Haiyaa, it's Giang's Writing Corner (GWC). I'll be posting in GWC posts my old drafts (hastily edited for spelling mistakes only, to keep the memories and feelings correct), and fresh writing - all original.

Context

Ps. 90:12 is a short poem written within a span of about a day or two, with the final words coined January 18th 2019. The last weeks of 2018, when I was under massive pressure both professionally and personally, found a brief reprieve in the outlet that was poetry. The poem is a self-reflection on the struggles, the cost of a life built around constant, unyielding work.

The poem

Ps.90:12

“Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
Yet all that time ever betrays
is that weeks are nought but prisons.

Time and success a pressure,
the hopefuls begrudgingly consent
Yet only when we lose our treasures
do we belatedly repent

Life is forever a struggle
Between who we are and towards which we guide
But whatever is left in the rubble
Though glorious, might not be worth the ride

Shall I compare to those around me,
and allow a staying breath
Or forswear rest and try at what could be
and arouse the stink of death.

Hanoi, 2019-Jan-18.