Nostalgia

My old school, my alma mater which was featured on TV a couple of days ago. Here's a poem about my old school days.

Nostalgia.
(Sung to the tune of Those Were The Days, Mary Hopkins, 1968)

Once upon a time there was a heaven
Where we used to play and called our School.
Remember how we spent those fleeting hours
Evading prefects and breaking many rules.😅

Chorus:
Those were the days, my friends.
We wish they'd never end,
We played our pranks
On each other and got away.
Those were our treasured days,
Our precious dreams we chased,
For we were Friends
And we will stay that way.

Nostalgia
20200430 1344 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde

Last Words

Today is the last day of poetry writing month
I have reached the end of a journey long and slow
Twenty-nine poems under lock-down I have done
The thirtieth one is taking shape right now.

Here are some last words harboured in my thoughts,
to tell the world of what our treasures are worth,
"Our hard work for silver and gold are all for nought,
for they can't bring back the beauty of our Mother Earth."

Last words
20200430 0928 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#mywriters #napowrimo #glopowrimo
#covid19 #pandemic #lockdown

A day

Another quiet day has passed
All day long at home we spend.
A day of watching the hour-glass
Waiting for the plague to end.

From break of dawn thru' sunny afternoon,
'Til the darkening skies of dusk,
We hold on to hope, for the end to be soon,
for freedom to be restored to us.

A day
20200429 2200 hrs
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#napowrimo #glopowrimo #mywriters
#covid19 #pandemic #lockdown

Clouds

Dark clouds have gathered high above,
bringing in a rainy sky.
Into our homes, we hastily move,
for storm clouds are passing by.

Clouds of worry
and of fear,

Clouds of anxiety
are drawing near.

Clouds of uncertainty
with doubts they fill,

Clouds of apprehension
lingering still.

Under the shelter of our homes we wait
for the return of a clear blue sky.
From heavy dark clouds above our heads,
to sunshine by and by.

Clouds
20200428 2008 hrs
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#mywriters #napowrimo #glopowrimo
#covid19 #pandemic #lockdown

Touch

This pandemic has separated us all,
It has troubled us very much.
Yet this threatening disease has not been able
to keep us from getting in touch.

We are saved by modern technology
wrought by mankind over the years.
An arsenal of tools and weaponry
gives us hope in this hour of fear.

With mobile phones and computer hardware,
endless cables wired under the sea.
With wireless waves sent over the air,
sophisticated software, eyes cannot see.

"Keeping in touch" has now become
just sending a message from your place,
or receiving a call from a loved one at home,
appearing on video, chatting face-to-face.

You can read what is written, hear what is spoken,
and see who appears on-screen.
Friends and family are never forgotten,
over the mountains, they can still be seen.

Just the other night I got in touch
with grandchildren at home across the sea.
Little boy and baby girl, we missed so much,
I talked to them, they reacted with glee.

The little boy couldn't quite understand
why I had to appear on a screen.
He asked me with a gesture of his little hand,
why to his home I have not been.

The baby sister has not yet learnt to talk,
at the faces on the phone she would stare.
Wide-eyed, with baby steps she walked,
She tried to touch us, she thought we were there.

Reaching out with a pair of little baby hands,
she yearned for a touch from people she'd seen.
Almost knocking over, the phone from its stand,
only to touch a cold lifeless screen . . .

Touch
20200427 2345 hrs

#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo #mywriters
#covid19 #pandemic #lockdown

End

I know not how it all began
nor how it will come to a final end
The silent plague that creeps around
Smites whom it wishes, with nary a sound.

Day after day, news is released
Of those who are snared by the dreadful disease.
Night after night, we're huddled at home
Anxious, yet hopeful for better days to come

Is the defeat of this plague already at hand?
Are we seeing at last, the beginning of its end?
Or will more distress on us be falling?
How long must we wait, to reach a new beginning?

I know not when.

End
20200426 2200 hrs
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#napowrimo #glopowrimo
#covid19 #pandemic #lockdown
#MyWritersPoetryPrompt
14 / 2020

Emerald river

We've always thought that rivers
should look murky, dark and brown.
That clear green waters will never
ever in our country be found.

For diverse kinds of rubbish
and many harmful poisons,
Are dumped by the reckless and selfish,
by those who won't listen to reason.

Who would have thought that one fine day,
a deadly plague would arrive,
To force everyone at home to stay
and restore our rivers to life.

Emerald rivers begin to flow
in cities, and in countryside.
Crystal green waters, not seen for ages,
so precious in our sight.

Emerald River
20200425 1009 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#MyWriters #napowrimo #glopowrimo
#covid19 #pandemic #lockdown

House at rest

Week after week
after week
with yet more weeks
are spent in our house, at rest.

Bellies get fatter
Wallets get slimmer

Days become longer
Tempers become shorter

Hair on the pate grows thicker
Patience grows thinner

Boredom feels stronger
Enthusiasm feels weaker

When case counts turn higher
Our hopes turn lower

Would that we could end it sooner
and not have to wait 'til much later.

Meanwhile, as one week passes after another,
We tarry under the shelter
of our house at rest.

House at rest
20200424 1709 hrs
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#MyWriters #napowrimo #glopowrimo
#covid19 #pandemic #lockdown

Faces of the Moon

On new moon day, the Sliver of Moon
high above us is found.
Unseen, for the blinding glare of noon,
appearing briefly at sundown.

Over the week, the Crescent Moon casts,
its gleam in the sky each night.
Then on the eighth, at time of dusk,
Waxing Quarter takes sight.

The week follows, Waxing Gibbous grows,
emerging later each night.
When fifteenth arrives, its midnight shows
a Full Moon round and bright.

The glory of the Moon begins to fade,
as Waning Gibbous recedes
'Til twenty-second, when morning is made,
a Waning Quarter we meet.

The days after, poor Moon withdraws
from showing her face to Earth
She makes her exit thru' Heaven's door
On twenty-ninth or thirtieth.

Faces of the Moon
20200423 2341 hrs
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#MyWriters #napowrimo #glopowrimo

Days of Equator

At dawn from the east the sun does rise
High up to the zenith it ascends
At eventide to the west it sets
A long day at work it spends

From the eastern horizon it will emerge
Warmly, brightly, it reappears
Through the skies it cuts a different path
Each passing month of the year

In months of March and September
As equinox passes by
The zenith of the sun is overhead
At noon of the day time sky

During the season of summer solstice
In the cheerful month of June
The rising sun is only part of the way
Up the northern sky at noon

As the year draws to a close in December
The winter solstice returns
With heartening cheer, mid-day sun smiles
From the southern sky it burns

Such are the Days of Equator
Their shadows at varying angles cast
Shifting situation ever so slightly
From the first day to the last.

The Days of Equator
20200422 2130 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#MyWriters #napowrimo #glopowrimo

Suffer little children

"Suffer little children
to come unto me," said the Lord,
"Forbid them not,
Of such is the Kingdom of God."

When a little child asks,
"Mama, can I sit with you?"
Suffer him, forbid him not,
You're the refuge from loneliness for him.

When a little child asks,
"Papa, will you play with me?"
Suffer her, forbid her not,
You're the paradise of happiness to her.

When a little child asks,
"Grandma, will you bake me a cake?"
Suffer her, forbid her not,
You're the bread of satisfaction for her.

When a little child asks,
"Grandpa, can you gallop with me like a horse?"
Suffer him, forbid him not,
You're the world of fantasy to him.

When little children come to you,
And seek to disrupt your life,
Suffer them, forbid them not,
For you're the meaning of life to them.

Suffer little children
20200421 2200 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#mywriters #napowrimo #glopowrimo

Standstill

Time stands still
Like the hands of a clock
That don't seem to move
At a parting glance

Time stands still
When the Ruler orders his subjects
To stay at home, and not to leave,
All day, every day.

Time stands still
When the Chief Physician says
More people are falling ill,
And the battle is not over.

Time stands still
When thousands of people
Are isolated in their neighbourhoods
And imprisoned behind barbed wires

Time stands still
As it were
Travelling in pitch darkness
In a tunnel with no light at the end.

Standstill
20200420 2345 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#mywriters #napowrimo #glopowrimo

They washed their hands

Pontius Pilate sent the King of the Jews
To die a slow and painful death.
Then, to cleanse himself of wrong
A bowl of water he took
. . . And with that he washed his hands

Yesterday, a man caught outside his house
For disobeying restriction orders
Chose to suffer imprisonment
Because he couldn't pay the small fine.
, , , The officers of the law washed their hands

Two poor men were arrested and sent to jail
For going out to catch some fish,
Because their families back home
had no food to eat.
. . . The authorities washed their hands.

A poor single mother was chased out of her flat, along with her daughter,
And had her house ransacked,
And her belongings confiscated by her landlady
Because she couldn't pay the rent.
The police wouldn't help her either
Because they deemed it a "legal" matter
. . . They all washed their hands

An orphanage caring for a hundred orphans
Will soon be running out of food.
Their staff workers have not been paid their wages,
Because donations have stopped coming in.
. . . Their sponsors have washed their hands

Since the days of Pontius Pilate
many more likewise
Have washed their hands
Of any wrong they have committed
in very similar manner.

Last week as I was walking out
Of the grocery store
A hungry mother cat came towards me
Crying loudly with pleading eyes
Begging to be fed.
. . . Sadly, I washed my hands.

They washed their hands.
20200419 2345 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#MyWriters #napowrimo #glopowrimo

Blink

In the blink of an eye
. . parks become deserted

In the blink of an eye
. . streets turn eerily quiet

In the blink of an eye
. . children no longer frolic around

In the blink of an eye
. . worry and anxiety abound

In the blink of an eye
. . freedom is curtailed, not by our will

In the blink of an eye
. . life comes to an uncertain standstill

All happened, as it were,
. . in the blink of an eye

when an elusive plague stops by.

Blink
20200418 2225 hrs
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#napowrimo #glopowrimo #mywriters

My morning walk

I used to get up at break of day
For a morning walk in the park
An endless foot-path before me lay
As birds in the trees sing, "Hark!"

Day after day, as weather permits
I'd go in the cool air of dawn
To the park, for my morning walk to repeat
Of which I had grown very fond

One day a deadly plague swept the land
Bringing much worry and fear
The Ruler of the Land gave a stern command
Forbidding my morning walk dear

In the blink of an eye, I'm stranded at home
Suffered not in the park again
Within my house I can but roam
Only memories of my walks remain.

My morning walk
20200417 1750 hrs
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#napowrimo #glopowrimo #mywriters

The Storm

"Sky getting dark already!"
Our neighbour cries in Cantonese
"Hurry up! Collect your laundry"
The warning is sounded with unease.

All of us in the neighbourhood
Hurry out, our laundry to bring
Our pieces of clothing clean and good
For a storm is soon approaching.

Out of nowhere sweeps a strong cold wind
As heavy clouds darken the sky
Flashes of lightning make a haunting scene
Loud claps of thunder roll by

We huddle indoors, in the shelter of our home,
By the bay window, we sat in the hall
Pensive that a storm has suddenly come
As heavy rain begins to fall.

Streams of water rushes down the gutter
From the eaves of the red-tiled roof
Cascading down with a noisy splatter
Through the drains they quickly move

Trees and shrubs struggle to remain
Upright, as they are assailed
By the forceful wind and unrelenting rain
Rushing down the muddy trail

It's a fearsome sight, that thunderstorm
It fills us with apprehension
Gloomy feelings begin to form
Uncertain of its conclusion

Thankfully, soon the storm dies down
The wind stops howling away
A feeling of relief goes around
We've survived the storm today

The Storm
20200416 2150 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

Being human

"Doctors, lawyers, and engineers too,"
My teacher would often remind us,
"For such work you should yearn to do,
Besides accountants, and professors."

Being hardworking was what entailed,
For a bright future in life.
Anything less meant we have failed,
It's for success that we strive.

Being recognised, being respected,
In a profession that you choose,
Is the yardstick by which you're measured,
By which you win or lose.

So we strive for high distinctions,
For honours and gold medals,
For the highest of all qualifications,
And for lofty titles we struggle.

Being found among the wealthy,
And be seated among the elite.
Mingling with those in high society,
And with the powerful we meet.

At the end of this journey long and painful,
Another has yet to be run.
For through the years of being successful,
Being human has only begun.

Being human.
20200415 2237 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

Is it here?

Each morning a visit to town I'd make
A ride on my bicycle I would take
With a hat to shield from the sun in the sky
I visit the market for provisions to buy

"Is it here?" I asked
"Could it be there?" I wondered

Into the market, with a worried heart I walked
Not knowing if it lies in wait, if I am being stalked
A mask on my face, that's my only shield
I have no other defence, no weapons to wield

"Is it here?" I asked
"Could it be there?" I wondered

Hurriedly I left the sinister market place
Having bought what I needed, homeward bound I'd race
My rusty creaky bicycle wouldn't go very fast
Thankfully it wasn't far, I was back home at last

"Was it there?" I asked
"Did it get me?" I wondered

With a little soap and water, I washed my trembling hands
And silently I wished, it is not in this land.

"Is it here?" I asked
"Could it be there?" I wondered

Is it here?
20200414 2345 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

Freedom

When we were little children
We wished we had the freedom
To have the tid-bits that we liked
Without having to take our dinner

When we were lively teenagers
We wished we had the freedom
To go out anywhere, anytime we liked
Without having to ask for permission

When we are all grown up
We wish we have the freedom
To buy and own anything we like,
Without having to count our gold and silver

Now, we're under orders to stay at home,
We wish we have the freedom,
To take a walk in the park with loved ones
Without having to fear the penalty of the law.

O for the return of freedom
That we have often ignored
And taken for granted.

Freedom
20200413 2345 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
The kids in the car would ask,
Throughout the long unending journey,
They made driving a difficult task.

Roads were narrow and winding,
Hill slopes were often steep.
The ev'ning sun was blinding,
Across the country we'd creep.

Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
The grown-ups at home will ask.
Throughout the long unending lockdown,
They make sanity a difficult task.

Life is restricted and boring,
There's nothing much to do.
New orders, they keep declaring,
The end is not in view.

Are we there yet?
20200412 2051 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

Lockdown: recalling hardships of the past

My parents lived through the cruel Japanese Occupation (1941 - 1945) and the long years of the Communist Emergency (1948 - 1960).

They can tell us how much harder it was then, than it is now with the extended MCO we're going through.

We don't even have to go back so far.

Those of us who lived through the months of curfew of the May13 riots of 1969 will know the hardship.

I was in Standard Four at that time. My family was on the verge of running out of rice. We reached a point when we had to eke out with our stock of dried noodles boiled in water and mixed with soya sauce.

Eventually, my father managed to call his boss on the phone (which was jammed most of the time), and through some connection in high places, the police allowed his boss to send us a sack of rice by a pickup lorry.

However, the rice was full of weevils and little maggots. It took us a lot of hard work trying to remove them each time we washed the rice before cooking it. Nevertheless it brought us much relief.

A classmate told me that in his neighbourhood, the army ordered all doors and windows to be shut. They had to endure weeks in their hot and stuffy house.

We also know of a lady teacher whose husband was shot and killed by the army on patrol when he went outside the house to plead for milk powder for their hungry baby. I don't know how the wife managed to pull through after that.

The MCO is mild by comparison. Nevertheless, it is causing prolonged hardship to the sick, the poor and the needy.

They said

In the beginning they said,
You may go out to buy food
Because it is essential,
It's needed for your good.

Then later on, they said,
Six miles from home you shan't exceed,
Even if it's for essentials,
Even for food you badly need.

After that, they said,
You shall not, before eight in the morning,
Go out to buy your food essential,
Nor do that after eight in the evening,

Now, they say,
You may go out to the barber,
To get a hair-cut non-essential,
Tho' you may fall sick gravely later.

It's all because
They said . . .

20200411 1633 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

Create

As the days at home pass slowly by,
Mother earth sets herself aright,
From fluffy white clouds and clear blue sky,
To fresh clean rivers, a refreshing sight.

A world that we've missed and all but forgotten,
Is created anew, all over again.
The grandeur of mountain peaks, once hidden,
Makes us say, t'was worth all the pain.

Create
20200410 2100 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo
#MyWritersPoetryPrompt
13/2020

Dream

There was a time when life was filled
With dreams kept hidden, unrevealed.
Those dreams our mundane lives would drive,
They made us labour, persevere and strive.

Towards the day when dreams come true,
A day when joy greets us anew.
When all our labour bears its fruit
And brings us reward of our pursuit.

Alas! Those secret dreams have ended
Abruptly from them we were awakened
A deadly plague has smitten our world,
Into dreamless days we now are hurled.

Oh for those dreamy days of old
When our calloused hands our dreams would hold.
How long will this dreamlessness remain,
Before I return to my dreams again?

Dream.
20200409 1754 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo
#MyWritersPoetryPrompt
12 / 2020

Hope

It's half past five at eventide,
The news of the day is within sight.
I wait for what it has to say,
To renew my hope for another day.

It's the hour of hope, that daily news,
To hope I hold on, to despair I refuse.
Until the plague is brought to heel,
My hour of hope will remain still.

Hope
20200408 2300 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

The Long Wait

Another day has come to pass,
Within this house, my time I bide.
Today's the same as twenty days last,
Time creeps by slowly, day and night.

Tomorrow will soon come my way,
Telling me to wait 'til all is done.
A wait that makes each passing day,
Longer than the previous one.

The Long Wait.
20200407 2330 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

Flight

A huge aircraft before me stood,
Its colourful livery in cheerful mood.
With slender wings outstretched and straight,
It's tall, imposing, of enormous weight.

I go aboard, my baggage in tow,
To take my seat, with others in a row.
Seat-belt buckled, feet on the floor,
And soon the engines begin to roar.

Wing flaps extended, roar turns to scream,
The craft lurches forward, in the sun it gleams.
It rumbles down the runway, with increasing speed,
"Will it fly?" I wonder, my heart quickens its beat.

At last it's airborne, it rises up the sky,
Now I have a question, "How can this thing fly?"
With it's big fat body, and long slender wings,
How would anyone dare, to ride this flying thing?

Flight
2020.04.06 2205 hrs
#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

The Envoy

The Envoy to the Middle-east,
Wrote a story he couldn't resist.
To tell the world of things at home,
He spun a tale in a twisted tome.

With subtle lies in half-truths planted,
A deceiving story was cunningly crafted.
Fear he mongered, hatred he stirred,
By simple-minded audience, he wished he'd be heard.

Aspersions cast, accusations hurled,
A tapestry of lies was gradually unfurled.
He kept writing his story, he wouldn't desist,
He's the Envoy to the Middle-east.

The Envoy.
2020.04.05 1750 hrs

#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

Wishes fulfilled

Life was busy,
It was always one task after another,
I wished I had time.for myself
Now I'm free to do things that I like.

Life was stressful,
It was full of deadlines at short notice,
I wished I could work less hurriedly.
Now I'm free to do my work at leisure.

Life was tiring,
It was fraught with long hours of labour,
I wished I had some respite from fatigue.
Now I'm free to rest and renew my strength.

All this is short-lived,
It will come to an end.
Soon we'll be busy, stressed, and fatigued,
All over again.

Meanwhile, let us rest,
And savour the joy of wishes fulfilled.

Wishes fulfilled.
2020.04.04 2037 hrs

#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

I am confused

Saturday, 2020.04.04. Movement Control Order Day 18

Yesterday I was confused by two contradicting set of results released by the authorities on the Covid-19 situation in Malaysia.

According to a graphic published by Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM), a total of 47,723 cases were tested, of which 8,265 test results are pending.

However, according to another graphic, published by the Director General of Health (DG), the total should be 10,063 + 13,441+ 7,690 = 31,194 (this disagrees with 47,723 as published by KKM)

Also, the number of test results pending, as posted by the DG, is only 3,030 + 922 + 21 = 3,973, and not 8,265 as shown in the earlier KKM graphic.

This is a mind-boggling contradiction.





This evening, I am confused again.

Just like yesterday, Covid-19 figures published by KKM appears to disagree with those published by the DG of Health:

According to today's graphic published by KKM, a total of 49,570 cases were TESTED, of which 8,647 test results are still pending.

However, according to the second graphic, published by the Director General of Health, the total no. of cases tested is 10,511 + 13,796 + 8,340 = 32,647, (not 49,570 as depicted in the earlier graphic by KKM).

Also, the number of test results pending is only 3,014 + 1,099 + 21 = 4,134 (and not 8,647 as shown in the earlier KKM graphic).

This is the second day in a row, that such discrepancies have arisen.

Regardless of whichever is the correct figure, the large number of test results pending is a cause for concern.

(1) Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia.
(2) Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
See links in comment section below

-----------------------------------------------------------

Why did USA fail in its initial response?

Why did USA fail in its initial response to the coronavirus outbreak?

Among the salient points raised in this half-hour BBC interview (linked below) are:

(1) Bureaucratic delays in testing

(2) A failure to learn from an earlier warning

(3) Downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak, and

(4) Inherent structural weaknesses within their largely privatised healthcare system:

- - high costs of consultations and tests
- - 27 million people without medical insurance
- - 25% of workers have no paid sick leave.

Link to the BBC Interview:

The Inquiry - Why did the USA fail

We need some sunlight

Saturday, 2020.04.04, Movement Control Order Day 18.

Research by The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) group at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland has found that Vitamin D, readily generated in the skin by sunlight, is critical for preventing respiratory infections. It is particularly helpful for elderly people forced to stay indoors under quarantine during this ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

This could explain why relatively few people die from Covid19 in the tropics.

/// "The report finds that vitamin D plays a critical role in preventing respiratory infections, reducing antibiotic use and boosting the immune system response to infections.
Vitamin D is produced in the skin by exposing the body to just 10 to 15 minutes per day of sun.
In Ireland, vitamin D can only be made between late March and late September." ///

Link: Vitamin D could benefit vulnerable adults

Just a thought:

It might be more helpful if our government allows us to go outdoors for exercise under the sun.

Singapore's lockdown (very similar to Malaysia's MCO) announced yesterday, allows outdoor exercise.

In his live telecast lockdown announcement yesterday, the PM of Singapore said the public can go out for exercise in the parks (and they do have many good parks), as long as they distance themselves from others.

Malaysia, on the other hand, keeps touting the Duduk Diam2 Di Rumah slogan. I'm concerned for old people in poor health, living a sedentary life indoors for several weeks may make them Meninggal Diam2 Di Rumah instead.

In my opinion, it is more beneficial for the elderly to get some outdoor exercise than to remain indoors all the time.

Covid-19: are we getting the latest updates?

Thursday, 2020.04.03, Movement Control Order Day 17

Looking at the latest Covid-19 update released yesterday evening, I noticed that we have many cases who have already been tested, but who are still waiting for results.

Of those pending results are 2,884 patients under investigation, 877 close contacts and 38 with Influenza Like Illness.

Covid19 Msia 20200402

(Link in caption to the graphic above.)

This makes a total of about 3,800 cases whose results are yet to be released.

The implication of such a situation is that the number of new Covid-19 cases published each day depends on how many of these pending results are released, and is not an actual indication of how many new cases have been discovered for that day itself.

In other words, all the daily reports of 100 to 150 new cases per day since the MCO began 17 days ago (with three spikes of 200+ on 23/3, 26/3 and 2/4), were mostly a release of historical data from the pool of pending results.

The question remains, if all the current 3,800 pending results were to be released tomorrow, how many "new cases" will we get?

Ask and be given

Hotel reservations were made,
Flight bookings confirmed,
Train tickets bought.

It was to be
a long awaited holiday abroad.

Then came the outbreak.
It was endemic,
then epidemic,
finally, pandemic.

Government agencies scrambled
to contain the outbreak, with
borders closed,
roads blocked,
overseas travel prohibited.

Movement was much restricted.

We saw our bookings go up in smoke.
Hotels bookings, non-refundable.
Flights fares, non-refundable.
Only the train fares could be refunded,

but only partially,
and only in six months' time.

For a while, it seemed all was lost.
We had to come to terms
with the loss of our
hard earned savings.

I said a prayer,
and made supplication,
to the Sovereign in Heaven above,
asking to be spared the pain of loss.

I asked. And it was given me.

The next day, news began arriving.
One after another,
over a few days.

The hotels allowed me to cancel reservations.
One refunded me a few days later.
The other agreed to refund my money soon.

Then the airline announced
that I could request
for my flight to be cancelled,
and for the fare to be kept
In an account for future bookings.

Yes, at last, I am spared.

I asked. I was given.

Ask and be given.
2020.04.03 1834 hrs

#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

Road-block Skeptics Part 2

Road-block skeptics in action.

About two weeks ago, in a post entitled, "Road-block skeptics", I voiced my concerns about difficulties that may be faced by people with genuine needs when going out of their homes under the ongoing restrictions on movement because of skepticism encountered at road-blocks.

Today, the monster of skepticism has reared its ugly head in the form of officers who refuse to allow cancer patients to proceed with their journeys to designated hospitals for their much needed treatment.

A report by Code Blue entitled, "Cancer Patients Rebuffed at Road-blocks with 10 km Rule", raises the issue of cancer patients travelling long distances for critical specialised treatment were being stopped and forced to turn back home because of skeptical officers who did not accept their reasons for travelling out.

/// National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) medical director Dr M. Murallitharan said two cancer patients from Kuala Lumpur were prohibited yesterday from seeking treatment in Ampang, Selangor, and Cheras, Kuala Lumpur; one was turned back in Melaka on April 1; and a cancer patient was prevented from travelling from Temerloh, Pahang, to get medical services in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, also on April 1. ///

This is highly regrettable.

Separated

It was announced, just a day ahead,
Before the control order was enforced.
Out of the city to scramble many were made,
Their routine work had come to a sudden pause.

My sons, each stranded alone in his home,
Buying take-away food, delivered to the door.
Down to town they're not allowed to roam,
Yet thankful they're not hungry, destitute, nor poor.

My daughter's family living across the border
In a country, its checkpoints all but closed.
Denying entry to any would-be visitor,
A visit from us they had wanted to host.

I had promised my grandson, that I will be there
to celebrate his fourth birthday together.
I can't but remain hundreds of miles away,
Unable to meet him, nor his baby sister.

Alas, a tiny creature in the air,
A stealthy germ, by the name Corona called.
Almost invincible, spreading everywhere,
Infecting many, killing some, and separating all.

Separated.
2020.04.02 1025 hrs

#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo

Deserted

The empty street, it stretches away from me,
Across the quiet town, all shops are shuttered.
I tried to find some people, but none I see,
Laid out before me stands a world deserted.

Empty classrooms and halls, they look forlorn,
Schools are closed, week after week.
Away from playgrounds, children have all gone,
They can't return to play their hide-and-seek.

Quiet neighbourhoods with vehicles standing still,
My neighbours are indoors, quietly within.
Day after day, I have much time to fill,
The world's deserted,
It's no longer what it has been.

Deserted
2020.04.01 1651 hrs

#Poetry #PoetryByHarolde
#napowrimo #glopowrimo