Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The Ramen Boy

there was once a boy...
who hailed from a sleepy fishing town...

he dreamt of seeing the world...
everything beyond the town's confine...

so one day he pack his bag...
said farewell to his family and left...

as he made his way...
he promised when he returns...
he would have made his name...

he embarked on an adventure...
travelling the world's great expanse...

finally he stumbled upon a stop...
steamy bowl of ramen with a magical glow...

he has found his master...
now he must work hard to hone his craft...

for many years he sweat and learn...
muscular arms made for kneading chewy dough...
delicate skin ruined by constant scorching and burns...

he was not a gifted learner...
but a diligent student...

while fellow apprentice took half the time he needs...
he refine each skill with twice the amount of training...

time flew by in a swift...
after years of meticulous practice...
he more than held his own...
his ramen was acclaimed in his adopted land...
people travel just to get a taste...

yet human is a vulnerable race...
nothing can rid him of his homesickness...
not even glory and praises...

so he set his mind to return...
back to where he began...

he was eager to show his family and friends...
the mastery he work so hard to earn...

but there are no noodles or dough...
this is just a fishing place...

he tried to use the fresh fish in abundance...
to recreate the exquisite taste of ramen...

he tried and tried and tried...
but was only greeted with failure and waste...

he did not understand what is wrong...
why this is going on...

then one day his aging mother came to his aid...
listen my boy she said...

i know you are a great ramen chef...
but fish will always be just fish...
you have such culinary gifts...
why not create your own dish...

a smile spread across the boy's face...
he finally come to his senses...
he had been looking at the wrong places...

so he start over once again...
without the burden of history...
he used his imagination to create a brand new future...

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Chipped Star

once there was a star...
whose glow illuminated the night...
gave light to the darkness...
travelers marvel at its glory...
gave thanks to the guidance it gave...
the star was happy...
it enjoyed the adoration...
the love...
it felt it has a purpose...
a meaning to its existence...

then one fateful day...
out of curiosity of the world below...
it peek to far and slipped...
crushing down to the earth in a deafening fall...
the star survived...
but one of its point was chipped...

from that day on...
it no longer feel any joy...
it cannot see beyond the scar...
it was no longer pretty...
no longer perfect...
it was ashamed...
every night as it glows...
everyone will notice...
this defect that will mark the rest of its eternity...
it was miserable...
its purpose and meaning were lost...
its life wasted...

then one fateful night...
as its tears slip down from heaven onto the earth...
a young boy looked up to the crying star...
"why do u cry?"...
"because i am no longer pretty"...
"because i no longer have purpose"...
"but why?"...
"we adore you not for the perfect symmetry u had"...
"we marvel not in ur beauty of shape"...
"you left us in awe for your marvellous glow"...
"light that can be seen from miles away"...
"you brought light to the darkness around us"...
"you guided us in our paths"...
"that surely is your purpose"...
"that surely would be your beauty"...

and the star understood...
no one paid attention to the chip it had...
they look up to its glow just like they used to...
it let the scar defined it...
pay too much attention o the chip...
when all it needs to do was to continue to shine...