Are We Still Friend? Poem by john tiong chunghoo

you came in the midst of hope
in the youngest days when
our eyes sparkled like diamonds
and laughters rang like the
freshest notes of dawn
the birds between the flowers
complementing each other
gracing the first light
with promises we wished to
bring to fruition to honour
our guardians - our feet ran on
their support and our sweet dreams were theirs too

the day ran into a storm
the sun was lost in the clouds
and our laughters were pierced in
the glint of a second under the sharpest knife
and my heart roared against the ego
- the lightning that split
and plundered like thunder the attention
and friendship between us
throwing us into the mode of the setting sun

there is a faint breath between the light
as we tried to wish away the
impedements, the darkness that follows

we walked the roads that had
brought us together and found
many common grounds except your ego
that tears like the teeth of a spear
cold, unforgiving, unthoughtful
a plunge that goes right
through the hearts that had
lighted up the friendship
between two gentle souls