Jason Leow (1993)
From fiddlesticks and By Jove
I pick my words to find
Alamak
stirring spicily on my tongue
like the first bite
of green chillies that sends
tentative excitement
popping out of their seeds
Why should I not drink
teh tarik and discuss
Lee Tzu Pheng
(without putting them in italics)
among friends who read but
Tread on the trappings of blind
Miltonic and Shakespearean worship?
Like the prata man's
flips and flaps of the dough
taking shape with each dose
of local flavour,
I look for my place
in a Singaporean life.
My place in the sun
is certainly not too LC
for some others' meringue pies
and afternoon tea.
- I really like this one, despite its occasional pretentiousness, because it at least makes an attempt to be proud of its local imagery and makes no apology for its opaqueness. Singaporean lit for Singaporean consumption!
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