Daryl Lim Wei Jie (b. 1990)
SELECTED POEMS
Sang Nila Reclaims the Throne
“...when eyes were still embers waiting for a
crownless Prince of Palembang.”At 4.45 on a Saturday, all TV channels and radio stations announced his resumption of the throne.
As the news filtered down, the queues at the 4D shops grew longer, though no one was sure what numbers to buy.
The President, Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet were found in their homes with arrows in their backs, except for the Minister of Culture, a secret double agent.
Bands of revenants secured power stations, army bases, telecom buildings, and other such installations.
At 6, he emerged from a keramat in Telok Blangah, surrounded by devotees. However, they were shocked to discover he was a Buddhist.
There was a run for Singapore history titles at bookstores. But most of them only had a single unilluminating paragraph.
He enquired about the state of his kingdom and successors. No one seemed to know anything, and so the presence of the Royal Historian was demanded. Someone found the number for the National Heritage Board.
He desired to ascend the Forbidden Hill to visit his palace, or what was left of it. There were no horses, so they had to call for taxis.
“Does anybody know of a good goldsmith, with crown-making experience?” he asked.
Neighbouring countries denounced the change of regime, “Sang Nila’s mythical claims notwithstanding”. In Malaysia, those who spread rumours of a returning shah were detained.
The opposition parties did not make any press statements.
In the taxi he named several devotees as members of his ruling council. A committee was formed to examine his claims to Malacca, Bintan, Palembang and other parts of Sumatra. War with Majapahit was declared. He tried to pay for the taxi in old Chinese coins, each worth tens of thousands.
Congregations poured into temples, mosques and churches, though few knew what to pray for.
Government, as ever, went on, despite the absence of politicians. Some senior civil servants remarked that government had never been smoother.
At 8, he appeared on national television, vowing to keep Singapore a haven for traders, to personally lead an expedition against the pirates and to sustain the alliance with the Mongol Emperor. The Chinese ambassador declined to comment, citing portions of international law that were later found entirely spurious.
I watched him speak at the coffee shop under my block, where a crowd had gathered. There were mutterings about a new public holiday. Most of the uncles and old men concluded that everything would be the same, king or no king.
He clarified that it was indeed a lion, experts be damned.
At 10, we lined the streets around Dhoby Ghaut, waiting for him to descend, our king. We had no idea what flags to wave, what banners to brandish, what to shout, and in what language.
We settled on Singapura.
by Daryl Lim Wei Jie
from A Book of Changes (2016)
