By Sanjay C Kuttan
LIFETIME BY MAIN MAIN
wooden blocks, wooden trains,
ageing memory still remains.
friends divide, police and thief,
evening sweat a stress relief.
Belon acah on badminton court,
cari lobang through the fort.
colourful feathers adorn chaptek,
mesti main during pagi break.
hantam bola with acrobatics,
ducking projectile, elak tactic.
rounders, imperfect diamond,
home runners jadi legend.
ceper with five bottle caps,
navigating past the 3D traps.
guli lined up without blame,
mata sempit taking aim.
tightened cord, to spin gasing,
if too loose kepala pusing,
whack the stick, gili danda,
count back jangan salah.
Hide and seek, every little nook,
hearts like pages of an open book.
Glossary
main main: play, playing
Belon acah: name of the game
cari: look; lobang: gap or hole
chaptek: featherball
mesti: must
pagi: morning;
hantam: strike / hit; bola: ball
elak: avoid
jadi: become
ceper; bottle cap
guli: marble
mata: eye; sempit: narrow slit
gasing: tops that spin
kepala: head
pusing: turn, context is disoriented
gili danda: name of the game
jangan: don’t: salah: error / mistake
You can check out more about the games mentioned in the poem by clicking here.
.Sanjay C Kuttan, poet, philosopher and writer, was born in Malaysia, lives in Singapore, has his poetry published in Where Fires Rage, In One Breath, Under the Spell of Flickering Lights, Quilted Sails and in other anthologies.
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