Tuesday 15 December 2009



Stubborn. Creative. Love.
Dugaldo once wrote, "Dreamers... Our gift is our curse."
Curse,
How could it be a curse?
Outrageous!
But what he wrote seem true
As to the why, I've got no clue
Or maybe I do.

Introverts are thinkers, dreamers,
story writers.
We want things to go our way,
and no other way.
We're stubborn yet open -
we still do listen.
But in the end,
our heart is our friend,
we'll do as they say for as long as we can.

Take for instance writing,
The only writing I did was blogging,
Only a few years of blogging and suddenly I feel as though I'm good at what I'm doing
Why do I bother writing?
When I know a thousand Lit Majors out there are trying
While I'm studying Engineering

Take for instance endings,
The ones that I hated
Like Water for Chocolate,
and 500
Days of Summer - She's an idiot.

So let's take love for instance shall we,
I'm as stubborn as I can be
They said to say hi, make eyes,
smile.
But can't they see?
It's not as easy
as ABC
or 123

I can do that with most people,
just not her,
or her,
or her.

And just so you know, I do ask myself why
But I've yet to receive a reply.

So when Dugaldo wrote, Dreamers...
Our gift is our curse,
I might have just quenched my thirst,
My thirst for an answer.
And the answer cannot be any clearer:

I'm an Introvert
I'm my own group of thinkers, dreamers,
story writers.
I want things to go my way,
and no other way.
And if things go my way (and I know the journey will not be a smooth one),
I could do a Sinatra and sing:

I've lived a life that's full -
I've travelled each and every highway.
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets? I've had a few,
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course -
Each careful step along the byway,
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.




Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of the book Eat, Pray, Love couldn't have put it nicely in her speech above:

Don't be afraid. Don't be daunted. Just do your job. Continue to show up for your piece of it whatever that might be. If your job is to dance. Do your dance. If the divine cock-eyed genius assigned to your case decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpse for just one moment through your efforts, then Ole. And if not, do your dance anyhow. And Ole to you nonetheless. I believe this and I feel that we must teach it. Ole to you nonetheless just for having the sheer human love and stubbornness to keep showing up.


Ole to me, I guess, for having the sheer human love and stubbornness to keep showing up. Ole to Dugaldo for that single poetic line that managed to inspire a lengthy piece of nothing. I guess one has got to start from nothing before he gets something. And Ole to a friendly stranger friend, for her "I would say that lit students have been exposed to a lot of writing, so there are those among us who wants to create something of our own. That does not mean you would not be just as good. My mantra with writing is 'Just Write'..."

Ole!

10 comments

marmamook said... @ 16 December 2009 at 03:57

very cool. i really enjoyed this post, especially the video. favorited. :)
it's an interesting poem from the perspective of an introvert...a little simple/telly for my taste but i like it. i agree- a lot of my time i spend kind of shuffling around attempting to do things the world's way...when i feel like i'm programmed for something different, like you...or at least that's what i got out of it. so nice job!

marzuki said... @ 16 December 2009 at 07:39

Thanks for dropping by marmamook!

Since this is my first attempt at writing something, I really appreciated the positive words that sandwiched the gem:

Simple and telly. Would you mind expanding a little more on telly? What does it mean? Please be as mean as you can - I need to set my self my first benchmark that I could aim to achieve when I subsequently write.

At this stage where I'm at, I need a Simon Cowell or two to help me grow (:

marmamook said... @ 16 December 2009 at 10:36

i don't know that i would be any kind of simon cowell but i'll certainly give it a go...

what you have almost reads more as prose, more as a blog or slice out of a diary than as poetry. do you have simile? metaphor? it reads very well, flows nicely, but are you telling me how you feel? or do you show me how you feel?

you tell me:

Introverts are thinkers, dreamers,
story writers.
We want things to go our way,
and no other way.

this reads very well, like i said, but they're 2 simple sentences. could you have told me this...?

Introvert- drawn in, wrapped in dreams, twisting out stories like thread between fingers.
Stubborn and steadfast, we see one path to follow.

granted, that's a pretty fast edit and a little sloppy but you get the picture, i hope.

you have some great content. it rings true with me. but how can you switch the vocabulary up to make it a little more interesting? more poetic, i guess. can you play with metaphor, simile, imagery?

i hope this helped. i'm really looking forward to seeing any edits you may do. but remember, i'm by no means an expert- don't take my word as gospel. if it doesn't feel or sound right to you, it's not right for you. :)

marzuki said... @ 16 December 2009 at 18:19

Thanks! Definitely very useful advice.

I should not tell stuffs, but show stuffs. There has to be simile, metaphors, imagery. It should never ever sound like simple sentences that have been broken up. Points noted.

I'll be looking out for these few key points as I re-read and study the pieces I have on this blog.

And just in case ure wondering why I'm making the most basic mistakes in poetry, it's coz this field is a completely new area to me. I only began a couple of days ago. So for now, even though you're no expert, i'll be listening to each and every pointer that u give me.

Again, thanks alot! (:

marmamook said... @ 17 December 2009 at 10:29

something you might want to consider is joining a poetry site online...there are some great places where people are willing to read and critique poetry, sometimes even to the point of showing you their own edit of it. it's extremely helpful. i've only been writing poetry since the beginning of the year and i credit everything i've learned to a poetry board. i personally am a member of criticalpoet.com but there are many other very good ones. it's a wonderful way to get started and i enjoy it even as i'm past the point of needing to learn the basics. :)

glad i could be of help.

marzuki said... @ 18 December 2009 at 00:20

Aah that's a really nice site that u introduced me to. Plenty of originals and it comes with critiques! U've definitely pointed me to a sweet direction. Hoping one day I can help you like how you've helped me today. (:

marmamook said... @ 18 December 2009 at 00:37

hey, no problem. let me know how that works out for you. :) look forward to reading more of you in the future.

marzuki said... @ 18 December 2009 at 12:44

Am looking forward to more of yours too!

Head's splitting into pieces as I weave the right words together. Is this how it feels whenever one dives deep within the innermost confines of one's soul? I'm deep. Pitch black. And I can't see my hands. I'm lost. Im scared. I'm drowning. Asphyxiated.

But I'm not there yet. Need... to go .. deeper, I told myself.

And you know what marmamook, every time I feel like turning back, I always see her. The girl I've been telling you about - the beautiful marmaid. Then the same mysterious rush of oxygen through my tired lungs.

I'm a sea lion. Renewed energy, I continue diving.

(hahahaha! I cant believe i wrote what i just wrote.)

floreta said... @ 20 December 2009 at 13:30

i just have to say that that is my faaavorite TED video!!

Dugaldo said... @ 22 June 2010 at 15:12

That was quite a workshop you two just had. Thanks for the shout out girl. That felt, for lack of a more poetic word, nice. It feels really nice. Keep dreaming. Keep writing.

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