Wednesday 3 May 2006
For Singaporean poet Chiew Gam Wak,
‘When a love beautiful Changi Airport gone broke’, for which he got two years for suggesting incompetence, and three strokes of the cane for bad English.
A morning in Terengganu
circa 2 30 am
wake up, biscuit, water, tablet for knee
air-con off, bed again
gaze at zero, brain numb
kira-kira 4 pagi
mug of weak coffee, biscuit, awake
rear knee stiff, rough to walk, make tea
overcast, a grey morning, with light rain
circa 7 30 am
washing finishing now, breakfast gone.
mee hoon, tak sedapnya; birdsong persistent monotony
yellow flower, green undergrowth, yellow, green, on and on
kira-kira 1030 pagi
morning going on, slow, knee easing up
amah comes through; I drink plenty of tea
10 30 shower, extra birds begin to chat, take another cup
circa 11 am
I armchair quiet, birds flitting by palm, flower, little to inspire
mid-morning, she taps in for Hong Leong credit card expiry
oh, mee hoon again, lunch, yum, yum
Air Puteh sister-in-law, a two-hour bread-trek
in air that would grace the Golden Gemini Bakery
a bag of mini-loaf, thin-cut, brown
the other in wet highlight-humidity sarong, cooking
the longest time in history
the depth-charge juice, ‘crisp’ leaf, stem maim
wife comes in, hot, tired, yet able to begin a long-talk telephone
of boring, ah sorry, insipid, ah bye, anonymity
then she sighs, the plate, the tap, too; potato, cold fish, rice
How exciting; woe is me.
