the world You face every challenge with strength and steadfastness. Always being compassionate Sacrificing for your loved ones Even strangers feel your warmth Your patience is the pillar that upholds our family You always do what is best Instead of what is easy. You are a woman of many talents And have mastered them all Sewing every stitch for charity Cooking to feed the hungry Dancing feet that taps into every story Inspiring me to be my best. You stood by me with every step I took Went before me to lo...

#NaPoWriMo2018 Day 5 Prompt by Poetry Cafe KL #NaPoWriMo #pckl #forgiveness We've all screwed up. We all deserve forgiveness. Forgive yourself for one thing today. For you, it was easier For me, I gave you my all You were my perfection I made plenty of excuses You gave me your promises I gave you my trust I let go of you and us I moved on to being better. For you it was either black or white For me I understood Why I accepted every shade of grey You were quick to judge You hardened and burnt our bridges I knew we both weren't right I believe that you were good I forgive myself for wanting to stay. - Swit Marie 0336H 6th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

#NaPoWriMo2018 Day 4 Prompt from Poetry Cafe KL #Day4 #NaPoWriMo #pckl #ihaveadream On this day in 1968 US civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Write your own “I have a dream” manifesto. I believe in refuge. Having lived in A world full of cruelty Varying degrees of self righteousness Envy seeping between every sentence. All humanity cries for kindness. Dare we believe and hope Restore faith in ourselves Envision a world without malice Arrest our thoughts of negativity Make peace with our past. I believe in Grace. Hear the voices that cry Adhere to the cry of our future Venture toward forgiveness Err not in selfishness. All we need is a little patience. Do no harm to others Respond without anger Encourage the good And correct what Matters. - Swit Marie 1825H 4th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

#NaPoWriMo2018 prompt Day 3 by  Poetry Cafe K L #NaPoWriMo #glasshouses "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"           Existing   People        System    who of hierachy    live           Put     in         In place     glass             Trying     houses          To rule one     shouldn't     To curse all     throw             People    stones - Swit Marie 1528H 4th April 2018 Taman Bahagia

This piece was written for a special project Sylvain and I are working on. If all goes well it will be on display with some of his photographs at a cafe in Paris. This is one of the drafts and I hope to be writing many more when he is done choosing the photos. Prompt for #NaPoWriMo2018 Day 2 Theme from Poetry Cafe KL : Rebirth " Spring is here! We are officially and symbolically coming out of the darkness and moving back into the light. We have been resurrected after a symbolic death. Write a poem about new beginnings, fresh starts, letting parts of ourselves die only to be born again." At dawn I breathe in the light It stretches out into every space my chest contains Expands within every breath Warming valleys between my ribs Embracing my heart like the waves that wrap the shoreline. Exhale leaving silhouettes Like silver against dark velvet Moonlight glowing in the night amongst the shadows Like stars twinkling in the universe Drawing const...

#NaPoWriMo2018 Day 1 prompt from Poetry Cafe KL Day 1 #NaPoWriMo #AprilFools - "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." "There are more fools than wise men, and even in the wise man himself there is more folly than wisdom." "The greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer. " "I do not suffer fools gladly" - Write a poem about a fool, foolishness or any kind of tomfoolery. Foolscap paper Full of capital letters Fools capitalising on the latter Fools capturing hearts Fully realising it is better to be fooled. - Swit Marie 1748H 1st April 2018 TTDI