A Singaporean Childhood

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn

This is a story of growing up in beige HDB flats
High-rise homes that dot the lavender sunset
Of void-deck soccer, of sizzling kachang putehs
And of the kids in khaki shorts and white, loose singlets
As their jubilant laughter fill the air around
Of the napping tabby cat hiding in the drain, waiting to be found
This is a tale of gazing at the fluffy, cotton-candy pink clouds
Sauntering across the sky, smiling back at me in the crowd
Of the turquoise-tinted waves that gently lick my feet
And the salty refreshing breeze at Sentosa, feeling so free
Like I am a mermaid perched atop a sun-kissed boulder
Sending off every batch of snow-capped surging breakers
It’s also a tale of the mosaic tiled playground below the block
About the mama shop to where the neighbourhood kids flock
To buy the latest duelling gadgets, well, essentially country flag erasers
I almost had a full collection too when I was younger
And beam as my little pals admire the world in my hands
There’s also patterns made by deft fingers with rubber bands
Simplistic games like “Zha”, “Ji Go Pak” and “Pepsi Cola”
This is also a memory weaved by the fragrance of Kopi O
Caramel hued Teh Tarik, crunchy sweet Kaya Toast
And the minutes and seconds that make up this legacy
Of my Singaporean childhood, of an everlasting story

Poets
  • ADIL MANSURI116 Post(s)
  • AHMAD FARAZ337 Post(s)
  • Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi82 Post(s)
  • Allama Iqbal494 Post(s)
  • Mirza ghalib52 Post(s)
English Poets
  • Emily Angel31 Post(s)
  • Emily Dean13 Post(s)
  • Emily Huntington Miller7 Post(s)
  • Emily Knight13 Post(s)
  • Emily Liang26 Post(s)
  • Emily Wilson17 Post(s)
  • Robert Frost191 Post(s)
  • Rumi148 Post(s)
  • William Shakespeare376 Post(s)
On Trend

Popular Poetry

tazmin

ġham tumhārā thā zindagī goyā tum ko khoyā use nahīñ khoyā fart-e-girya se jī na halkā ho bas yahī soch kar nahīñ royā ashk to ashk haiñ sharāb se bhī maiñ ne ye dāġh-e-dil nahīñ dhoyā maiñ vo kisht-e-nashāt kyoñ kāTūñ jis ko maiñ ne kabhī nahīñ boyā aabla aabla thī jaañ phir bhī bār-e-hastī

safed chhaDiyan

janam kā andhā jo soch aur sach ke rāstoñ par kabhī kabhī koī ḳhvāb dekhe to ḳhvāb meñ bhī azaab dekhe ye shāhrāh-e-hayat jis par hazār-hā qāfile ravāñ haiñ sabhī kī āñkheñ har ek kā dil sabhī ke raste sabhī kī manzil isī hujūm-e-kashāñ-kashāñ meñ tamām chehroñ kī dāstāñ meñ na naam merā na zaat

diwar-e-girya

vo kaisā shobada-gar thā jo masnūī sitāroñ aur naqlī sūrajoñ kī ik jhalak dikhlā ke mere saada dil logoñ kī āñkhoñ ke diye hoñToñ ke jugnū le gayā aur ab ye aalam hai ki mere shahr kā har ik makāñ ik ġhaar kī mānind mahrūm-e-navā hai aur hañstā boltā har shaḳhs ik dīvār-e-girya hai

mujassama

ai siyah-fām hasīna tirā uryāñ paikar kitnī pathrā.ī huī āñkhoñ meñ ġhaltīda hai jaane kis daur-e-alama-nāk se le kar ab tak tū kaḌe vaqt ke zindānoñ meñ ḳhvābīda hai tere sab rañg hayūle ke ye be-jān nuqūsh jaise marbūt ḳhayālāt ke tāne-bāne ye tirī sāñvlī rañgat ye pareshān ḳhutūt bārhā jaise miTāyā ho inheñ duniyā

%d bloggers like this: