CHINATOWN As dawn breaks over the tenement houses Life begins in the heart of Petaling Street The carts

rumble into the market square And the cries of hawkers (Rumble Mumble Hustle Bustle) Ka ma lun pheng koh, yau pheng yau leng, hoong toh-toh, Aunty, aunty, ai beh cai boh... Ham yee ah (2x) Sam Khow yat ma (3x) Mai yat cek soong yat cek, cin-cin, cai-cai, mai toh soong toh, Mingled with those of early shoppers The morning sun rses The shops are ready for business The big bully jaga with his beard neatly curled Grins as a Mercedes pulls up, eek....booom It disgorges an opulent lady Making her weekly pilgrimage to the jewellery store. The Chinese medicine halls display their strange products Guaranteed to cure every ill. The sinseh by the corner picks his teeth as he awaits his firs client The joss stick seller is busy fashioning a paper limousine complete with number plates. While two shops away in the eerie darkness, A coffin lies waiting for the same customers. "You ain't nothing but a hound dog" Hot rock music blares from the cassette players While metal smiths and cobbles, beat in time. Girls in the latest fashion Strut among the hawkers Selling platform shoes and handbags A shout is heard, "Hoi!" A wiry youngster wheels among the cars He disappears into the lane Clutching a gold necklace No one goes after him No one dares, it's wiser not to be involved.

Lunch time in Madras Lane For the adventurous gourmets they are Monkey brains, served fresh from the skull With a dash of pepper Or, if you prefer less exotic fare Try: turtle soup, fried lizard tongue, mouth watering eels. The sun has set The market is closed And shops will be shut But wait, more carts rumble in and kerosene lamps are lit The pasar malam has begun The hawkers advertise their goods in the road now devoid of traffic There is food galore! Char Siew Pau, Chin Toi Chai, See Ham Chow Fun, Loh Mai Kai, Hoong Tau Sah Customers stream in from the nearby cinema Jostling and pushing, oblivious of the pick pockets At midnight the carnival is over Silence and darkness descend once more A naked light bulb swings in one of the windows A dustbin clatter, "Meeoooww..." as the cats begin their nightly haunt An old beggar huddles to sleep on the cold sidewalk All is quiet and still.....until tomorrow.