Tag: poem

You cut off his head, legs come looking for you – 2nd July 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Rainy season started early this year – very early in fact. So, it’s hot and wet and therefore, sticky and humid. Every year, usually after a big rain, some form or another of bug will suddenly emerge from the ground by the millions, to flutter around for five minutes, procreate and then die. Each morning we have to sweep away the piles of carcasses from around our front porch.

On this occasion we had some assistance from a colony of ants in search of nutrition. The picture is taken from a video, which I can’t post here, so it’s difficult to see the army of ants carrying these insects off to their nest. I followed the trail, along our front path, under my hammock, passed the garage, the outdoor toilets, the teaching room and somewhere in amongst the grass near our front gate. A good twenty to thirty metres away from where I took this picture I guess.

A few weeks later and the rains became more torrential and consistent, another colony of ants decided they needed a new home. It wasn’t unusual to see some ants around by the back door and inspecting under the washing machine as it was a pantry of dead bugs and lizards under there. But this time, over the course of one night we found this nest of mud the following morning!

A dose of ant killer soon stopped them and then the task of dragging out the washing machine and digging out their nest with a small shovel! Sorry, ants – this house isn’t big enough for all of us. We can’t have a million of anything living here!

Damned Ants

The invaders are coming
Building castles in dark recesses
An unstoppable force
With an ingenuity that impresses
Counting in their millions
Each one so sure of their role
Ceaselessly marching onward
In determined self-control
I must gather my own forces
With a bucket, shovel and mop
These damned ants – be gone!
Like them, I too, will never stop

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that Amy’s dad took the student’s dog. I hope he takes good care of it. I’m also happy and grateful to be able to start teaching a new student of Ellen’s, a 16-year-old who is moving to Melbourne with her family. She is very quiet but knows she has to study hard.

4 Million Poems – 1st July 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 1 Comment

4 million poems later
And 40 years in time
Never run out of topics
Or words to find to rhyme
4 million poems later
I haven’t yet said and done
Everything that can be rhymed
So here’s 4 million and one

Weight: 77.6kg
Resting heart rate: 45

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to Takky for telling us about a couple of students who are returning to China and have a dog to leave behind. They showed us the dog – of course, we can’t take it – but we helped them by putting ads on social media and sending pictures to Amy’s dad – who said he will take it! It’s a nice friendly French bulldog.

Here We Go Again – 29th June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

We’re off to the office
Where the witches never smile
What should take 5 minutes
Is sure to take a while
It’s a dreaded moment
Waiting for confirmation
This time can be no mistakes
On my visa application
……
Luckily it was quiet today
No one in the queue
And even the witches were happy
With nothing much to do
In and out like a flash
I get to stay another sixty days
I hope it’s this easy next time
So I can enjoy my stays

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful today as it’s Amy’s birthday and we will have a nice lunch together at Le Meridian. She will also help at immigration to apply for my new visa. I am so happy to have her in my life.

Amy’s birthday today. 42 years old. Still a young ‘un.

I didn’t feel so fantastic this morning – slight sore throat and headache but I still did some morning exercise and talked myself out of feeling worse.

I’m happy that on Monday to Thursday, I have 2/9 each morning as they are mostly good students and we can have fun together. And sure enough, by the end of the class, I was in a calm enough mood to deal with Amy’s crankiness as we prepared things for my visa application and my house registration document. Ironic that we are getting around to getting this as I’ve got it in my head that we will go back to Australia in the future.

Well, we got that all sorted easily enough and headed off to Le Meridian for a lovely lunch with lots of bread and it was a struggle to eat so much!

Anyway, the rest of the day was fine. Greeted by Tangmo as I came home, played a bit, pulled some weeds and then Amy and I did some Just Dance as she wants to do some more exercise. It was fun, and I even beat her. I think we’ll both sleep well tonight.

All in all, a good day. Got to prepare myself for my busy teaching day tomorrow and try to orgnaise what else we will do in classes for the rest of the week.

On Waiting – 28th June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Dull day, inexplainable, darkened skies
Greying mind, inexplicable meaningless whys
Each day, unknowable, a morning shine
Bright mind, lovable, this day divine

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to work out and meditate in Kim’s room and be distracted by her running around like crazy. She makes me smile and distracts me from my own problems.

Chicken Hawker – 25th June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

The fried chicken stand roars each morning
Burning oil since the early dawning
You know it’s bad – ‘But it’s delicious’
There’s things inside so suspicious
Feel your organs, pumping, throbbing
As arteries are slowly clogging
The chicken man holds a scythe
Death comes along to claim his tithe

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to have this little book to write my notes in. I prefer to write with pen and paper rather than using an app.

No Punk Intended – 24th June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Slamming into each other
Having so much fun
It’s a heaving circle pit
Until each song is done
But someone is down
On the slippery floor they slid
Someone should help them up
But no punk in ten did

The skins have come with bats
Meting out some violence
What to do about them?
Just met with silence
The beatings had started
The punks all run and hid
Stand up all together
But no punk in ten did

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that it is Thursday and I only have two classes today and will finish at 1.30 so will have lots of free time. I plan to draw a picture of Tokyo to give to Gui as a gift.

Poems on this day – 23rd June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Conkers

We marched ever onward
Til we conquered all around
Spilled blood, spread disease
Put generations in the ground
Now the march is inward
To conquer our own mind
What then becomes of us
After what we find?

Godsnake

Some absurd things make us laugh
While others they offend
But if you cannot laugh at yourself
You’ll be angry until your end
You can have your faith and eat it
Not everyone feels the same
Our beliefs are as absurd as each others
Let’s not apportion blame

Legacy of GG

Ugly is art, all the same
No judgement on defect
It deserves respect
Only opinion, it’s in the name
It could be a mistake
Art for art’s sake
Like it or leave it
Opinions aren’t facts
So just relax
If you don’t believe it
Existing is real
Whatever you feel
Fame can be fleeting
Soon passing on by
Even after you die
Those people you’re meeting
Will return to the sky
Just as you and I

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for the delicious smells coming from the kitchen this morning as Amy prepares me my lunch – chilli jam fake duck. The fake meats here are many and varied and I’m grateful for all the choices.

Psyche’s Mistake – 22rd June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 4 Comments

If you looked deeply and saw it was not real
Everything stripped away so you could no longer feel
Would that mean that all the things from the past
Never really happened now they no longer last?
Was it all a lie? Memories that now fade
Was it even you and those mistakes you made?
Maidens become wolves, jewels become dust
I cherish it all, for happiness I must
Unrelenting winds whipped into a chill
Forever into oblivion, remnants laying still

You Bring Out The English In Me – 21st June 2021

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

I’m sorry to say, it’s your fault
It’s all the stupid things I see
Sarcasm is the default result
You bring out the English in me

“That’s just great, that’s amazing!”
While I wonder what the fuck you’re doing
What I mean and say are not the same thing
Over the horizon, trouble is brewing

It’s a culture clash, war with words
I see things I should never see
Slower than thirty-three and a thirds
You bring out the English in me

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to be able to work from home today. Finally, someone at the school made the right decision for teachers to work from home due to the Covid case at school. It is the sensible decision!

Well, the students came back to school last Monday on a treacherous day of torrential rain, and it was good to see them all again. By Friday, the school was closed again due to a case of Covid that the school knew about on that first day but kept to themselves in the hope that it wouldn’t be a big deal. So typical of the Thai style. It’s very frustrating.

On Monday, Nancy was also constantly hassling me to cash her cheque and transfer her money. I was unable to get to a bank, but Amy offered to transfer it if I put some money into her account. I transferred from my account without realising it took me below the threshold needed for my visa application, which was summarily rejected on Tuesday! Now, I have to change to a 60-day visitor visa and re-apply again. I was so annoyed that it became funny.

Thailand has not endeared itself to me this week. I started wondering about leaving. We are only made to feel welcome here if we spend money. We will never be accepted as equals – sometimes it feels like a punishment for the luck of being born in a ‘better’ society. Revenge jealousy.

Anyway, I can play with my cats and the dog from next door. I still have books to read. Fuck frustration!