Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Planners by Boey Kim Cheng

They plan. They build. All spaces are gridded,
filled with permutations of possibilities.
The buildings are in alignment with the roads
which meet at desired points
linked by bridges all hang
in the grace of mathematics.
They build and will not stop.
Even the sea draws back
and the skies surrender.

They erase the flaws,
the blemishes of the past, knock off
useless blocks with dental dexterity.
All gaps are plugged
with gleaming gold.
The country wears perfect rows
of shining teeth.
Anaesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis.
They have the means.
They have it all so it will not hurt,
so history is new again.
The piling will not stop.
The drilling goes right through
the fossils of last century.

But my heart would not bleed
poetry. Not a single drop
to stain the blueprint
of our past's tomorrow.

7 comments:

  1. what a beautiful poem...
    I absolutely agree with the pain he feels about the new replacing the new so rapidly in Singapore
    There are no more memories left!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved this poem, the reference and comparison to dentistry is astonishing and very relevant in this given context. I think Literature is given to us so we can find ourselves, as everything these days is based on fact. We need something to remind us of our own creativity and the double meaning of life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it is nice i loved it to the way she set out the scene and the meaning of life love it

      Delete
  3. Great, I DK WHAT IT MEANS THOUGH

    ReplyDelete