Fleeting wisdom
Sparks flash
All known
Enlightened
Light lost
All dark
Bewildered
Eyes cloud
Dense fog
Ignorant
23 Nov 2022
Sparks flash
All known
Enlightened
Light lost
All dark
Bewildered
Eyes cloud
Dense fog
Ignorant
23 Nov 2022
And as I stand,
upon the shoulders, of the shoulders, of the shoulders
of all the women
who came before
the ones who lived their lives in mystic silence
stuffing down
swallowing the bitterness of life
theirs
the ones who carried mighty burdens
bent over
broken backs under heavy weights
theirs
the ones whose loud clear voices told
different stories
new beginnings, middles and endings
theirs
the ones who forged new pathways
pickaxe shovels
determination, sweat and tears
theirs
so many women upon whose shoulders
i now stand
seeing new horizons, accepting new challenges, forging new pathways
mine
and the women of future tomorrow upon my shoulders
they too will stand
to reach for more, for better, for wonders, for greatness
yours
18 Oct 2022
(c) Li-ling Ooi
For World Menopause Day 2022
I am ready to embrace myself and all that I am
I am ready to accept all the joys and privileges of being me
I am ready to hold myself and all of me, in the highest of my own esteem
knowing that far beyond all that i can imagine and dream
I know that there is a purpose to my journey
I am ready to call upon my store of energy, of creativity, of love, of inspiration
I am ready to be all the things to me that I need to be for myself
I am ready to be kinder, more loving, more forgiving, more gentle,
more embracing and more accepting of all that I am and also all that I am not
I am now ready to be
All of me.
21 Dec 2018
(c) Li-ling Ooi
I wish you well
on this your journey through life
I wish you ease
that you may find joy in all that comes to you
I wish you smiles
that will fill your life with the wonder of friends
I wish you grace
to rise and meet each challenge that comes your way
I wish you peace
and always a path to pick through troubled times
I wish you serenity
to hear your hearts every longing and desire
I wish you calm
to know yourself at every moment in time
I wish you love
for to love is to be well-loved in return
I wish you life
to choose the paths of freedom and adventure
I wish for you
every good thing that you deserve, light and true
10 June 2021
(C) Li-ling Ooi
Empires built and legacies entrusted
success as society defines it
remains the big bold wonders
the kind that gets reported on
the type that makes it to the lists
Yet the longer I think about it
the more I churn it over in my mind
I’ve truly come to believe
and I know this, as I realise
that legacies don’t have to be wondrous
memories don’t have to be grandiose
The most truly memorable gift
worthy of each persons time
would simply be to leave everyone that you meet
a little more lifted than they were
a gentle smile, a hidden wave
a kind word, a lifted heart
9 July 2021
(c) Li-ling Ooi