thecreativespace
Litter of twigs freckled
vast sand, pimpled with sprawling
coconut husks. I step
on acne pebbles, much needed
self-reflexology.
Storm of to-do lists and traumatic headlines
gush on me, oozing images of a refugee boat capsized
off Italy, beheaded parties, a seven-year-old
raped by her grandfather just a district away
and that pantun tucked beneath anxiety.
Two kids chase each other. I long
to run after them, laugh and play
along. Detached from myself, everyone, the world.
You.
My stamina a barren ocean.
Waves rumble through my
century old feet. Tickles. Water bobs
back into infinity, dissolving all things. I only
wish.
Sand purifies my toes. Red liquid
squirts from scrubbing shells. My
contemplation bleeds.
Salt stings, comforts.
My shadow stares back at me
through the rippling bubbles.
Close my eyes. Sea hums, swallows
kuebiko.
(Angelina Bong is a poet and visual artist. She represented Malaysia at the 3rd Delphic Games 2009, Jeju Island, South Korea in the Lingual Art-Poetry Category. Since then, her poetry performances have travelled abroad to South Korea, South Africa, Botswana, UK, Australia, India, Egypt and Japan with some poems translated into Malay, Korean, Malayalam, Japanese, French and Arabic. She is published online and in print including several poetry festival anthologies. Her first solo Poetry and Art Exhibition was held during a Writing-Art Residency 2018 at Toji Cultural Foundation, Wonju, South Korea. Her most recent international guest poet appearance was at the 51st Cairo International Book Fair 2020, Egypt in January 2020 before the pandemic hit. She is the winner of the Poetry-Adult category of Georgetown Literary Festival’s ‘Wake Me Up When This Is Over’ contest.)
( Image credit:Gefrorene Wand from Pixabay)