Temple Tanka Poem by john tiong chunghoo

thick incense fume
trails by smiling gods
devotees' faith
stamped in the deities'
soot-covered faces

haiku one:

country lane
between windblown trees
a boy dances a tango

haiku two:

night river
the breese sends the moon
shivering

haiku three:

cross culture
the child squats, talks to a rat
that has gone into a hole

free verse poetry:
title: the circle game
--

forlorn stairs
each step spins a tale
of unrequited love,
a secret love
that imprisons me
in a miserable time warp

the stairs
where i had longed
for you
your appearance
that would cheer up
my day
the stairs that still echoes
the thumping of my heart
the stairs where
a thousand dreams spun
and another thousand
trail the wind

the forlorn stairs
that got me caught
between the steps
where time still stops for me
to get a feel of you

a sip of vintage wine
those ambitious flighty years
where we were told
to take each step with care
that each step counts
your youth spent in
climbing the stairs of knowledge
mine looking for that steps to your heart