It has slipped the laborious arcs
of trade-routes, sealing the spices’
scent from ferreting ships, sitting
beyond the itinerary’s telescope.
Only when the mind has peeled off
reason and history will you see
it, and perhaps then give away
all these cloud-capped towers
and Utama’s crown
for a place where we can begin again,
in the opposite direction
from what we are.
Paradise
BOEY KIM CHENG (1965 – present)
is an acclaimed Singaporean poet whose
publications comprise a portion of the
literature syllabus for university entrance
exams in the city state. His works deal with
feelings of displacement and nostalgia in
the modern metropolis, triggered by its rapid
transformation from a pre-1965 British trading
port at the sacrifice of heritage and history.By Boey Kim Cheng
timeless
PHOTO © SHUTTERSTOCK