RIFLE RANGE BOY

THE ROOST T here was once, many years ago, there was a spate when many of my relatives had given up on their motherland, turned their back on Malaysia and started looking around for greener pastures. I wondered how Mother Malaysia would feel to see one by one, her children, after years of nurturing them, after growing so big and strong, feel compelled to fly away from their roost. Like a proud mother seeing her kids having a mind of their own, she must be immersed in a bitter-sweet feeling . Like a flight of swallows, you came stocks and barrels, from Swatow, Coimbatore, Minangkabau, Looking for peace of mind,piece of pie, for that, you scaled the high seas and brine. You were hungry; I fed your soul, you had shivers; I showed you warmth. you were homeless; I gave you home. you were stateless; I was your hope. Under the yellow umbrella, and a piece of cloth, you had dignity, camaraderie, a history, a legacy, an emblem, an anthem. The colours to spill your crimson. Now that you have win...

Like a line of falling domino tiles, one by one, they all fall. Yet another one fell prey to the black dog. Even the outwardly strong minded ones with barrage of ammunition to shoot you down if you were to cross their paths, go into fetal position like a helpless infant when the final straw of hay broke their back. Like an epitome of patience, like a turtle she went on her duty on earth with diligence without complaining. Then came the challenges, one, another and another and poof she went all jello. Young and old alike, they seem to be swept by this epidermic. Coming mostly from humble backgrounds, one would have think that after enduring the uncertainties of life for a square meal and other comforts in life, enduring uncertainties by now would literally be a walk in the park. The general consensus is that one could not buy himself out of all troubles. Crying in a BMW, however, certainly looks less pathetic then crouching over a pavement but then the hopelessness are the same. It...