Daryl Lim Wei Jie (b. 1990)
SELECTED POEMS
a visit to choa chu kang columbarium, 12 Jan 2014
columbarium,
marble dovecotes lined:
I press my ear against
yours, thinking I hear
a forlorn flapping.hemmed in in life
walled in in death
you were resettled
thrice, a national
average, perhaps.traditions adapt:
false flowers, not fresh
clean the niche with wet wipes
on the tiny row of space
people place dollhouse food.offerings have logic:
must open up packet
of 5-star duck rice
otherwise like that
ah tai how to eat?not enough numbers:
the niche number only
three digits, how to buy?
can what, this is row D
D is number four.to pray is to channel
my desires towards
some supplicating will
I don’t want to do that
so let’s just talk, ah tai.don’t worry, ah tai
the living too are all
in cells: housing blocks,
cubicles, excel sheets,
dating apps and forms.I run my hand over
your life carved out
in gold characters:
dialect, maiden name,
some hometown in Fujian.these things I remember:
you, on a chair, dazed
me greeting you good night
every night till you died
then saffron and smoke.hey, ah tai, it’s been
half an hour: have you
had your fill of joss?
hope the rice was nice.
we’ll be back next year.
by Daryl Lim Wei Jie
from A Book of Changes (2016)
