The new anthology is aimed at students in Singapore schools, and will contain a selection of poems from writers all over the world. The objective is to expose the students, through poetry, to a variety of different social, cultural and linguistic contexts. Edwin Thumboo wants to use the following poem of mine:
- My Father Takes My Son For A Walk
Small waves sing and sigh and run to the shore,
Push and pull at their ankles, as they walk hand-in-hand
Along the edge of the sea.
My father is white-haired now, his shoulders stoop.
With each step he is approaching the end of his life
Altthough in this moment he does not think of it.
My son is a young child. Shells and boats excite him.
In the years ahead, the old man beside him will
Become for him an uncertain memory.
I have my own journey. I am watching them,
As if from a very great distance, as if I were a wave
Travelling out into the endless sea.
Congrats!
ReplyDeleteI remember you posted this before. I liked it then, and I like it still. Not a poem person to start with, but yours are touching and not pretensious.
ReplyDeletemy children are spending 2 weeks with their grandparents now. I was just thinking what a privilege it is to have a memory of times with your grand parents and how hard it is to create that when you're not in the same countries.
ReplyDeleteyour poem is very lovely and touches on the aspect of memory