- by Xyan

Switching on the lamps
Yet it remains dark
The sun is blazing in the sky
Yet the heart is frozen

Unfeeling
Uncaring
Am I an angel or a devil?

If I were a terror
Where is my foe?
Waving my sword valiantly
But I have nothing to slay

If I were a lover
Where is my bride?
A soul full of tenderness
But half of my bed stays bare

If I were a follower
Where is my captain?
Great devotion and loyal faith
But blind to the mission in my path

If I were a general
Where is my army?
The youthful flag-bearers
Lonely secrets of my art

The cries of the youth
The screams of the youth
Am I the darkness or the light?

Switching off the lamps
Yet the sparks linger
Under the randy storm
Succumb to the burning heart

= = = = =

Today marks the first day of a 3-days conference organized by the Centre for Research in Pedagogy & Practice (CRPP) which I am attending. The attendance was overwhelming with over 2,500 participants and delegates from all over the globe gracing the occasion. After the opening speech by the Dean of CRPP, the Director of NIE and our Minister for Education respectively, the first keynote speaker, Kathryn Au, offered an insightful view of how literacy had evolved over the past century. The second speaker I attended was Joel Spring, whose witty evaluation of how we are all victims of the Consumer Model Education struck a chore in me as I renewed my determination to not let the next generation suffer as I did.