the future is now, the past, present
listen to me, there is much to tell you:
all is not black and white
much is in between shades of gray
fermented in dustbins, collecting never-ending time

commit this to memory;
let these hands guide you –
one and two: a man without a sense of history
is not a man
three and four: you can’t teach a dog history
because it is a dog
five and six: the past is the past because
it shaped the present
seven and eight: the present is because of the past

now,
take my eight to your two
grasp them tightly
for the future is immediate;
color your wishes well,
interpret the past to understand
the present

remember the past to participate now;
demystify history
sursum corda
not all are tales, myths, or anecdotes
be both the dead past and the
living present
today is simply yesterday more progressed;
yesterday, the undeveloped today

Profile: Michael Koh