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Tumblers of Ribena, with tooth-marked caps.Tumblers of Ribena, with tooth-marked caps
Tumblers of Ribena, with tooth-marked caps. Lined up by the window, where sun-drugged Haywire ants navigated marshes of syrup. The abacus was a grid of necklaces, The globe the offspring Of roulette-wheel and beach ball. That Malay boy who brought tea to school Was considered strange. So were those
Who came with squares on their sleeves — Some black, some blue, for Ah Gong And Ah Ma. And other bewildering relatives Who bequeathed to them the badge To the night school of mourning.
But no grief on their faces. Not a trace, during afternoons Of two-by-two, the teapot song, And being called monkeys in the playground. We out-choursed one another With the white-gap teeth. National Day: Pom-pom hands and hula-hoop hips.
Other days: fractured crayons, a pencil Sharpened on both ends, like a hex. The girl who stared at the shut windows Wishing for X-ray vision or a clock With no hands. A puddle of shame-shame.
Sleeping time. Lay your head On your arms. The wood of the table Humming like underwater. If you opened Your eyes you could see who else Was disobedient. You could also drift To the secret tapping of a friend, Senseless Morse, galloping fingernails Like firecrackers from a far-off holiday. ```
The abacus resembled a necklace grid, The globe was the child Of a roulette wheel and a beach ball. That Malay boy who brought tea to class Was seen as odd. So were those Who wore squares on their sleeves — Some black, some blue, for their grandparents And other confusing relatives
Who gave them the mark To the night school of sorrow. But no sadness on their faces. Not a hint, during afternoons Of pairs, the teapot song,
And being called monkeys on the playground. We out-sang each other With our gap-toothed smiles. National Day: Hands waving pom-poms and hips swaying with hula hoops. Other days: broken crayons, a pencil Sharpened at both ends, like a spell. The girl who gazed at the closed windows
Wishing for X-ray vision or a clock Without hands. A puddle of embarrassment. Naptime. Rest your head On your arms. The table's wood Vibrating like something underwater. If you opened
Your eyes, you could see who else Was misbehaving. You could also drift To the secret tapping of a friend, Meaningless Morse, racing fingernails Like fireworks from a distant holiday. Arranged by the window, where sun-soaked Erratic ants moved through sticky syrup. Containers of Ribena, with caps marked by teeth.