Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Poetry 2018 | Page 88

The Almighty Monkey Is Not At All Mighty
Heep Yunn School, Ho Ching, Lui - 15
Ochroid-haired, dressed in aureate,
Itches to become laureate.
Unearthly birth, blessed assurance,
Doubtlessly, one of importance.
Magical staff, cloud-walking boots;
Immortality that he loots;
Seventy-two transformations -
Power needs no confirmations.
Crowned himself ‘handsome Monkey King’.
Power, fame, he has everything.
Problem is he’s aware of this;
This conceit may grant him death’s kiss.
He smugly accepts Buddha’s bet,
Overlooks the threats, spills no sweat.
Trapped inside the palm forever,
Fails venture, trashes his future.
He reflects on why he has lost,
He pleads: “Why should I bear this cost?”
He dwells on it, mulls over it,
Then a sudden awakening dawned on him:
Always undermining his foes,
Thinking, “Our skills aren’t even close!”.
Blinded by success, hubristic;
Arrogant, never realistic.
The enemy of the greatest,
Is not prowess of the latest.
But rather, the legend himself,
Should never take pride in oneself.