#instruthnovels

[instruth]

DUSK FLAMING ARROW

Dusk flaming arrow

View from my window

I see a weeping willow

Wondering if she knows

My heart is full of sorrow

As the sunset sinks below

The horizon bleeds on yellow

The sky will sleep till tomorrow

Heavy in grief and sorrow

walking the streets of narrow

wrinkled faces ready to burrow

turning to yesterday for a borrow

waiting for a brand new tomorrow

tears wheeled away by the barrow

hear thee a whiff of poisoned arrows

Stiff hairs rising row by row

finders of bone to the marrow

by eerie sounds of cursed crows

grim faces all sliced to the furrow

plowing the wounds with a harrow

burying all the unhatched sparrows

fear sprouting upward from the snow

Red cheeks turn pale to sallow

surfing waves go high and low

sailing away from the gallows

forever to be cursed a yellow

in self pity to cry and wallow

heartbeats arise to a billow

voices down to the hollow

Instinct triggers the onset aglow

with heavy head resting on a pillow

sinking into the feathered bed below

in dreamland with all the good fellows

inbred by the doves and the swallows

till senses turn calm to a mellow

worthy to wear a crown of hallow

©Johnny J P Lee

06 May 2021

Photos Credit J. P. Lee

[instruth]

KINGDOM

every choice I make

is a kingdom in itself

just have to name it

need not look elsewhere

the kingdom is within me

daily dwelling place

for my status now

depends on experiences

on how I have lived

what more I become

depends on choices I make

the rest of my days

©Johnny J P Lee

17 April 2021

Haiku 5-7-5

[instruth]

THE RUSTLING OF LEAVES

The rustling of leaves

A touch of nature’s softness

As the gentle breeze

Brush-paints a soothing caress

Silently, a refreshing breath of air

Surfs lightly by as flutters of feathers

Daintily walking, elegant lady fair

Rustling leaves and I, cuddle together

O! Whistling leaves, wind in my hair

We gallop the ground beyond the plain

Joy and laughter, showing off our flair

Away from the bustle, so free from pain

Gingerly cautious in natural wary

Lovingly soft, worries to wrestle

Off heavy shoulders we will carry

Sweet melodies as the leaves rustle

©Johnny J P Lee

11 April 2021

Photos Credit J. P. Lee

[instruth]

TIME AND TIME AGAIN

There is no time anytime,

sometime, perhaps, this time,

for another time of good time,

but there is a time every time

for an overtime to find more time,

especially at times when time

is the only time you can time

an actual time to catch some time

and make time for taking back the time

you have lost from wasting time,

to how much time you gain for the time

while spending time for a little time

with your grandmother in quality time,

before time becomes a passing time,

just so a timely time

may find no time at all

to recover from a timeless moment

for a moment of your time,

provided you still have time

for some spare time

to keep the time,

and not get timed out

from a pleasant time

to save some real time

for the right time

in measured time,

time and time again.

©Johnny J P Lee

17 April 2021

Photo Credit, Unsplash Images

[instruth]

I Dream I Could Fly

I dream I could fly

way up to the sky

with my friendly birds

together we flap and chirp

I am very brave

we fly up to a cave

And look down to the sea

Beauty everywhere, all I can see

I cross the sea on expanded wings

I see the distant shore, I begin to sing

Oh! The fields and plains come to view

I scan the earth below in its wondrous hue

Lo and behold! Red roses and all the reds

Among the colors the rainbow has bred

Awake, my daily life is no longer the same

I appreciate nature’s providence by name

In my mind I still fly there for a good rest

A little house on an island, away from wrest

©Johnny J P Lee

01 May 2021

Photo Credit, Pa-ola123

[instruth]

There is a magical child in me,

alive in my memory.

Sometimes he’s happy,

often he’s hurt.

I’ve learned to listen to him;

From him, I discover who I am,

and I understand why I am

the way that I am.

I am now a man;

he is still a child,

who is father of the man.

- J. P. Lee (02 June 2021)

[instruth]

The Ceiling Above The Mind

Projection of the will runs up the wall

to the higher ceiling above the mind.

The limitless stretching beyond it all,

by self searching for a miraculous find.

An ancient door leading to the one mall

of fame, knowledge, dreams, and a kind

of desire just out of reach, near but tall,

well hidden in the ceiling above the mind.

©Johnny J P Lee

22 April 2021

Photo Credit J. P. Lee

[instruth]

CHATTING UP MY NERVES ANEW

Today I chat up my nerves anew

Messages perhaps for only a few

Sizzling under the blistering sun

Till day be drawn when light is done

Glum at dusk as stars sculpture a face

And the night drags me to a darker place.

The winter’s chilling wind blows

Where it goes to, no one knows

Matters not where, only that it is here

Put on fur coats, pulled over the ears

Time to hibernate, to cozy bed I’ll go

Where dreams shall comfort, be it so

As clouds bring the promise of rain

Soon! Spring will surely come again

Listen, whichever one is still able

For the rest, there's only a parable.

Lonely hearts no longer cool the sun

Knotted hearts will get nothing done

Choked hearts simply cannot breathe

Fearful hearts only confined to grieve

Waiting to be free when the heart is open

Unknotted, unchained to touch the heavens

I'll be back

I’ve never left

Don't look there

I am here.

The butterfly buzzes with life

The caterpillar feeds all day

The pupa sleeps through the night

The imago emerges on a new morn

With life renewed

A new creation.

©Johnny J P Lee

06 May 2021

Photos Credit John Lim

[instruth]

OPENINGS TO AN ENDGAME

Openings are initial moves

They have names, and they vary

One side in offense, the other defense

Light color against dark color

Develop the patterns but not too many

Soldiers not to run twice in a stretch

Hide the queen, behind the troops

Play the bishop, strike with the knight

Castles to open in the early morning

Connect the rooks by using the flanks

Develop attacks to control the centre

Protect the king, plant the fork snipers

Queen sneaks out at night, in all directions

Strategies stretch till the very last move

Conquest is the aim, that’s the Endgame

Play in your head to train your imagination

©Johnny J P Lee

06 May 2021

Photos Credit Unsplash Images

[instruth]

Awakened For A Cloudy Morning View

Awakened for a cloudy morning view

Overlooking the quiet sleeping lake

Surrounded by the fragrant scent of dew

Peace, with every breath that I take

I feel safe in my sanctuary well embraced

by mountains and flaming flowers too

Grassy greens wave, wind on my face

Romancing with nature, sounds of coo

©Johnny J P Lee

20 April 2021

Photo Credit, Throughwinterfields

[instruth]

I Think Of My Mama

I often think of my mama

on things left to wonder why

she left me alone one day

and oh, it really made me cry

Alone, I wandered into the woods

like Alice in Wonderland

a safe place for my shifting moods

wow, nature in Disneyland

Mama triggered my inner world

Until then, it had been hidden, gone

Never knew that I am also spirit and soul

Mama, now I know, “Find yourself, be alone.”

©Johnny J P Lee

15 April 2021

Photos Credit, my friends,

Aseelalattar

Sanjogsonsand

Kaushal Kishore

[instruth]

I SEARCH FOR LOVE

I search for true love everlasting

but end up in a weary wilderness

Lonely, thirsty, the hot sun blasting

A simple cactus greets forgiveness

I go down on my knees, humbly I pray

Suddenly, the cactus smiles into blooms

I am lifted upwards and I fly away

I look below, a tapestry on the loom

Cherry blossoms, roses, all flowers too

Pine trees appear, rainbow over the sky

The colorful scene takes away my blues

Love flows out from within me, and I cry

©Johnny J P Lee

15 April 2021

Photos, Babystudentkittenlove

[instruth]

Hi there,

I just received news that one of my poems will be read live from East Coast, USA on the Poetry Show, Writings On The Wall 😋, at 9pm, this Saturday, 22 May, US time (9am Sunday, Spore time )- with an introduction about me. There will be a recorded version of the show.

Just click the link. You may need to sign in with your email and accompanying password to get locked in to the live show. It’s a one hour show.

The Organiser of the show, Alexandro Botelho, contacted me this evening.

This is the link 👇👇👇

Hello Johnny, my name is Alexandro Botelho. I read live poetry and creative writing on YouTube every Saturday at 9pm CST. I would love to read some of your writings and let my audience know where they can find out more about you and your work.

Here is a playlist of the past live shows:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNpMVpNeMNh_bUS31h61dDFDARMXxG3R0

Thank you for writing and sharing with the world 🙂

[instruth]

MYSTICAL PHASES OF TIME

Yesterday is a memory in history

Tomorrow remains a mystical hope

Today is a gift for the present

What’s past is past

What’s ahead exists in prophecy

Today is the immediate reality

The past is a heritage

The present is a realized inheritance

For a future full of hope

The future is a written scroll

The past was the inscription

The present, a signpost

The word was sent yesterday

It is here today

It shall not return home void

The eldest planted a dream

The elder lives in the dream

The youngest meets the dream maker

©Johnny J P Lee

13 April 2021

Photo Credit Unsplash Images

[instruth]

🎼 TELL ME 🎼

🎼

Are you a lover

or a friend

Tell me

Is it over

Is this the end

🎼

How do you feel

Right or wrong

Tell me

Are we for real

Or merely a song

🎶Say I do

Say you do

Just for two

Me and you🎶

🎼

Are you for sure

Do you still doubt

Tell me

How do you measure

Love - softly or aloud

©Johnny J P Lee

15 April 2021

Photo Credit J. P. Lee

[instruth]

🎼 The Songs We Sang Last Summer 🎼

🎼

The songs we sang last summer

I’d never thought would be our last

Loving memories I’ll always remember

Alone, I now sing, to travel to our past

🎼

The times we spent over last summer

Keep running clearly in my mind

Loving moments as we held together

Weaving a lasting imprint to bind

🎶 Forever to treasure

Humming our melody

No words can measure

This living on a memory

That I still know for sure🎶

🎼

My joy is complete, that you love me

There is nothing more I would prefer

With pledges of true love eternally

By the songs we sang last summer

©Johnny J P Lee

20 April 2021

Photos Credit, J. P. Lee