POEMS:

In the Midst of
Hardship
He Had Such Quite
Eyes
Nature
Are
Still
Playing
PreparedYou
by: MADAM
K SMAMAM(2011)
the Flute

What we learn in pleasure, we never forget

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In The Midst Of Harship

By: Latiff Mohiddin

Lines from the poem

Literal Meaning

Figurative Meaning

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was no sign of despair

The family returns home early in the

morning, soaked to the skin.
They have scratches and wounds on
their hands and legs.
They do not look depressed or disturbed
after what they have just gone through.

As we journey through life, we may

experience situations that are painful and
challenging.
Despite these challenges, we should not
despair.
We should face hardships with courage.

The whole day and night just passed

they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tiny barks
desperately looking for their sons
albino buffalo that was never found

They have been out the whole day and

night.
They have trudged through the
floodwater which is full of twigs,
branches and dead animals.
They are looking for their sons albino
buffalo.
However, they do not find it.

Our journey through life may be troubled

and we may face obstacles and tragic
losses along the way.

They were born amidst hardship

and grew up without a sigh or a
complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

Although they have been poor from birth

and have experienced a lot of hardships,
they have grown up without regrets.
They are now relaxing in the kitchen,
cracking jokes and preparing to have a
smoke.

We may be born in to a life of hardship, but

that does not mean that we should live in
despair.
We should learn how to cope with the
difficulties we face, instead of dwelling too
much on them.

Remarks

What we learn in pleasure, we never forget

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He Had Such Quite Eyes

By: Bibsy Soenharjo
Lines from the poem

Literal Meaning

Figurative Meaning

He had such quiet eyes

She did not realise
They were two pools of lies
Layered with thinnest ice
To her, those quiet eyes
Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice
And to render him paradise

When the persona looked into the young

mans sincere-looking eyes, she was
deceived into thinking that he needed
someone to love.
She was not aware that betrayal was
second nature to him.
His eyes even made her feel compelled
to be nice to him.

Meeting people and getting involved in a

social relationship is part and parcel of life.
However, along the way, we may meet twofaced people with ulterior motives.
Sometimes, they may across as so sincere
that we innocently accept them as their
friends or partners.

If only shed been wise

And had listened to the advice
Never to compromise
With pleasure-seeking guys
Shed be free from the hows and whys

When the persona was betrayed by the

man, she wondered why she had not
been wiser.
She should have remembered the advice
of not believing men blindly.
If she had held on to her principles, she
would not be asking herself why she had
been cheated.

Social relationships can turn sour if one

party betrays the other. Hence, one should
be careful on the other partys motives.
In any case, do not compromise your
principles, as someone who is sincere would
not force you into giving up your morals.

Now heres a bit of advice

Be sure that nice really means nice
Then youll never be losing at dice
Though you may lose your heart once or
twice

The poet advises young ladies to be

more careful before getting involved in
relationships with men. They must make
sure that they know the men well. They
should learn to differentiate between
sincerity and falsehood.
They eventually meet the right man,
though they may lose their hearts a few
times before that.

Remarks

I
t is always good to be cautions before
committing to a relationship to avoid
serious consequences.
You have to make sure you can trust the
person you befriend. Do not gamble with
your affections, even you fall in love.

What we learn in pleasure, we never forget

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Nature
By: H.D Carberry

What we learn in pleasure, we never forget

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Lines from the poem

We have neither Summer nor Winter
Neither Autumn nor Spring.
We have instead the days
When the gold sun shines on the lush
green canefields Magnificently.
The days when the rain beats like bullets
on the roofs
And there is no sound but the swish of
water in the gullies
And trees struggling in the high Jamaica
winds.

Literal Meaning
Lines 1 2
Jamaica does not have the four seasons
of summer, spring, autumn and winter.
Lines 3 5
It has instead the days when the weather
is very hot and the sun shines brightly on
the rich green fields of sugarcane.

Lines 1 2
It may seem that we do not have the same
things in life.
Lines 3 5
But we do have good times when
everything is bright and cheerful.

Lines 6 8
There are days when the rain comes
down in heavily and beats forcefully on
the roofs of houses.
No other sound is heard except for the
sound of water flowing in the gullies.
The trees have to struggle against the
strong winds to remain standing.

Lines 6 8
There may be days when life becomes
tough and seems difficult to deal with.

Lines 9 10
Also there are the days when leaves fade At other times, tress shed their leaves
from off guango trees
and the field which have been harvested
And the reaped canefields lie bare and
are left bare.
fallow to the sun.
But best of all there are the days when
the mango and the logwood blossom
When the bushes are full of the sound of
bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to
the slightest breath of air,
When the buttercups have paved the
earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the
rains have gone.

Lines from the poem

Figurative Meaning

Lines 11 15
The best days are when Earth is alive
again.
Fruit trees, like the mango and logwood,
bloom and the bushes are full of bees
and the fragrance of honey. The grass
grows tall and moves to the slightest
breeze. The fields are covered with
yellow buttercups that look like shinning
stars and nature bursts with beauty after
rainy days have gone.

Literal Meaning

Remarks

Lines 9 10
There will be times when certain things go
beyond our control and we have no choice
but to let them be.
Lines 11 15
But we will also get the chance to
experience the best times of our life.
We have go through bad days in order to
appreciate the good days.
When these good moments occur,
everything goes right and we enjoy life to
the fullest.
Then, we realize that everyone is actually
getting the same things in life, only in
different ways.

Figurative Meaning

Remarks

What we learn in pleasure, we never forget

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Lines from the poem

Literal Meaning

Figurative Meaning

Are you still playing your flute?

When there is hardly time for our love
I am feeling guilty
To be longing for your song
The melody concealed in slim hollow of
the bamboo
Uncovered by the breath of an artist
Composed by his fingers
Blown by the wind
To the depth of my heart

The persona wonders whether the

person she is thinking of is still playing
his flute.
She feels guilty for wanting to hear his
song, a song that is composed when he
blows on the bamboo instrument, a
song that touches her heart.

*The flute refers to the customs and

traditions in our life. The flute is made of
bamboo and is played by blowing into it
and using ones finger to create a melody,
thus representing all that is natural and
untainted.
The persona is feeling guilty for longing for
her previous life that was filled with values
and traditions.

Are you still playing your flute?

In the village so quiet and deserted
Amidst the sick rice field
While here it has become a luxury

The persona wonders, in a more

questioning tone, whether the person is
still playing his flute.
The paddy fields and village where he
stays are now deserted.

The persona wonders if the values and

traditions in her village are being upheld
now that many people have left the place.
At her current place, she finds life passing
by quickly and there is hardly time for her
to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

To spend time watching the rain

Gazing at the evening rays
Collecting dew drops
Or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.
Are you still playing the flute?
The more it disturbs my conscience
to be thinking of you
in the hazard of you
my younger brothers are unemployed
and desperate
my people disunited by politics
my friend slaughtered mercilessly
This world is too old and bleeding.

Remarks

Meanwhile, the persona is in a place

where she finds it is difficult to enjoy her
surrounding beauty.
The persona wonders, this time with a
slight urgency, whether the person is
still playing his flute.
The memory of him is disturbing her
conscience.
At the same time, she is worried about
her brothers who are jobless, her friend
who was killed and the political situation
in the country that has divided her
people.

The persona feels uncomfortable that she

keeps thinking about trivial matters such
as customs traditions and her village when
at present, troubles abound.
There are unemployment, disharmony and
merciless killings.
She feels the world is changing for the
worse.

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

By: Zurinah Hassan

What we learn in pleasure, we never forget

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