6803. LAST CHAPTERS

 COME HOME MY LOVE, COME HOME TO ME poem was inspired by an old friend who works overseas now and her friends in Singapore are unable to meet up with her on a regular basis. It needed Mr Kho to get it produced as it requires depth of knowledge of AI software. 

THE LYRICS ARE AS FOLLOW: 

Singapore whispers, dawn's soft light, Friendships linger in the air. A message rings, across the night, A silent, heartfelt prayer. Remember faces, warm and dear, Through changing seasons, ever near. You sought a world of snow and grace, But comfort waits in home's embrace. Life's gift overflows each day, Yet home still calls, come what may. The Universe whispers, soft and low, Friendship's flame continues to glow. Turn back, dear friend, and you will see, Hearts remember, wild and free. Come home, where you should always be. Come home, my love, come home to me.

 

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A Singaporean Chinese lady in her 50s.

A Myanmarese man in his 60s.  

Younger period in her 20s.

Older period in her 50s.

 

 

6802. Okapi at Mandai East Rainforest

 

 The okapi is a medium-sized giraffid, standing 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall at the shoulder. Its average body length is about 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and its weight ranges from 200 to 350 kg (440 to 770 lb).^[23] It has a long neck, and large and flexible ears. It has a chocolate to reddish-brown coat. 

 

 The okapi (Okapia johnstoni), also known as forest giraffe and zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

 

 Although the okapi has striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe. The okapi and the giraffe are the only living members of the family Giraffidae.

 The okapi stands about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall at the shoulder and has a typical body length around 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). Its weight ranges from 200 to 350 kg (440 to 770 lb). It has a long neck, and large, flexible ears. Its coat is a chocolate to reddish brown, much in contrast with the white horizontal stripes and rings on the legs, and white ankles. 

Male okapis have short, distinct horn-like protuberances on their heads called ossicones, less than 15 cm (5.9 in) in length. Females possess hair whorls, and ossicones are absent.

 

 

 Okapis inhabit canopy forests at altitudes of 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft). The okapi is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Major threats include habitat loss due to logging and human settlement. Illegal mining and extensive hunting for bushmeat and skin have also led to a decline in populations. The Okapi Conservation Project was established in 1987 to protect okapi populations.

6801. A promise she must keep

 

Write a poem. 

 

Location: Skyscraper office 40th floor, Singapore. A busy metropolis. Inside the skyscraper office, floor to ceiling glass. Panoramic sea view. An adult Chinese daughter in her late 50s, big shouldered, short black hair, blue uniform dress with logo of flying crane, is  employed as a marketing person to sell private jets, by the global aircraft manufacturer in the USA. 

She is sad. She has a big commitment to pay $8000 monthly to the private nursing home to take care of Abigail, her 70-year-old aunt, silver haired, thin and bed-ridden and has dementia. 

Location: Private hospital Singapore. "Anna," her dying father on his bed said, holding her hands. "Promise to take good care of Aunt Abigail as she is alone and has dementia." She looked at Dad and said: "I will take over your care for Aunt Abigail". 

But the financial market has tanked owing to the Middle-East war in 2026. She has less much sales and less income. She has to dig into her savings to pay for her Aunt''s nursing home fees. 

Location: Cemetery, Chua Chu Kang. Anna's savings are dwindling year by year as her earnings are less. Less private jets are sold. She is in her 4th floor condo apartment alone having a cup of Chamomile tea. She will HONOUR HER COMMITMENTS."Dad, I will keep my promise to help Aunt Abigail," she visited Dad's grave and placed the yellow sunflowers on his tombstone. 

Location: Skyscraper office 40th floor. Anna paces in her office, handphone on her ear. She works hard, making connections and calls to prospective clients. When wll the Middle-East war end? Will the Universe help her? 

Broad shoulders square against the glass,
Where metal wings reflect the grey,
A blue dress pressed, a logo clean—
An aircraft poised to fly away.
Her short black hair is neatly kept,
A marketing professional’s grace,
But shadows pool beneath her eyes,
Etched deep across a weary face.

The skies are quiet, choked by war,
The distant conflict stalls the fleet;
The private jets sit unsold now,
And silent is the corporate street.
Her income shrinks, the market faints,
The charts she draws all tumble down,
Yet every month a mountain looms,
Deep in the heart of this harsh town.

Eight thousand dollars, strict and cold,
To keep the sanctuary whole,
Where silver-haired Abigail rests,
As winter steals her fragile soul.
The dementia thief takes more each day,
Erasing paths that once were clear,
Leaving a gentle, fading aunt
Who needs the safety bought so dear.

She sees her father’s dying eyes,
She hears his breath, so faint and low:
"Take care of Abigail for me,"
A vow he took before he'd go.
A Chinese daughter’s sacred bond,
Filial piety, deep and old,
A promise written in her blood,
More precious than the missing gold.

So year by year the savings drop,
She digs into the dwindling store,
Watching the numbers melt away,
Unsure of what is left in store.
Her shoulders bear the crushing weight
Of market storms and empty skies,
A quiet war fought every day
Where love refuses compromise.

She straightens up her uniform,
And looks out past the hangar door.
Though savings fade and fortunes wane,
Her word remains forever sure.
A commitment kept against the tide,
A loyalty that will not break,
She stands unbowed, a steadfast heart,
For a dead father’s sacred sake.

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Poem without personalisation

 

 

A PROMISE SHE MUST KEEP 
 
The fabric of her corporate dress is stiff, 
The corporate logo gleaming on her chest— 
A silver jet embroidered on the blue, 
A mocking sign of heights she cannot reach. 
Her broad shoulders, built for carrying weight, 
Are heavy now beneath the quiet strain 
Of words she whispered to a dying man. 
Her father’s hand was cold, his breath was short, 
"Take care of Aunt Abigail," he begged his child. 
She gave her word, a sacred, solemn vow, 
A promise bound in blood and family tie. 

Now Auntie sits within a sterile room, 
At seventy, her hair a crown of white, 
Her mind a fading map of blurred-out roads. 
Dementia took the woman that she knew, 
But left the bills that arrive like clockwork tides. 
Eight thousand dollars every single month 
To keep her safe, to keep her warm and fed. 

But out at sea, the fires of the Middle East burn, 
The war has choked the markets of the world. 
The sky is empty of the buyers now; 
The private jets she sells sit on the tarmac, 
Their polished wings reflecting quiet rooms. 
The commissions dwindle, bonuses dry up, 
As billionaires lock up their vaults in fear. 

Each month she dips into the shrinking pool, 
The savings gathered through her youth and prime. 
Year after year, the numbers tumble down, 
A slow hemorrhage of her secure future. 
She stands before the mirror, late forty-four, 
Her short black hair untouched by silver yet, 
But eyes reflecting depths of quiet dread. 

The math is cruel, the runway getting short, 
Yet giving up is not a path she knows. 
With heavy steps and shoulders squared to fight, 
She moves ahead into the closing storm, 
Determined, through the dregs of what is left, 
To honor the dead, and shield the living mind.