Dear Syahiera & Hubby
(Fifteen Blissful Years)

Sayang, you are calmness personified;
Solace is returning to you at eventide. 

At the door I don’t jangle my keys and
rouse you from sofa slumberland.
This is what you do without grievance:
waiting up for me when work beckons. 

15 summers ago I clapped eyes on you 
15 winters later you still take my breath away;
We hear the echoes of highs and lows
We dance through it all, come what may.

How do I adore you? 
More precisely -
How much do I adore you?
Rome would crumble without its pillars
I would dissolve without your strength.

The depth of the gratitude I carry
with a love so high and so wide  
will I pray preserve this sacred bond
until we stroll together in paradise. 

Dear Aunt Linda

You found sweet joy just before noon 
Turning eighteen, and in a shy swoon
With him, the dashing love of your life 
And soon came two pretty little lights. 

Early afternoon brought giggles, laughter
Four humans knitted in a warm cluster
Blessings and blights came and went
Through it all, four hearts were content.

Then grief struck in the pre-evening
Anguish wrapped in bitter mourning;
Yet you forge on - with grit and grace
Albeit yearning for his warm embrace. 

The night has fallen, a velvet duvet
Your life is truly a come-what-may
Fully-lived and filled with gratefulness 
You are an inspiration to me, your niece. 

For Joyce and Janet

A kaleidoscope of colours on a canvas 
By the hands of a mosaic-minded lass 
Her heart is empowered, her limbs strengthened.

The dedication and fortitude of a mother
Weaving the safety net for her daughter
Her love is unconditional, her purpose unyielding.

The lass may have gone, but her spirit lives on - 
The Janet Lee Gallery a safe place, a beacon
Where budding artists with neurodiversity
Can safely express their creativity.

Afendi & His Cows

Gentle guardians of the pastoral lands,
Given to me to care, feed, and defend;
Heifer, bull, calf in a herd of seven.

Daily I bring them to the blooming pastures
As Merah, Mas, and Bapak lead the others
They graze slowly in the emerald stretches.

While they moo to one another happily,
I lie down on a trunk of a fallen tree
Basking in my solitude contentedly.

As much as I love them, they annoy me too!
Especially the ones who escape from the group;
I threaten those that return by waving my shoe.

This bunch of bovine, I’ll always remember;
In my heart they remain - then, now, forever.

For Marina

Embodying the poise of a discerning owl -
She listens with soul, advises with heart.
What's more, she is a bright starling -
Loving and caring in the murmuration.

When winter visits, you draw near to Marina
For her presence is a hearth of dancing embers,
Where solace is found and stories are born.

Her kitchen dishes up bowls of nourishment,
Her library evokes dreams of faraway lands
And joy is discovered on long rambles together.

~Adelynne Ong, Mar 2025

Dear Sunny

Like the morning star, you are a dazzler,
The rising sun to match your favoured country;
Not even this dark, insidious intruder
Can obscure your joyful luminosity.

This haunting path, you have traversed before,
So you will prevail and overcome once more.

It is a wonder, the way our paths converged,
A divine rendezvous in a laundry room
Where our cherished kinship was uncovered
Where this flower of you and I began to bloom.

In time to come, Poland will greet us with “Cześć!”
With her breathtaking sights and rich heritage;
And on an adventure we shall depart -
Hand in hand, heart to heart.

Through the valleys and the peaks
Through the silence and the roars,
Wherever you go to find what you seek
My feet will stride alongside yours.

~Adelynne Ong, Mar 2025

Dear Nora

Misfortune has no idea what’s coming for it -
To chase it away, to release its hold;
You stare at it defiantly, even on wobbly knees
For you are courage distilled.

As with every point in the game of tennis
Signifying a fresh start
So it is with every point in the game of life
You play with all your heart.

Dear Nora, you are good enough -
Enough to love, enough to be loved.
The quintessence of modernity
A woman with a fount of worth.

~Adelynne Ong, Mar 2025

For Iman

Iman is a steadfast one-woman show,
With all the beautiful bells and whistles.

In her resides a guiding light for hungry learners,
Instilling in them a love for the language
Nourishing in them a confidence to be heard.

As the luscious golden orb begins to set,
She reposes with her beloved and four younglings,
Amidst the murmurs of the waves.

In the moonlight, she dreams up content
Weaving words with a silver intent.

Iman gracefully embodies her name
Doing it all faithfully, fervently;
At times floundering, faltering,
But never without love - always with love.

Greek goddess Hera holds no candle to Iman.

~Adelynne Ong, Mar 2025

Dear Yeen: I See You

I see you, dear friend.

You reach deep within for strength,
But come up short;
Not because you lack it,
But because you've borne the weight too long,
Weathered too many storms,
Flogged yourself too many times,
Until there isn't much left.

Or so you think...
Because I see you.

I see your wisdom, wreathed with gentleness,
Bathe in the light of your carefree spirit,
Marvel at your tenacity,
And blossom under your care.

I see a lovely lady,
Loyal, loving, luminous.

You will get through this journey,
This topsy-turvy transition,
With grace, strength, and courage.

I see you,
And I am here for you.

~Adelynne Ong, Mar 2025

For Sariya

The vehicular snarl, the day-to-day congestion
Making an agony the not-so-long distance
Testing this momma's strength and patience
Becoming the bane of her existence.

After four long years of this minor torture
Sariya has made peace, and found some pleasure
A Bruno Mars fangirl, she sings her heart out
Her teen princesses join in, warbling aloud.

For the love and care of those two progeny
She braves the honks, embraces the journey
Knowing that city life and all its attendants
Are part and parcel of civilisation!

~Adelynne Ong, 16 Jan 2025

🐱SUSHI THE CAT🐱

A Japanese dish made of vinegared rice
A gangster-wannabe of fluff and spice
Sushi is the dish, and Sushi is the name
One with raw seafood, the other you can't tame.

Sushi belongs to Nurul, but in all honesty
She allows this feline his whim and fancy
Burrowing his face in a pair of sneakers
Sniffing for kibble - but who knows for sure?

For all of the cat's idiosyncrasies
With Nurul and her momma, he's a softie
Apple of their eyes, their favourite one
Almost like he is their beloved son!

-Adelynne Ong, 15 Jan 2025

Poem for Celine

Like the roots of a willow,
With their tenacity to live -
This is you; willow is you.

Not only do you survive, but you thrive
Like a sunflower that knows spring is coming -
This is you; sunflower is you.

Equivalent to Persephone
Embodying the vernal equinox
Striding towards warmth, a riot of colours, breezy days.

The vista stretches ahead,
Inviting your brave footsteps.
Take heart, dear heart - and soar.

~Adelynne Ong, Oct 2024

Four hearts nestled in your hands
Four souls you brought into being
You breathe in strength, you breathe out love.

Fawns frolicking,
Ducklings dawdling,
Mama nourishes and admonishes.

Little pink daisies tucked behind ear,
Maple leaves falling like soft tears,
Listening to their giggles by the river.

Doing this alone saps the heart;
You are their rock - but who is yours?
An ardent companion who fortifies you?

A spray of violets appear on your lap
As the youngsters gather, beaming;
There is no trading this sweetness for the world.

~Adelynne Ong, Oct 2024