Sunday, June 12, 2011

Public Transport

(What an unromantic title for a poem!)

I hate travelling by train
Being forced to see unhappy people
Up close

So many people are unhappy,
Trying to lose themselves in their phones, or books
Or arrogance

I often scan the compartment
Seeking one kind face
Not one kind face on some days

I prefer buses
Although they take forever
And drivers drive badly

But at least I can breathe 
And look at the outside world
Greener than the one inside

Of course
I like taxis the best
Alone, safe, with my loneliness


(PS: I live in Singapore, which has the best public transport system in the world. Like many Singaporeans and expats living here, I don't even own a car.)

3 comments:

  1. You do love trains
    where else can aloka bake a strawberry cake,
    where else can we find a man similar to witchy aunty,
    where else can we see ourselves grotesquely elongated

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  2. Ha ha mom! So so true!

    Can't stop thinking of that uncle who gave witchy aunty a run for her money. He was enjoying pushing that single tooth even further out of his mouth!

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  3. But let me clarify. This poem is written for when I am travelling alone. When you are with me mom, everything is different, better and none of this stuff matters.

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