Volcanic Mist

Neighbours’ jasmine hedge
Surrounds a small cottage
Giant yellow tulips
Stand still in a vase
Of archaic story
Drumming of heartbeat
Mellow lyrics
Hang high in the oil painting
Blue and purple mirages
Race against surreal dreams
On this late eve
Autumn breeze
And forlorn volcanic mist
Descend lethargically

Boulevards of Autumn

Speed as Light
Spark as Fire
Boulevards of Autumn
Decked with
Songs of Frank Sinatra
Seep Nectar
Dance Waltz
Ordinary Days
Filled with
Unorthodox Waves
Efflux
Clandestinely
In the Dark

Laussane

Ravines submerge
In the blue marine
Attracting white smithereens
Accordions of busker
Sing
French melody
And traveller’s curiosity
Youth’s mind
Deeply haunted
By the mosaic dreams
And dazzling confetti
Reveals
Idyllic paintings projected
On Lausanne’s streets
Beneath
Mystical skies
Full of nouveau glee

Way of living

How forgettable one can be in life! I always wonder. The weather forecast on TV keeps showing that the typhoon might bring a lot of damage. Natural disasters have been a relatively hot issue in recent years even when I teach. This topic is well-discussed and has drawn a lot of attention as well. But there are still people who ventured to go surfing. And yes, there have been many who had lost their lives for the last few decades.

Recently I have cultivated a habit, bring a small notebook (not computer, thanks!) on the metro all the time. It is to write down all sorts of ideas and inspirations. I like it very much so far because I have penned down some poetry, lesson plans, and interesting ideas for writing. For people like me, spending almost two hours commuting to work daily, it doesn’t seem a bad idea reading books or brainstorming when riding the public transportation. Sometimes, I wonder how much time we waste each day and how many things we can actually accomplish simply by making good use of some spare moments we can get in life.

Tonight I came across a good friend’s blog, stumping upon a very meaningful thought: no matter what you do, you’re always you intrinsically. That’s right. Intrinsically! How I love this word. Thing is that how many of us really take a few minutes reflecting on what we have done and who we are at the end of each day. I still recall the very first time I went to Evian when I was a student in Suisse. I was very surprised to see so many people, young and old, sitting or standing along the busy street and doing nothing. Well not exactly nothing. They were enjoying the warm sunshine on a lovely Saturday morning. I asked myself what they were thinking in their mind-were they thinking what to eat for lunch or merely spacing out. Was that a sort of waste of time? I later learnt it’s just a way of living…

A way of living
Whether you like it
Or hate it
A way of smiling
That creates many blessings
A way of sulking
That brings incessant miseries
I choose smiling
I choose blessings

By Jerski

Sonnet

Across the green ocean
An island cradles
Gently
Wind breathes
Soothing power of magic
Ephemerally
Indigenous melody
Imbues the blue sky
With curly whites
Who on earth has penned
A sonnet in my head
Twinkling tumbling
And intoxicatingly
Red

Summer of Medusa

In the dark
Hundreds of days passed
Moisture seeped through
Layers of hazelnuts
Awaiting patiently
The moment of dawn
A new life was about
To hatch
The fanfare of summer
Droned and bustled
With singing of cicadas
Proclaiming an indelible mantra
And Annie Lennox’s Medusa

Nothing vs. Something

Nothing
Just a touch of breeze
On the cheeks
Yellow roses
Scatter across the pavement
Under the shade of oleanders
Magic
Like water floating
Spins in a vortex
Revealing azure chandeliers
Who doesn’t have regret
You said
Who doesn’t have a past
I replied
Something
A bit greenish on the tip
Of fig trees
Indicates that summer is coming

How to stay happy every day

So they are trying to create geniuses-the ones that many parents hope their own children would be. But geniuses are still humans, right? When we define success with the mainstream society’s vintage point, it is actually very dangerous because we might lose the chance finding true happiness in life. We often admire those who are highly or over-achieved in academia; yet there are a lot of people with higher education who don’t even know the basic principles of enjoying life. Sometimes, one can hear or see news regarding someone that totally loses control and commits serious crimes. It is sad that many of us have no idea where to find inner peace and lasting happiness.

A book I recently read mentions that most people work so diligently to bring happiness into their life but they have yet found the way to maintain it. We might feel great after getting a raise of salary but that feeling could easily go away within twenty four hours should there be something unpleasant happening shortly after. Hence, how can we not let this happy feeling fade away so rapidly? The key is not focusing on the matter but the feeling in which happiness is involved. For instance, you love planting peonies and feel delighted when the flowers blossom. Try to keep that happy feeling in your heart but not thinking about how you plant the flowers and the related procedure because you probably will feel sad while thinking that flowers will wither soon and winter is coming later. In a word, real happiness lies in us; we should let this feeling stay with us all the time even in the times of difficulty and trial….

Je suis ici

Glistening sands shine like gold
Here
I breathe
The fragrance of blue sea
There
I leave
The trace of Brittany
Je suis ici
On the map
In the chateau
With verdant trees
Embroidered carpets
Spread across the old street
Cobbles
Accordion
And summer festivities
Weave
A perpetual time line
Full of scintillating eves

Out of the box

Golden light streams in
With soundless steps
Breathing
An imminent reverie
Spring festival
Rock & Roll music
And a new season of
Grey’s Anatomy
Flicking cigarettes make
Bits and pieces of ash
Dance out of the box
Racing
An everlasting contest
On a path
With confetti
Silver blue and orange