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Poems on the MRT

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Elegy by Cheng Him
Elegy by Cheng Him
 

ah seng ownself make ownself know.
today he know light come from where.
he say: all light come down from the
same sky—means everything it
touch must be the same. ah seng
go to sleep wake up sick with knowing.
ah seng learn that if know also means
must forget. this morning our friend
learn something new.

upstairs, between ceiling light is a
planet that always falling towards
ah seng face. he cry: my world,
why you coming to hit my face?
ah seng take out the kim zhua to
build a circle under a ceiling fan.
later the wind will write a sutra.
ah seng light a joss stick, but
hold it macam cigarette.

in the evening, ah seng hear
the puteh sing. he take the
kim zhua fold into beak, feather,
feet—suddenly everywhere also
got puteh. ah seng almost
swallow one by accident.

all light come down will go
to the same place—same place
as everything that fall from
upstairs. so ah seng ownself
fold ownself into a tree.

ah seng ownself make ownself
know every bird the name.
one by one he call them come.
when every bird land on his shoulder
ah seng will fall also, like light,
with both eyes open.

— Published in Boh Beh Zhao (2025)

Cheng Him is from Singapore, and is the author of BOH BEH ZHAO.

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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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