i.
Locked jaws on the kerb
A kick at the low cranium
Incisors, breakfast
ii.
Bright sky, lonely soul
The filial son wishes for
Longer road to home
iii.
Bracing wind, sun, rain
Kapchai* weaves through the city
For sesuap nasi*
iv.
Car tyres screech, yelling
A child runs to rescue his
Flying scarlet crane
v.
Wafting smell of food
Red fu* posters, peach blossoms
Your absence, rings loud
*Kapchai: (local slang) Underbone motorbikes
*Sesuap nasi: (Malay) A spoonful of rice
*Fu: (Mandarin 福）Prosperity
Rex Tan is a journalist by trade and a poet at heart. As a Malaysian, he is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Malay, yet he calls none his first language.
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