I am reminded of these two poems written about KL, which is published in In-Sights, an anthology of Malaysian poetry. I've actually met some of the writers of the poems in this book and got their autographs. The first poem is about the rapid development suffocating KL, and the second highlights the good and bad (especially bad) and the light and dark of KL.
RE: Construction
To Whom It May Concern
by Charlene Rajendran
Dear Sir,
or Madam,
i)
All the places where I grew up
have been torn down
because they said
there was no space
and we were
becoming modern.
Why must they build
a police plaza in Pudu
where my grandparents
‘grew old man’s darling’?
Why can’t the state mosque
not be in Bukit Palah,
where I climbed the
frangipani tree?
Why should the mega-mall
be at 218 Ampang
where I used to play
swinging ‘moneyplant’?
why do my memories
all have to be
only in my head
so I can’t show
my children
and their children
and so on?
ii)
The race course
was meant to be
a park within the city.
The playing field
was meant to save
some space for greenery.
The forest reserve
was meant to run
the cable car for fun.
Why must the flag fly
so high where no one
with feet on the ground
can see or touch
or wave it?
iii)
I look forward
to hearing from you soon.
and thank you.
Sincerely,
A City Girl
@Urbanses.my
Kuala Lumpur! Kuala Lumpur!
by Fan Yew Teng
Hello, Kuala Lumpur, Happy Birthday!
O you’ve grown, how you’ve grown!
What with your skyscrapers
your flyovers, your toll plazas
your tree-line malls
your flashy shopping complexes
snooker centres, noisy pubs
psychedelic discos, traffic congestions
sweaty queues, outdated roundabouts
and frantic rushes under the midday sun.
Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
I love your nasi lemak in Gombak
your roastduck from Pudu
your mutton curry at Brickfields
your Bak-kut-teh in Kepong
your nasi briyani at Kampung Baru
your sugarcane water in Cheras
your flower nurseries at Old Klang Road
your Angsana trees in Jinjang
your incense at Leboh Ampang
your pasar malam in Petaling Street
your Hainanese chicken rice in Jalan Sultan
and the lusty bargains along Batu Lane.
Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
beauty or beast, what are you?
who are you, human or divine?
Who knows what secrets in tall buildings
what juicy gossips and rumours in coffeeshops
what greed masked behind orchids
what slummy squalor behind concrete facades
what shady deals in the Golden Triangle
what fake massages in your exclusive clubs
what manicured conspiracies
what wheeling-dealing in hotel lobbies
what racial slurs and curses in backlanes
what supercilious pretences at cocktail parties
what murders and swindles at planning
what brines wrapped in hibiscus smiles
what hastily negotiated favours
what lusty tigershows performed
what dirty weekends enjoyed within sight of flaming trees
among modern, expensive ramparts?
Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
are you a city of
hope or despair
joy or frustration
warmth or loneliness
love or hate
plenty or poverty
ordained heaven or manmade hell
strength or weakness
firmness or caprice
the aged or youth
angels or devils
floods or draught (sic)
shit or gold
farts or perfumes
glory or shame
hills or valleys
vibrance or imitation
deserts or springs
truth or lies
colours or blandness
light or shadows
bigotry or tolerance
thinkers or robots
courage or cowardice
dissidents or sycophants
care or selfishness
independents or suckers
pageantry or burlesque
strife or peace
clarity or haze?
Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
O I love Chow Kit Road
Sungei Besi, Sentul, Keramat
And all your other parts
but are you a conscionable muddy estuary
or merely a Babylonian lump
or Philistinian mud?
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