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Poems on the MRT

Kekwa / Chrysanthemum by Ahmad Syarif

 

Kekwa
Ahmad Syarif

girang gemilang kekwa melambai
terbias masuk pintu gerbang
tinggi cita terang rangsang
lesap tiba di kilang kelam

luntur cerah rona bunga
bunga diluluh lesung masa
bakat keringat belia diperah
semerbak si bijak kian diserah

dibuat baja utuhkan tanah
tanah berderai pokok bercerai
rela berbakti asalkan seni
kekal berakar kekal memekar

— Diterbitkan dalam KayuApi (Ogos 2023)

Chrysanthemum
Written by Ahmad Syarif
Translated by Alfian Sa’at

joyful and splendid the chrysanthemum waves
its fragrance wafting through the gate
high hopes and flaming arousal
disappear upon entering the dark factory

the flower’s bright colour fades
crushed by the pestle of time
the sweat of youth is extracted
the fragrance of the wise is surrendered

made into compost to nourish the earth
though the soil crumbles and trees fall away
it serves with devotion so that art
may root and bloom forever

— Published in KayuApi (Ogos 2023)

Ahmad Syarif is an emerging writer, performer, and producer. Drawing from his academic grounding in Maritime Studies, he anchors his creative work in the cultural, environmental, and ethnographic narratives of maritime Southeast Asia, producing works that are both rooted in heritage and alive to contemporary expression. His poetry, which earned him an Honourable Mention in the 2021 Golden Point Award for Malay Poetry, explored affective ecologies which laid the foundation for his further development at platforms such as Oxford University’s Creative Writing Summer School and the NUS Museum’s Writing Lab, where he honed his ethnographic and cultural storytelling.

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Poems on the MRT is an initiative by the National Arts Council, in partnership with SMRT and Stellar Ace. Produced by Sing Lit Station, a local literary non-profit organisation, this collaboration displays excerpts of Singapore poetry throughout SMRT’s train network, integrating local literature into the daily experience of commuters. Look out for poems in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil in trains on the East-West, North-South and Circle Lines, as well as videos created by local artists and featuring local poets in stations and on trains. The Chinese, Malay, and Tamil poems are available in both the original languages and English. To enjoy the full poems, commuters may read them on go.gov.sg/potm.

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