Fire Poem by Ong Kar Jin

Yesterday I dreamily cruised down a river,
A saintly mirror of the stars above,
In the sheer darkness I shivered,
with the rekindling of an undying love.

Together the fireflies shone,
Like stars descended upon earth,
Awakening a desire long forlorn,
Giving to my eyes a whole new birth.

Lights in the darkness they were,
A blessed wonder of nature,
Beauty to be admired from afar,
But not for us to own or mar.

We may attempt to recreate it,
To acquire and change it as we see fit,
But alas, it is not something to be owned,
or something artificial to be shown,
It resides deep from within our souls.

And in melancholy, I row back,
Rocking in the recesses of the wooden deck,
I hear the fireflies whisper to me,
You can never possess what is Beauty.