The boy who cried "MOO"

His name was Raja, not because he’s from the royal blood but rather due to his mother’s fascination of Hindi movies when she was a lot younger. Mak didn’t watch such movies anymore, they reminded her too much of her late husband.

That afternoon, Raja came home from school walking in the hot blazing temperature. As he reached the door, he called out for his mother,

“Mak, ooo…Mak. Raja dah balik!”

Mak opened the door obediently and smiled at him. He threw his bag and smelly socks to a corner and moved quickly to the dining table.

“Huh? Fish curry again. Mak we eat same everyday. Boring lah!”
"Ye ke? Oklah, tomorrow I cook you favourite gulai ayam, OK? Eat first before
cold”

Raja ate his lunch hastily and after finishing the food, he stood up and yawned, stretching his arms and yawned some more. He walked towards the verandah and lied down on the old settee, enjoying the warm afternoon breeze.

“Raja, how many times Mak told you. Cannot sleep after eat, dear”
“I not sleeping, Mak”
“Still no good. You turn into cow, if sleep after eat. My mother told me so”
“I not do that lah. I planning for FUTURE, Mak!”

That magical word made Mak smiled all day long. She was proud to bear such clever child. At the age of fifteen, her son has already planning for the FUTURE.

“He’ll be successful,” prayed Mak in her heart.

Raja imagined himself sitting on the bridal dais during his bersanding day with Cik Limah’s daughter, Fiza. He saw her cycling home from the post office on his way back from school,

“What a nice pair of legs,” he thought.

Her hair was as black as the coffee that Mak prepared for breakfast every morning. It swayed to the rhythm of the gentle wind. He smiled at her, and flew to his dreamland holding her hand as he guided her through the beautiful night.


He woke up feeling refreshed and jolly. He yawned and stretched out his arms,

“MOOOOOOOOOO…”

He was surprised with the sound that came out of his mouth. He called out for Mak,

“MOOOOOOOOOO…”

This time his own voice frightened him. He tried to stand up. Instead of standing on his two feet, he was on all four. His legs were too weak to support his body that he had to crawl on the floor. He could feel a lot of air inhaled through his nose into the lungs. He tried to touch his nose, he couldn’t.

“Oh, no, this is not happening!” his heart screamed.

Raja ran to his mother’s room, but his thin legs could not move as fast as he hoped. He was taken aback when he saw the huge nose, the funny ears, the thin legs and his very own dappled body reflected on the mirror in Mak’s room. He has turned into a cow. In fact, a she-cow, he was shocked to see the flabby udder underneath his belly.

“This not real. If I fated to be cow, I should be male at least!” he cried.

He was upset and scared. He crawled as quick as possible and yelled for help,

“MOO! MOO! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

He stumbled upon the bendul and fell hard on the wooden floor.


He opened his eyes and quickly looked at his hands, touched his nose and ears. He was no longer a cow. He straightened up his body, still aching after falling from the four-poster. He called out for his mother,

“MOO, MOO…”

“Oh, not again!” he thought.

“Hey, what wrong with you! I call you hundred time, no answer. WAKE UP! I ask Pak Lang to bring his cow here. Go down, and get some milk. NOW!!”

“Heh?”

An old poem...

To the person I'd love forever
I wished the relationship could be better...
You scold, you shout, you nag
You get fierce
When coldness is piercing
You get mad
When a battle is losing
You made me believed
I'm the cause of difficulties
Faults, mistakes and even sins
I bear the blame
For I am the seed
You made me do
Things you wished you could have
Not wanting to hurt
I kept my mouth shut
And let my soul bled
You criticized my every claim
We debated night and day
Our world left in a mess
Till the day we're laid in rest
To the person I'd cherish forever
Thanks for breathing life into me
Teaching me how to love
And not to express it freely
I wished I could be better
So that our life in the world after
Filled with love and tender...

Will I find you there?

Dear Mama,
I had a terrible nightmare last night
I woke up this morning
Trying to find you
But you were gone

I hurried down the stairs
and went to the kitchen
where you always cooked my favourite dishes
I saw a pot of tea, steaming hot
But I couldn't find you there

I craned my neck and looked at the washing area
Where you used to stand in front of the washing machine
Stuffing my dirty and smelly clothes without complaints
I saw the machine running fast, my black pants in it
But I couldn't find you there

I walked to the backyard
The place where you had always cleaned the cat's mess
and feed them when I forget
It was tidy and they were having their breakfast
But I still couldn't find you there

I stepped inside to the dining area
You always remind us to eat together
as family
Everybody was there
But I still couldn't find you

I thought I heard your voice
Reciting the holy verses of Koran
so I ran up and looked for you
at the praying space
I saw your white telekung hanging on the wall
and your Koran opened on its rehal
But I still couldn't find you
I was tired then
I sat down and cried
Then I heard you calling my name
I turned my head and saw you there
You have always been there
All this while,
But I was too busy looking for you that I failed
to sense your presence.

Puppet - Master

Left right left right
The puppet moves
Dance, run, and spin

Heart stops beating
Brain fails to think
Her soul cries and screams
Ignored.

The show went on...

Puppet master stood up,
Applause, applause
You RULE!

The Conversation

He said "NO!"
I asked "why?"
He shook his head
And I shrugged...

I loved him,
but he kissed me goodbye.

Threat Note

Breathe in the fire
Fill your lungs with desire
Lit up your anger
Ignite your vengeance
Expose your wounded heart...

You. Yes, YOU!
You annoyed me
and for that you shall pay
(in hell!)

A Child's Loss - 2nd phase

I've revised the poem, this might or might not be the final piece. Will let you know if I decided to add things/ideas to it. Call me indecisive if you want, I prefer to look at is as a progressive effort ^__^

(wrote this in the LRT this afternoon)

I heard a voice from WITHIN
A joyous song, I thought.
It sounded far
so I listened carefully

A mournful wail,
The child weeps:

In the adults' world
Everything is a mess
Ignorance is at mass
Coruption, evil deeds, and sin
Obscenities of life
A loss it is
And lost they shall be

A child cries from WITHIN
Not understanding, not knowing
the monster she has grown into
Chanting her melancholic premonition
I keep on listening...

A Child at Loss

A poem in progress...don't put high expectations on the outcome ^__^

I heard a voice within
Thought it was a song of joy
I listened carefully
It was NOT
It sounded far

I listened carefully
It's a cry
A mournful wail

(to be continued)

I'm watching you!!

I saw you last night
Crawling out under the moonlight
You've been hiding there for a while
It's about time you turn back

I saw you last week
Your white shirt tainted red
Your heart bled
And more tears you shed

I saw you last month
Crying and running away
from your ruined life
Leaving the palace where you were once the princess

I saw you last year
You were jaunty
Your laugh froze the world
People admired and loved you

I wonder how your world turned black

I'm always here, watching you
Sharing your sorrow and delight
Have you no heart
that you didn't even turn your head!!