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    Diverse Modes
    Diverse Modes
    Diverse Modes
    Ebook186 pages1 hour

    Diverse Modes

    By Tan Kheng Yeang

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    About this ebook

    Diverse Modes, a new four-part anthology of verse by author and poet Tan Kheng Yeang, presents an array of poetic styles and themes. Division One is written in ordinary free verse, while Division Two explores free verse without punctuation marks. Divisions Two and Three offer two entirely new styles created by Tanfirst, poetry that uses sentences with no finite verbs and, second, amorphous verse, which appears to be the same as prose in terms of style while retaining the lyricism of poetic language. Tans keen sense of observation extends to everything under the sun, from the glories of nature to the wide range of human emotions. His insight extends to the very fundamental components of life and the building blocks of the universe. Indeed, the order of the universe possesses a lyricism best captured by the pen of the poet!

    News

    Avidity for news
    Screams the loudest human trait;
    When one encounters another
    They trade information
    About their friends and acquaintances
    And what has saluted their eyes and ears.

    The greatest purveyor of intelligence
    Is the omnipresent newspaper
    Which diurnally echoes events
    From all corners of the globe
    Earthquakes and volcanoes,
    Floods and droughts,
    Robberies and murders,
    Riots and wars,
    Actions and plans of governments
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTrafford Publishing
    Release dateMay 22, 2012
    ISBN9781466910829
    Diverse Modes
    Author

    Tan Kheng Yeang

    Tan Kheng Yeang was born in a country called British Malaya, now part of Malaysia. After studying civil engineering at the University of Hong Kong, he enjoyed a lengthy career as an engineer in the City Council of Georgetown, Penang. Since his retirement, he has worked as an engineering consultant and has published twelve books.

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      Book preview

      Diverse Modes - Tan Kheng Yeang

      © Copyright 2012 Tan Kheng Yeang.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

      ISBN: 978-1-4669-1080-5 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4669-1081-2 (hc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4669-1082-9 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2012900003

      Trafford rev. 04/20/2012

      7-Copyright-Trafford_Logo.ai

      www.trafford.com

      North America & international

      toll-free: 1 888 232 4444 (USA & Canada)

      phone: 250 383 6864 ♦ fax: 812 355 4082

      Contents

      Division One

      The Tiger

      Television

      The Kidnapping

      Fireman’s Escapade

      Advice

      Nothing but Trouble

      Clothing

      Bank Robbery

      To the Mynah

      Swift and Sudden Death

      Ode to Lightning

      Angry Incident

      Shame

      Malice

      Kindness

      Hate

      Obstinacy

      The Optimist

      Love-Wrecked

      Obedience

      The Last Straw of Despair

      Anxiety

      Pity

      Fear

      Envy

      Division Two

      Mess of a World

      Traffic Accident

      The Cheat

      The Mechanic

      The Money-Changer

      The Thief

      Stock Market

      Flame of the Forest

      The Rebel

      Coast Road

      Tamarind

      Rambutan

      Airport

      Sauntering at Midnight

      Virtus Post Nummos

      Queues

      Noise Everywhere

      Symbol

      To Dream and Fail

      Utility

      The State

      Mentally Conquered

      Welfare of the People

      Originality

      News

      Illusion

      The Wind

      Waiting for Train

      Never Such Danger

      Ruins

      Division Three

      Routine

      Motorcycle

      Brickwork

      Foundations

      Traffic Signs

      Environmental Pollution

      The Arch

      The Culvert

      Air

      Water

      Steam

      Ice

      Electricity

      Sound

      Retaining Wall

      Hydrogen

      Iron

      Magnet

      Paint

      Glass

      Granite

      Concrete

      Aluminium

      Asphalt

      Light

      Carbon

      Clouds

      Lithosphere

      Heat

      Nitrogen

      Sodium

      Trigonometry

      Weathering

      Copper

      Chlorine

      Rocks

      Fossils

      Photosynthesis

      Energy

      Clay

      Limestone

      Asbestos

      Division Four

      Circling of Island

      The Tragedy of Life

      The Parking Attendant

      Acknowledgement

      The author wishes to thank Ms. Valerie Cameron for her invaluable assistance in preparing the manuscript of this book for publication.

      Diverse Modes

      Diverse Modes, a four-part anthology of verse, truly lives up to its name, presenting an array of poetic styles and themes.

      Divisions One and Two are written in ordinary free verse, while Divisions Three and Four explore two unique and highly innovative forms developed by the author: verse in which sentences have no finite verbs and amorphous verse, which is the same as prose in style, but retains the lyricism of poetry in terms of language.

      The author’s keen sense of observation takes the reader on a fascinating journey—from the glories and the terrors of nature to the wide range of human emotions and experience to the unique qualities of so-called mundane objects that most of us fail to notice in the rush of everyday life.

      His insight extends to the fundamental components of life and the universe. Using words as simple building blocks, as strong and elemental as the subjects themselves, he creates not only a powerful image of their physical qualities but captures and fixes their distinct essence in the mind of the reader.

      Division One

      The Tiger

      The farmer outside his hut stands begrimed,

      A dark expanse of jungle behind;

      Firewood splits log by weary log

      Following the rhythmic motion of his axe;

      Hot sweat vociferates from his strenuous frame,

      And his muscles are tense with strain.

      A tiger stands on a bush-covered knoll

      Distant scarce twenty yards to the right,

      Motionless, slowly rolling its fell

      Visage towards the surroundings, then on the man

      Directing a concentrated gaze of strength.

      Instinctively the man turns round,

      Sees the flaming hide streaked with night;

      Immobility locks his limbs;

      When his disrupted senses resume their note,

      A fearful scream bursts through his floodgate.

      Tiger leaps with agile force,

      Man wild with dread attempts to run;

      It apprehends his head with its paws,

      Mauls savagely and strikes him dead;

      In pieces the human being disappears,

      Massively the beast slinks back into the jungle.

      Television

      Achievements throng the hall of science,

      None more splendid than television shines;

      That scenes could be transmitted through wide space,

      Had it not actually occurred,

      Would be incredible even to the wise.

      What purpose has this triumph served—

      Marvellous good, notable work?

      Wondrous advertisements splash across the screen—

      Strangely nutritious this brand of milk,

      Those biscuits are unique,

      This car travels with the smoothest speed;

      That bicycle is extremely cute;

      This detergent makes the dirtiest clothing white,

      That paint is the most durable ever made,

      Such coolness emerges from no other fan,

      Summit efficiency dwells in the fridge on view.

      Listen to the politicians as they prate,

      Limping with inanity and platitude;

      They talk of what they don’t understand—

      Ideas and ideals for the good of man;

      They understand what they don’t talk—

      The way to get a share of the cake.

      Forums and discussions by panels

      Of dull so-called experts

      From whom fair words distil—

      Obvious ideas and trite observations;

      Come quizzes of diverse kinds,

      Showing you live inside or outside your mind,

      Or whether as spouse you deserve reward or fine.

      The delight of millions of fans,

      Stories forming regular series.

      Cowboys of the past century

      Staunchly tending cows? No!

      Fighting waved their real bent.

      Detectives of colossal acumen

      Doughtily solving crimes in triumph,

      Dexterous with their fists,

      Exempt from death though overcome.

      Dreary sketches that don’t seem funny,

      Still every sentence induces laughter’s chime.

      TV as an invention is hard to beat

      And its results—what better can one get!

      The Kidnapping

      He breathes the leader of a tiny band,

      His temper intractable and violent;

      A school dropout he much preferred the life

      Of a street urchin—wily tricks,

      Fisticuffs, pilfery formed his days;

      He gravitated into the dens of crime.

      Meticulous inquiries are set afloat

      Before a person is selected for prey;

      Maleficent work no less than good

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