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Literature
Ee Tiang Hong (1933-1990) was born in Malacca, educated in both Malacca and Singapore,
and by 1975, he migrated to Perth, Australia, with his family and where he died of cancer.
The critic, Kirpal Singh, has suggested that Ee was troubled by "fundamental changes being
introduced by leaders to ensure that Malaysia (which Ee always referred to as Malaya) become
centrally a Malay nation" ("Poetry and the Politics of History: Revisiting Ee Tiang Hong." Asiatic
3.2 [2009]: 25-37). Poems here are taken from Ee's 1994 poetry collection, Nearing a Horizon.
A Business Lunch
As a starter
we had spring onion.
What next, I wondered,
for entree?
You showed me a poem
you'd just finished.
CHewing the cud
onion and poem
How about my favourite
braised bche-de-mer?
Perth
The city has no centre, focal landmark,
no Place de la Concorde, Padang Merdeka, Tien An Men,
no particular square, terrace, public park.
On important days citizens do not converge,
as elsewhere, for a common purpose they feel
no urge to (there's no compulsion);
would rather windsurf, sprawl on beach, go bush,
or some place else, even overseas (if it's
not too far, not too expensive).
Alternatively, might as well stay home,
weed, mow the lawn, try a new recipe, barbecue,
lounge, have a beer, watch tv (Love you Perth).
Of course. Or else. Yet sometimes,
for a while, I'd rather be away
from family, neighbours, visiting friends;
be all alone, to daydream, diverge, de-centred,
but no looking back to brood, and not too far ahead,