heels

This poem is one of the earliest (if not the earliest) picture prompts I tried when I started to go online. It is so old I forgot about the written date, probably in 2005. 😮

photo by Yogendra Singh at Unsplash



heels


Okay, i don't mind the bad hair wig,
even the blood red lipstick
the tiny tiny black tube top
and the oh-so-short leather skirt.

you need someone to play a vamp
in some silly stage show

but the straw that broke my back
was these heels.
why must they be in red?
i quit!


2005?
*****

Rosemary at Poets and Storytellers United would like us to write about the colour 'red'. The picture above is not the original picture prompt for this poem. .

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"How can you live the high life if you do not wear the high heels?"

—Sonia Rykiel

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© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2022

thin red line

I wrote this for SingPoWriMo 2016 (the local variant of NaPoWriMo), and was posted at my other blog. The poem is inspired by a news report on depression, on an actual case where a widow wanted to jump from her block of flats, and her mother-in-law talked her out of it.

image by dsnake1, done with Sketchpad 4.0




thin red line



Sanity and madness, life and death, is just divided by a razor cut. Or a thin red line, and that is why, tied between her wrist and that of her young child, is a thin red thread. Standing at the rooftop of her apartment block, with the rapidly sinking sun, the dark clouds do look so much closer. As the wind slips around her hair, her legs, she takes a step forward towards the edge, her hand tightly holding her child's, the blackbirds watching, squabbling. The ground below is a dark abyss and the lights of the city are just mocking eyes. And then a soft voice, so close, so helpless.

mommy, i am cold.

And all the fears and hatred and pity fly off into the night, as she holds her child, feeling her warmth and she cries it all out and the child puts her hands on the mother's cheeks, and she cries some more, and more.

She tears off the red thread binding them, then, like a lotus growing out of mud, holding her child's hand, she walks back down the stairs, back to their home, as the stars start to twinkle in the sky above.


candlelight -
her face
brightens



05/04/2016
**********

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“I went to the worst of bars hoping to get killed but all I could do was to get drunk again.” 

― Charles Bukowski

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© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2018

red

On the last day of this month is the Chinese New Year. And I have barely started preparing for it. For starters, there is the annual spring cleaning of the home. Then there will be trips to the malls and supermarkets to get new clothes, food and drinks. Knowing me, it will be all very last-minute running around again.

To the Chinese, red is an auspicious colour. In the New Year, red will be everywhere, in every household, in the clothes we wear, the food, the decorations, hongbaos, flowers, and greeting cards.

So yes, a short poem, a haiku (what's better than an eastern poetry form for the occasion?) and then it's off for the holidays!

scan of a greeting card



red




            red
the colour of your lips
         in spring





26/01/2014
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萬事如意

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© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ), 2014

red

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner and there's still loads of spring cleaning and shopping to do. I have been very busy at work lately, so I will just post a past effort for this Poets Rally (Week 60)

To the Chinese, red is an auspicious colour. In the New Year, red will be everywhere, in every household, in the clothes we wear, the food, the decorations, flowers, and greeting cards.

To all my readers celebrating the occasion, have a Happy and Prosperous Lunar New Year!





scan by dsnake1




red


Red is the colour of the blood in my veins
is the colour of kinship
is the colour of life.

Red is the colour of the petals of peony
is the colour of luscious lips
is the colour of beauty

Red is the colour of the face of Guan Yu
is the colour of autumn trees
is the colour of loyalty

Red is the colour of memorial tablets on altars
is the colour of candles
is the colour of faith

and red is the colour of my beating heart
is the colour of your blush
when we first held hands
is the colour of our love.



14.02.07
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© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2012

Red

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and as in usual practice, everything is left to the last minute. So expect the crazy rush to spring clean the house, pay the debts, buy new cloths, foodstuff, the little things that made up the Lunar New Year.

I wouldn't be on-line for a short while, so in the meantime, try to enjoy this repost...



image by dsnake1
from a photo of a card


Red


Red is the colour of the blood in my veins
is the colour of kinship
is the colour of life.

Red is the colour of the petals of peony
is the colour of luscious lips
is the colour of beauty

Red is the colour of the face of Guan Yu
is the colour of autumn trees
is the colour of loyalty

Red is the colour of memorial tablets on altars
is the colour of candles
is the colour of faith

and red is the colour of my beating heart
is the colour of your blush
when we first held hands
is the colour of our love.

14.02.07
********


© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 )

Red

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner and there's still so much spring cleaning and shopping to do.

To the Chinese, red is an auspicious colour. In the New Year, red will be everywhere around the house, in the clothes we wear, the food, the decorations, flowers, greeting cards. There will be no exception in this household.

I have been writing dark and bleak stuff lately. Let me write something nicer and happier for the new year.



image by dsnake1

Red


Red is the colour of the blood in my veins
is the colour of kinship
is the colour of life.

Red is the colour of the petals of peony
is the colour of luscious lips
is the colour of beauty

Red is the colour of the face of Guan Yu
is the colour of autumn trees
is the colour of loyalty

Red is the colour of memorial tablets on altars
is the colour of candles
is the colour of faith

and red is the colour of my beating heart
is the colour of your blush
when we first held hands
is the colour of our love.

14.02.07
********

the image is a scan of a greeting card