Building a Nest

Today I spied the bulbul building its nest
It was working so hard without even taking a rest
In my rosebush the yellow vented bulbul chose
To build its nest for here no danger will it pose
For my little backyard is cozy and calm
With so many other plants to protect it from harm
So little bulbul worry not about nurturing your young
For here in my rosebush, a safe home you’ve found!

~ Liz Sammy-Chin ~

A Parents' Prayer for their sons : A dedication to Don and Jay

When you were little, you always took our hands

A symbol of love and security those hands to you meant

And when you hurt, we were the ones you seeked

“Coz in your minds, mom and dad could anything defeat

Days when we could ease your pain with just a kiss

Belongs to yesterday and those are times we surely miss

Times when our hearts ache for both of you

We find solace in prayer and our faith in God renew

So we feel it’s best we leave you in God’s care

The gift of faith will keep you from despair

Though distance and time separate us now

God’s care for us will keep us close somehow !


~ Liz Sammy-Chin ~

Birthday Wishes : A dedication to Jay

The years have flown and now you’ve grown
The seed of love springs forth once it is sown
Today, we’d like to wish you all the best
But wished you haven’t left our little “nest”
We know, in life you have to find your way
So in God’s Hands, your safety and success we leave & pray
Now you’re a man, but in our hearts you’re our “baby” still
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you !
Happy thoughts and love of you our hearts forever fill !



Love from Pa & Ma

13 April 2001

As I Ponder

As I reflect back on my life
Everything I love is by my side
My husband, Joe and my two sweet boys
Just thinking of them is pure joy

I thank the Lord each day I wake
To help me a good wife and mother make
How can I complain when things go wrong
For the Lord has been good to me all along

Thank you Lord for sending me Joe
To be my husband “to have and to hold”
Sweet and gentle are his ways
How can I thank you Lord, how can I repay?

Joe has been the love of my life
For six years we courted before he made me his wife
Our Wedding was no fairytale affair
We were just happy to be considered a pair

One year later our son Don was born
A gift from God in the early morn
Proud parents we were now, Joe and I
We shifted from rock songs to lullabies

For four years our baby we pampered and loved
He was shy by nature and sweet as a dove
So proud were we of him and his ways
Thanking the Lord as we knelt down to pray

We knew in our hearts, we had room for one more
So again to the Lord we prayed just like before
The Lord answered with another baby boy
We were delighted! We were overjoyed!

Jason came to us four years later than Don
When I was expecting him, my mom passed on
I think the Lord wanted to compensate me this way
For when he took away mom, he gave us dear Jay

Jay was not as shy as his brother Don
He slept right through from night to morn
He never would wake for feeds at night
So I slept from night to morning light

We were so contented, our family’s now complete
For Jay was just perfect from his head to his feet
How could we ask for anything more
For now our family, with babies make four

O how we love our two boys so
Lord please bless our boys and my husband Joe
O Lord I’m contented and won’t ask for anything more
But just let me thank you again to settle the score

Don and Jay have now left our nest
It’s time for Joe and I to take a rest
Although we’re separated by distance now
We’ll feel just as close with our love somehow.

~ Liz Sammy-Chin ~

A Dedication to my husband, Joe

So many friends have touched my life
But my best friend has made me his wife
Joe is the best friend I ever had
He makes me happy when I am sad

For thirty four years we’ve been faithful and true
When we are together, we’ll never feel blue
Our love and relationship have always survived
The up and downs of life and the raging tide

Serenity and patience are his virtues
Always giving credit when it was due
Our sons have been lucky to have him as dad
He’d give them his best that he ever had

A husband so good very few can compare
I’ve never been scolded and I think it’s unfair
For I’ve not been a saint, in fact otherwise
But Joe always tolerated, he’ll lovingly advise

I know I’ve been blessed from up above
Joe, Don and Jay surround me with love
What can I say, but Thank you dear Lord!
I think my family has struck the right chord!


~ Liz Sammy-Chin ~

7 Douglas Road...my old homestead

7 Douglas Road, what memories it brings
Of Papa and Mama and seventeen siblings
It was once a boisterous home filled with glee
Where all who visited would always feel free

It was a rambling place that we called home
With rambutans to pluck and bananas in combs
Ducks, chickens, cats and dogs were considered family
Everyone was welcomed to this wonderful fraternity

There were cannas, honolulus and magnolias too
Radiating a kaleidoscope of colours and hue
In a garden so lovingly tended, rich flora thrives
Thanks to my mom, who’s up before each sunrise

The Mango tree and the Durian tree
And the Bauhinia tree, so loved by my sister and me
Grows side by side, though in each own’s domain
The majesty of these old trees, unshaken by rain

The much-loved Neem tree with it’s bitter leaves
Has medicinal value so the elders believe
The gigantic “assam” tree near the toilet grows
Notorious for its supernatural powers and resident ghosts

The banana trees provided us with food
From the fruit to the trunk, to their tuber roots
The Guava tree, a favourite of mine
With its sturdy branches for us to climb

The coconuts were a source of income
When the pickers work in the burning sun
A time we siblings dread the most
Plenty to do, tempers flare, which makes it worse

The house itself was a horse stable once
But nobody will guess if we don’t announce
As a cosy little nest my mom had made
To bring up her brood and she’s done great

My dad passed on in our little homestead
Memories of him we’ll always spread
To our own young ones we’ll lovingly pass
So the stories of our childhood will forever last

The great big house we love is now torn down
And mom and dad are not around
Always shall we think back with nostalgia
Our humble abode will remain so dear.

~ Liz Sammy-Chin ~