It seemed that it was just only yesterday
We were staying down Whitehall Road at Penn Furnace
The courtesy of an old retired farmer
Giving my family a temporary stay
In his duplex overlooking the sprawling farm
I remember trying the ski in Winter '78
And my son trying the sledge near his garage
My classes were just beginning to start
And the snow covered mountains was such a beautiful sight. 
It is a small village in the kecamatan of Tambusai, Kabupaten Rokan Hulu in the Province of Riau, Sumatra. During the Padri Wars of 1830's , Tuanku Tambusai (aka known as Fakeh Hj Muhammad Salleh ) fought the Dutch forces together with Imam Bonjol and Tuanku Rao in West Sumatra and in Northern Sumatra .The last defence was in Benteng 7 Lapis,Daludalu which fell in 1838. He escaped capture and came to Malaya. He was buried in Rasah in 1882.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
The Winter of '78
It seemed that it was just only yesterday
We were staying down Whitehall Road at Penn Furnace
The courtesy of an old retired farmer
Giving my family a temporary stay
In his duplex overlooking the sprawling farm
I remember trying the ski in Winter '78
And my son trying the sledge near his garage
My classes were just beginning to start
And the snow covered mountains was such a beautiful sight. 
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12 comments:
A beautiful memory.
I went back to Uni days too of 1983 in Canada. Must have been beautiful, your winter...
Dear Sir Halim,
I forgot to mention - in your poetry, I can picture, sense and relate to the feel of the poetry. Beauty, nostalgia and joy. Wit. Wisdom. Funny. This is the most important part. The most difficult.
Structure, form, technic are crucial, but still secondary and can keep for later. And there will be time to use standard rhymes, sonnets, haiku, senryu, pantun (pantoum to some). So many more.
For now, play with words, choose words with care that will give different layers of meaning within the poem. Incidentally, the masters of layered meaning in the whole wide world were the pemantun of old.
Oh dear, I hope you don't mind my two cents worth of input.
Dear Hal,
Great! Your Magpie linked and Ma'am Ninot had already given due recognition of the talent. Follow Ma'am diligently and sky's the limit.
Just as Ma'am advised me before, now link your poem to Magpie and the loop is complete.
The more the merrier. Have fun!
PS Your poem is excellent!
Marilyn,
It still remains till this day. Unfortunately the old farmer passed away at a very ripe age of 90+ but I still keep in touch with his surviving daughter.
Ma'am,
Your advice is most appreciated and I shall keep in mind the tips of a stalwart. Thanks.
Hank,
Please teach me how to complete the loop step by step.
Shukran.
Wonderful wintry memories. Did you go to school in Pennsylvania?
What a lovely memory.
Dear Tess,
Yes, did my MPA at Penn State in State College from 1978-79 and when I arrived in a small plane and landed at Black Moshannon, it was at the height of Winter in early 1978.
Thinghy,
The memory of the Grand Old Man and his more than a 100 acre farm is still fresh till today.
I went back in 1985 and spent a night at the Duplex with my colleagues.
Just a bystander, perplexed.
It's so good to see you venturing into poetry, Akhi Halim, and as Akhi Hank said we' re not starting with zero. Your winter poem is most appealing. But somehow you're not writing as much now as you used to. Why? Perhaps too busy visiting relatives.
Well, happy new you to you and your family. May 2011 see more of your handiwork in poetry or in prose. Salam.
Akhi Norzah,
My apologies for being idle on the net. Now I am spending more time caring for my ageing father who is not in the best of health. Thus I have to spend less time in doing what I love in front of the computer. Hopefully I can be back when the situation allows.
Akhi, i know it' your turn to always be by your father's side.
Isn't there any way u can get access to a notebook or a laptop to get on to the website. The blogsphere seems empty without you. Hank is also lost in his poetry world. Best of luck anyway im whatever you're doing-
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