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Crafted Matter

He said I had idle hands

Much too bad I believed him


Years of sowing garden seeds

Bounty for bees and monarchs


I dreamt to let flow nectar

Liquid boon in bottled jars


Artisan blown, I bloomed out

Ceilings high to make mosaic


Shades of ruby and lapis

Like the beadwork of mothers


Embroidered their daughters down

Hearts dyed with Batik stories


Skills to quilt little spirits

And baskets to hold the soul


A steady warp and weft

Weaving a whole together


I must never forget it

I will never forget it


Beating my hair-torn head

Amphora woman mourning


I wish it would come softly

I wait for it to come softly


A celebration of kites

Havoc against the blue sky


Where words dance calligraphic

This incandescent world looms


My body glows a lantern

We all follow the lights home


In time, answers unravel

With distance, his values fade


Dress me in garlands bright

Shield me from envious hate


Guardians of the unsung

Show me the dotted mapping


This journey of accolades

My web interconnected



🎨/📷 by Chuah Thean Teng, Perairan Pulau Pinang, 1952

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