Category: Family

A Pocket Full of Kueh

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Pictured above: My Father, who kept loving me when I forgot to love him.

Performed at the Foodrama Poetry Slam 2017, Organised by Word Forward, at Blu Jaz Cafè.

My dad never understood why I hated eating kueh. I spent 7 years forcing kuehs down my throat, long since learning that resistance was futile.

I used to run to my dad for a hug the moment he got home. My dad called me a little “Tau sah piah”, because those were my favourite words for a while.

I wonder what happened to those years. I haven’t eaten kueh in a long time.

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Note to Self

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Inspired by “Notebook Fragments” by Ocean Vuong

Older boys will kill you, mother said. I believed her.

Today I met an older boy. I’m terrified of the man I love, even though he’s the only one who believes me.

Close the door, daddy said. Turn off the lights, daddy said. You’re wasting electricity, daddy said. You’re wasting money, wasting water, wasting space, daddy said.

Listen to your dad, mommy said. You know you’re his jewel, his princess, right? Mommy said.

Note to self: The people who are killing you are also caring for you.

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Life Lessons From Your Brother

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I Want You To Know These Things

You used to call Optimus Prime “Dangerous Prime”.
It was always so amusing to listen to you correct us every time we said Optimus Prime,
Until one day you realised that you were wrong,
And switched over faster than anyone else ever will.
To Mom, that is, your eldest aunt, she felt that it was proof that you were smart.
To me, it was proof that children have the world’s most open minds.
You were like- five years old.
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