there are none so blind as those who just agree
follow dictators and despots? swallow leeches and crackpots? shrug shoulders, turn the page? shut our eyes, lock the cage? purse our lips, as if to say something real, then let it stay unsaid-unread-unfelt-uncared- unheard: thus remain unhurt: fuss is fain answered: just with pain, my word.
We fixate over fixtures, Curtains and trimmings, We measure lighting Too bright, though brimming. Lying on rugs: gazing At the sofa - genuine faux leather Hiding behind aircon double glazing Sweating, no matter the weather. Does it matter whether We own bubbles in the sky? Till we find a home We are all just renting,… Continue reading 99 red ballons go by
And so that saga continues.
Heritage. It’s the crack they dole out to cover up the cracks in the foundations, as the damp creeps up the walls and soils shift because they’ve dug too deep, siphoned too much, layered too many underpasses, tunnels and sewers one over the other like catacombs of the living dead. Heritage only really matters here… Continue reading heritage is?
See that 99-year roof above your head? Or that comfy, warm, inviting bed? Smell that heritage hawker fare upon your table? All only because things are nice and stable. Can you walk the streets at any time? Of course you can, there's next to no crime. Need to travel to your next destination? No traffic… Continue reading Quality Hotel
On every channel on every TV, tonight, (unless you have cable), you’re bound to see our aged PM, crying as he watches on his TV, his father proud, shouting loud to an expectant, roaring, rowdy crowd, some fifty-nine years ago, a simple word, full of gusto, Merdeka! Meaning “slaves now freed”. A middle finger to… Continue reading A freed slave
Yes! Yes! And absolutely Yes! $$$$$$$$$$$$ From a financial point of view, we can easily afford it. Their multi-million dollar salaries are a drop in the bucket compared to the huge economy of Singapore. We could even afford to pay them millions more. It's not going to break the bank. But herein lies the problem.… Continue reading Can Singapore afford to pay ministers and top civil servants millions?
to refuse is to remain silent, side-stepping, spectating, is to applaud, approve, acquit (aloof), is to stain hands with more than ink. to refuse is to scratch out pain, circle chain, not think, but blink wink smile, please not right now, but in a while, when bruises fade and they’ve made you - file, please,… Continue reading write (to remain silent)
It's not the towers built of steel and glass, Or the everything also simisai world class. It's not the F-15s, racing through the sky, Or the soldiers ready, smartly marching by. It's not a mega-trillion reserves somewhere, Or the elections that are truly (mostly) fair. It's not the food, though good; to die for, Or… Continue reading Pride and Joy
All of us know your vote is not secret. It's seen everywhere you go without apology or regret, in the towers of steel and glass that dome our nation transactional, in the daily grind and farce we pretend is just exceptional, in the old man, foot of block lying lifeless, quiet and still we close… Continue reading your vote is not secret
