In conjunction with our country’s National Day 2008 celebration, quachee.blogspot.com is hosting a competition in which 100 bloggers will stand a chance to win a copy of the 50+1 Malaysia (See cover above) book worth RM51.00. All you have to do is to write about what you love about Malaysia. For details, you can log in to
www.themalaysiapage.com.
Well, I think it was in 2006 when I wrote this poem for my students to recite during the school-level National Day celebration, so here I would like to post it as my entry for the aforementioned contest…
A PIECE OF PAPER
I took a piece of paper
It was white…..
White – reflecting the purity
Deep within our hearts,
The heart of each and every Malaysian
In one corner, I drew a rectangle
And then, I coloured it blue
‘Cause blue symbolises dignity
And it was with dignity that Malaysia broke away
From the clutches of colonialism
Next, in the rectangle, I included a new moon
A crescent representing the National religion, Islam
And also to signify light and hope
Light for all Malaysians, whatever colour or creed
Hope that peace and harmony may forever prevail.
Beside the crescent is a star
A star with fourteen points
Representing the different states, their people
Converging in the middle
Reflecting the bond, the unity in our nation
The crescent and the star are coloured yellow
Yellow – the colour of royalty
Pledging my unfailing loyalty to King and country
The symbol of the sovereignty
of this my homeland, the land that I live in and love
Finally, I added the horizontal stripes
Again, fourteen – for the fourteen states
I painted seven of them red
And left the other seven white
Different, divergent but united we stand,
side by side.
Red is the colour of love
The love I have for my country
The love I have for my fellowmen
Together let us stand hand in hand
United and strong, as one people, one nation,
one Malaysia.
So there you have it-my own original poem! Come on, everybody! Post your comments to wish me lots and lots of luck!!! Thanks and muuuuaaaaahh!!!!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 