A Plaque Poem by john tiong chunghoo

and see what I pick up in this marathon
through the universe - a plaque on
the tooth and root of existence
and I say I love I I love it I love it
like the diamond on the finger
the joy, the love, the sweat,
and the tears it spills on the colourful,
faceted and heart trundling ride
there is this seasickness
that cast a hynoptic shroud over
the various selves
we are never one
a part is taken in by
this great friend that becomes one
with one part
while the other parts swirl, swirl
through the universe in the wish to find a common self
the conscious friend I am wakened up to for company day after day
and the unconscious a hidden mountain
with all its winds, streams, stones and creatures
the quiet and the unknown beckon - an emptiness
that echoes a voice larger than this consciousness to fill out
the outer coat rests on a magic ball of electrified selves
that spill the seeds of joy but is hooked to the noose of the hangman
the conscious part is triggered by the plaque
the way it causes the stabbing pain on the rotting tooth
the conscious friend that overwhelms is never large enough
to jolt the other part of me to its insignificance
a plaque is a plaque is a plaque
and it soon corrupts itself into bits and pieces of foulness
not worth even crying over
there is no need even for a dentist to come over
the room is empty and it is too large a crevice to fill out