i.
in the new city
a wandering river of
delivery bikes
throng canals of retail shops
drained of posh automobiles
ii.
are there angels
among the living
the air is thick
with the expensive smell
of sanitisers
let us raise our hands
lower our masks
open palms open hearts
all praise and glory
to the unclaimed
iii.
there is no comfort
in the wandering
only the waiting
find purpose
in the destination
Ahmad Md Tahir (b. 1967), has published two collections of poems – Bunga Makna (1992) and Aisberg Kesimpulan (2013). He has received commendation awards in the Saadon Ismail Award (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994) and commendation awards in MBMS Literary Award (1993, 1995). His poems have been translated in English and published in various anthologies of poetry – Journeys: Words, Home & Nation (1995), Memories & Desires (1998), Rhythms: A Singapore Millennial Anthology of Poetry (2000), Verse Of Angels (2010), From The Window Of This Epoch (2010), Moving Words (2011), SingaPoetry: An Anthology Of Singapore Poems (2015) and Contour: A Lyric Cartography Of Singapore (2019).
Qamar Firdaus Saini is in the Public Service, and is especially fond of Explosions in the Sky. He writes to remember. His poems can be found in
Quarterly Literary Review Singapore,
Moving Words (Ethos Books),
ASINGBOL (Squircle Line Press),
This is Not A Safety Barrier (Ethos Books), and various editions of
SingPoWriMo (Math Paper Press), among others. His works have also been commissioned by National Gallery Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum.
